czechs bought 185mill cw worth of relenza

Measures against swine flu pandemic cost CZK 336m
?TK | 29 June 2010
Prague, June 28 (CTK) - All measures taken against the swine flu pandemic have cost the Czech state 336 million crowns, outgoing Health Minister Dana Juraskova said after a cabinet meeting Monday.

The state bought the Relenza antiviral medicine worth 185 millions and vaccines worth 150 millions.

The Czech Republic originally ordered one million vaccines worth 220 million crowns but later lowered the number to 700,000 vaccines.

Experts are to revise the remaining vaccines by the end of June.

Chief sanitary officer Michael Vit said at least 120,000 vaccines would become a part of the state reserve.

Only one-tenth of the vaccines were used as 69,000 Czechs asked for the vaccination, including 11,000 medical workers and 5000 persons working for bodies whose operation is vital for the state. In other words, less than one percent of the population has been vaccinated against swine flu.

The Health Ministry was considering several variants, including the purchase of up to 20 million vaccines or buying no vaccines at all.

Even before ordering Relenza, the Czech state had another medicine, Tamiflu, for 20 percent of its population.

Swine flu claimed 102 lives in the Czech Republic, however, the victims were mostly people suffering from some other serious illness. At present, cases of swine flu are rare.