'Turkey procured only 1.3 million doses of flu vaccine while it needs 10 million'

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While scientists are getting closer to find a vaccine for Covid-19, statements by scientists and the World Health Organization (WHO) ahead of the winter raise concerns.

One of the most important causes of the concerns is seasonal influenza. Public health specialists stress the importance of the vaccination of those over 65 years of age, those younger than five and those with a chronic disease.

For this reason, the demand for flu vaccination has increased compared to previous years.

The Turkish Pharmacists' Association (TEB) stated on October 13 that there was a shortage of flu vaccines last year although the new coronavirus didn't exist at the time. It also noted that the uncertainty about how the vaccines would be distributed was alarming.

Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said on October 14 that Turkey procured 1.35 million doses of flu vaccines last year and this number would be more than 1.5 million this year.

"We are striving to increase this even more," he had said.

The number of people who are recommended to have a flu vaccination is over 20 million in Turkey, a country of 80 million, according to TEB Chair Erdoğan Çolak.

However, he said, a pharmacy firm has imported 1.35 million doses of vaccine, upon a request from the ministry, whereas Turkey needs at least 10 million doses.

"Coronavirus has become a triggering element. One-and-a-half million doses of vaccine were not enough in the past but people were not asking themselves, 'Why didn't I have [vaccination]?' Today, everyone wants to have flu vaccination because of the virus," he told bianet.

Predicting that Turkey will have a shortage of vaccines, Çolak said those who need it the most should be vaccinated and the Ministry of Health should determine who needs vaccination the most.

"Prescription by a family doctor is not enough," he said.

"Nutrition supplements"

The approach of winter has brought up another problem. Products that contain pharmaceutical active ingredients have been sold in grocery stores under the name of "nutrition supplements."

The İstanbul Pharmacists' Chamber (İEO) believes that people's concerns are being exploited in this area.

After finding that a grocery store in Ataşehir, İstanbul, was selling these products in an aisle with a logo resembling a pharmacy sign, it contacted the store and got the sign removed.

"The removal of these logos does not mean that the problem is solved," İEO Chair Cenap Sarıalioğlu told bianet.

"There is an uncontrolled sale of food supplements, especially in grocery stores. We don't have any information about whether these comply with the health criteria and in which conditions they are produced and stored.

"We have also determined that the information on these drugs does not match the information found in them. This emerges as a matter threatening public health." (DŞ/VK)