Klekovski: Besezhe vaccines from UNICEF expected within days
Minister says UNICEF central depot shipments are being organised and disputed Bulgarian batches are not in use
Sasho Klekovski, the Minister of Health, said he expects vaccines called besezhe to arrive in the country imminently and that authorities are working to avoid interruptions in the immunisation programme.
"The vaccines are being procured from UNICEF's central depot, logistics are being organised, so the details are being finalised," Klekovski said, explaining the route of supply and the work under way to move shipments into the country.
"It is a matter of days," the minister added, when asked about the timing of the deliveries.
Background and precautions
Last week the Ministry of Health announced a preventive pause in the use of the besezhe vaccine batches produced by a manufacturer in Bulgaria, after reports in Croatia linked certain batches to possible adverse reactions. According to the minister, use of those disputed batches in this country ended months ago and no vaccines from those series are currently in use.
Klekovski said that a detailed analysis will be carried out to establish whether any reported adverse events among patients can be connected to use of that vaccine. "At the moment there are no besezhe from the disputed batches in use, nor have any adverse effects been reported," he added.
Meanwhile, health authorities reached an agreement with UNICEF to secure besezhe vaccines sourced from Japan for a one-year period to ensure continuity of the immunisation programme.
Photo: Arhiva
