Cyprus is temporarily halting the distribution of the booster dose of the triple vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis to paediatricians due to critically low national supplies.
The Ministry of Health issued guidance yesterday to all General Health System (GHS) personal physicians, recommending that remaining vaccine stocks be administered only to pregnant women and their close family members.
The Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) informed GHS physicians that “available Boostrix vaccine stock has decreased significantly. Therefore, these vaccines will only be distributed to adult personal physicians for vaccinating pregnant women and their close contacts. Distribution of Boostrix vaccines to child personal physicians will be temporarily suspended until new stock is received and the shortage is resolved”.
Health officials explained that the vaccine serves as a booster dose for children and a delay of several weeks or months in administration will not put them at risk.
Conversely, pregnant women receive the vaccine as a protective measure for themselves and their babies, which is why prioritising them was deemed more appropriate.
The reduced supplies stem from a change in the Health Ministry’s supplier, with new quantities expected within the first two weeks of next month, according to HIO information.
The Health Ministry’s decision to suspend distribution to paediatricians provoked a reaction from the Cyprus Paediatric Society, with its president, Michalis Anastasiades, expressing strong protest that “the Health Ministry did not inform us at all about this existing problem”.
