MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) yesterday urged the government to make sure that A(H1N1) vaccines donated by the World Health Organization (WHO) will not be used in campaign activities.
WHO has donated 1.9 million doses of the influenza vaccine to the country to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The organization has pledged a total of nine million doses.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the virus, which killed thousands worldwide last year, remains a public threat despite diminishing public attention to its transmission.
The TUCP said the DOH should disclose to the public how the vaccines are distributed because these might also be wasted or resold by unscrupulous parties.
DOH has started vaccinating frontline health workers last week, targeting to finish immunizing 420,000 this week. The next priority group is the 2.5 million pregnant women nationwide.