News
HST Collects relevant news from a variety of sources, for your convenience. Select a story from below, or use our search feature to find stories of interest.

Major TB threat as vaccines run out
The Star
2000-04-28

A shortage of BCG vaccines in South Africa is a crisis due to the high prevalence of TB in this country.

South Africa faces one of the worst tuberculosis epidemics ever - and government bungling has led to a severe shortage of vaccines. An unreliable supply of the vaccine from the State Vaccine Institute in Cape Town has been blamed for the shortage. Government depots have run out of stock. A letter sent from the national health department on March 10 said that depots had, by that stage, been out of stock of BCG percutaneous vaccine (the TB vaccine routinely given to babies) for some time now. It goes on: If this situation persists we can expect another negative report in the media, with the subsequent repercussions in parliament. All public and private hospitals and government clinics are battling to get stock. This comes as Aids is making the country's TB problem worse. According to the Medical Research Council, TB rates have doubled in most provinces over the past five years, and are expected to increase five-fold by 2005 if current trends continue. Pieter van der Berg, chief director of emergency and medico-legal services in the Gauteng department of health, confirmed the shortages. Preference was being given to babies whose parents had TB or who lived in areas where it was prevalent. According to Van der Berg, local production of the vaccine is expected to stop and it will have to be imported in future. But problems regarding delivery surfaced before importation was scheduled to start, and in Gauteng the switchover is expected only by September. The health department letter states that: Due to the nature of vaccine production, it is not possible to bring the implementation date forward because the vaccine supplier was not given sufficient notice that an earlier date for implementation might be considered. The State Vaccine Institute and Refilwe Matji, manager of the department's National TB Control Programme, declined to comment on 25/4. Eddie Mhlanga, cluster manager for maternal, child and women's health and nutrition, who is charged with handling babies' vaccines, was not available for comment. But the South African National Tuberculosis Association said the vaccine shortage was a concern. All newborn babies should receive TB vaccines because TB is pandemic in our country, said spokesperson Jacqui Janse van Rensburg. (Source: The Star, 26 April 2000)

Keywords	This Item is associated with the Following Keywords: .
You Can Comment on this Item, or View other people's Comments
Easy Print  Email to a friend

	Related News
	New vaccines to be introduced (2008-11-14) Cancer vaccines to be tested in humans by 2003 (2000-05-05) Preliminary trial results encouraging for HIV vaccines (2007-09-07) SA researchers hoping for HIV breakthrough (2001-03-09) First human trials of improved TB vaccine to begin in Worcester (2004-08-18)

	Related Publications
	Vaccine research: development and production in Brazil (2001-09-18) Cervical cancer - is vaccination the way to go? (2008-08-14) Using stock cards to Improve Drug Management (2000-06-19) The National Primary Health Care Facilities Survey 2003 (2004-05-26) Improved Service Delivery in the Absence of Fully-Fledged District Management Structures:Experience of the Greater Tzaneen Sub-District Mopani District -Limpopo Province (2003-02-19)

	Related Health Statistics
	HIV prevalence (%) (antenatal) (2004-10-04) Immunisation coverage of children 12-23 months (%) (0000-00-00) Perinatal mortality rate (deaths <8 days old per 1 000 total births) (0000-00-00) Per capita expenditure (non-hospital PHC) (2007-08-17) Percentage of pregnant women who received tetanus toxoid vaccine (0000-00-00)

	Related Events
	First African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) Forum (2002-06-03) Utilisation of Research results: Using health information and applied research in STDS/HIV/AIDS Con (2001-09-10) 24th African Health Sciences Congress (2003-09-28) 5th Annual Congress of Midwives of South Africa (2005-11-29) Invitation to the launch of The Cholera Outbreak report (2002-03-25)

	Related links
	South African Demographic and Health Survey 1998. Preliminary Report Department of Provincial and Local Government The Topsy Foundation South African Local Government Association South African Local Government

	Related Content
	Summary Bulletin 3 - DHS-LG Discussion List (2004-07-16) Summary Bulletin 6 - DHS-LG Discussion List (2004-07-16) Board of Trustees (2004-04-06) ISDS Site: Oliver Thambo District Municipality (2004-05-10) HST Update (2004-06-11)