Colombia received its first 500,000 doses of the swine flu, which will be distributed among health workers and members of the armed forces, reported Colombian media.
Colombia’s vice minister of health, Carlos Ignacio Cuervo, said the immunization process is due to begin in March and will be monitored for any potential side effects of the drug.
A further shipment of 1.5 million doses is expected in the coming months. Priority for this shipment will be given to pregnant women in their second and third trimesters, and the critically ill.
The co-ordinator of the Immunization Program for Ministry of Social Protection, Marta Velandia, said, “Anyone who experiences any reaction must be reported, analyzed and investigated to find out what is going on. What we have heard so far is that there are no adverse effects, according to the Control Center for Diseases in Atlanta, only a bit of nausea.”
In Colombia 208 people have died of the AH1N1 virus, or swine flu, since it first appeared in May last year and 142,560 Colombians have been infected by the illness.
