Health Ministry: tuberculosis vaccine delivery being organised, flu doses received
Delivery of tuberculosis vaccine from a Japanese manufacturer is being organised and should arrive within days; 30,000 flu doses are already in the country.
The Health Ministry says arrangements are under way for a new shipment of tuberculosis vaccines from a Japanese manufacturer, and that immunisation — paused after Croatia reported four suspected cases of bone infections in children linked to the same producer — should resume within days.
Health Minister Sasho Klekovski said the delivery is being organised through UNICEF's central depot and final details are being completed.
"Logistics are being organised. They are procured from UNICEF's central depot, so the details are being finalised — I hope they arrive in North Macedonia very quickly and there will be no problems regarding how long the pause will last," Klekovski said.
Flu campaign: first doses already in the country
Meanwhile, the first 30,000 doses of seasonal influenza vaccine have already arrived in North Macedonia. An additional shipment of 26,000 doses is expected by mid-November, and priority will be given to at-risk groups.
Some physicians emphasise that investigators still need to determine whether the four suspected Croatian cases are causally related to the vaccine; North Macedonia halted the TB immunisation as a precautionary measure.
Dr. Zlate Mehemdovic warned that it is important to continue vaccinating newborns because the vaccine prevents severe forms of tuberculosis and newborns have immature immune systems. Last year, 12 children in the country were recorded with active tuberculosis.
Photo: press material from the event
