czeh ordered half a million doses of relenza

The government reacted to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) announcement last week that it would raise the flu pandemic to the highest level which is Phase 6. So far, the spread of the disease was classified as epidemic, which is Phase 5.
Juraskova said the health ministers of all 27 EU members states had also agreed on Phase 6.
The change in the pandemic plan is yet to be debated by the government's security council and the government will make the decision on the purchase in two weeks. The negotiations of the medicine supplies will take another weeks, Juraskova said.
At present, the Health Ministry has enough supplies of anti-flu Tamiflu medicine for 20 percent of the population and it intends to purchase the antiviral Relenza medicine for another 5 percent of the population.
The purchase will cost about 138 million crowns till the end of this year and 236 million crowns next year.
"It is the price of half a million doses of Relenza and the blocking capacity of vaccines," Juraskova said.
She said the possible purchase of vaccines would cost further money.
According to WHO, more than 29,700 people in 74 countries have contracted the new flu virus, the first cases of which appeared in Mexico.
The first case in the EU was registered in Spain on April 27.
In all, 147 people have died from swine flu with the first European victim being a patient who died in Scotland last Sunday.
($1=19.024 Czech crowns)