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MULTIMEDIA
May 27, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 

H1N1 vaccine a matter of health, not politics, Akdağ says

14 November 2009 / ASLIHAN AYDIN , ANKARA
Health Minister Recep Akdağ has warned that debates over the H1N1 vaccine should not be exploited for political gains since the matter is of critical importance to the nation’s health.
Speaking at a Parliamentary Planning and Budgetary Commission meeting yesterday, Akdağ said some people have commented on the vaccine against the H1N1 strain of influenza, also known as swine flu, without enough knowledge on the topic. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy Osman Durmuş, a former health minister, has accused the Health Ministry of unnecessarily urging people to get the shot and of having purchased excessive doses of vaccine for the financial benefit of the companies that produced it. Akdağ denied these claims. “You know I have tried to pay attention to the words I’ve used so far. But I call these comments slander. This is dirty politics,” he said.

Stating that Turkey’s swine flu vaccines are supplied by two companies and that the swine flu vaccine has been confirmed to be safe in many countries, Akdağ said the adverse effects of the swine flu vaccine can be discussed but the issue should not be made into a political instrument. “I did not decide to purchase the swine flu vaccine and administer it in Turkey. It was a decision made by our scientific board of 40 experts, without any objections. They decided to administer the swine flu vaccine to those in high-risk groups. Only 10 of these 40 experts are from the Health Ministry; the rest are distinguished scientists in Turkey,” he said.

Noting that 250,000 people have received shots thus far, he said all of them are in good health and continuing their daily lives.

Akdağ also said a swine flu vaccine specifically for pregnant women is set to arrive in Turkey in late November.

Swine flu cases estimated to be over 30,000 in Turkey

Although records show that the number of people carrying the H1N1 virus is around 3,000, it is estimated that there are at least 30,000 swine flu cases across Turkey, a Health Ministry scientific board member said.

Professor Gaye Usluer, a member of the Health Ministry’s scientific board and chairwoman of the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialty Society of Turkey, told the Anatolia news agency that the ministry does not currently know the exact number of swine flu cases as diagnoses have increased recently. “It is said that swine flu cases are around 3,000 across Turkey. According to our estimations, the real figure is at least 10 times more than 3,000. We should pay attention to the rapid spread of the virus. There was only one fatality as of Oct. 8. Fatalities increased to 40 in under one month,” she said.

Meanwhile, İstanbul Governor Muammer Güler announced on Thursday that nine patients in İstanbul are being treated for swine flu at intensive care units.

 
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© Feza Gazetecilik A.Ş. 2007, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı Cad. No: 6, Bahçelievler - İstanbul 34194 Turkey, +90 (212) 454 1454, +90 (212) 454 1497(fax)