Parenting & kids - Greece cancels order for swine flu vaccine

Greece cancels order for swine flu vaccine

(RIA Novosti) ATHENS -- Greece has canceled the remaining order for about 8
million batches of the vaccine against the deadly swine flu, local media
said citing the government sources. Greece has previously ordered over 11
mln batches to vaccinate its entire population, and has received 3.6 mln
batches, worth 25 mln euro ($36 mln) from that order. "The state will pay
only for vaccines which have been received so far," local TV quoted Health
Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou as saying on Monday. The minister said
the vaccination against the A/H1N1 virus had not been popular among the
Greek citizens. Only about 360,000 Greeks have voluntarily received the
vaccination up till now, and it is questionable if all the received vaccines
would be used until their expiration in 2011. According to official data, up
to 96 people have died so far in Greece from the swine flu and its
complications. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported late in December
2009 that the death toll from the swine flu outbreak had reached 11,516
worldwide. The number of infections continues to rise in some areas of
central and eastern Europe, as well as in western, southern and central
Asia, which were hit by the virus outbreak later than other parts of the
world, the organization said. WHO had earlier suspended publishing weekly
reports on the spread of swine flu after some countries refused to report
each infection.

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