Algeria: 10 Billion Dinars Annually For Acquisition Of 19 Vaccines Against Various Diseases

The Director General of the Pasteur Institute, Mr Zoubir Harath, said that the alleged lack of quality of the anti-rubella vaccine, which touched off much debate recently in Algeria, because of the refusal of many parents to let their children being vaccinated, is nothing more than a “whirlwind” that is detrimental to the future of public health.

On the grounds that this vaccine is designed to remedy some poorly-vaccinated children and stands as a future protection for pregnant women from fetal infection owing to this disease, he underlined.

Mr. Zoubir Harath told “Echorouk” on the sidelines of the national symposium of specialized hospital institutions inaugurated on Tuesday morning in Annaba city (eastern Algeria) by the Minister of Health, Population and Hospital Reform, Mr. Abdelmalek Boudiaf, that the process of pollination fell within the framework of the National Vaccinations’ program  of April 2016, which provides for the acquisition of 19 vaccines by the state for a cost of 10 billion dinars, compared to the previous relevant budget which was in the range of only 5 billion dinars only some years ago.

Our interlocutor further discounted the big fuss and confusion that was raised about the alleged paltry quality of the vaccine and its serious heath complications, stressing that it is not the first time that the Algerian state acquired the anti-rubella vaccine, stressing to this effect that the “Seram” Indian laboratory manufacturing this vaccine, has a very good international reputation, and that the World Health Organization and UNICEF have certified the quality of its products.

Mr Harath added that many European countries duly acquire manifold serums and vaccines from this Indian laboratory owing to the proven high-grade quality of its pharmaceutical products.