site.btaHepatitis B Vaccine Supply Stored in Case of Possible Refugee or Migration Pressure - Health Minister Moskov

Hepatitis B Vaccine Supply Stored in Case of Possible Refugee or Migration Pressure - Health Minister Moskov

Sofia, October 21 (BTA) - Hepatitis B vaccines, received as part
 of an international agreement between Bulgaria and Turkey, are
being stored in case of possible refugee or migration pressure,
Health Minister Peter Moskov told journalists on Wednesday,
after awarding nine medical emergency response teams from across
 the country, who helped the injured in a multiple-vehicle
collision on the
Hemus Motorway, which claimed three lives and injured 20 people
at the beginning of October.

As part of the same agreement, Bulgaria has received from Turkey
 a pentavalent vaccine for babies and six-year-olds. The
hepatitis B vaccine is not part of the pentavalent one,
designated for children, Moskov underscored. According to him,
the hepatitis B vaccine could be used in response to crises,
after permission is granted by the Bulgarian Drug Agency and
national consultants. This is a vaccine which the World Health
Organization is working with, Moskov added.

The hepatitis B vaccine contains a preservative, the Minister
explained in response to rumours, circulated by the media, that
the vaccine contains mercury. There is no official permission in
 Bulgaria for this vaccine's maintenance, and based on this, it
could not be and is not part of this country's mandatory
immunizations calendar, Moskov assured.

Certain economic interests have been harmed by the fact that the
 government has managed to solve the vaccines problem, the
Minister commented information that the hepatitis B vaccine also
 contains a vaccine against pertussis, also known as the
whooping cough. Such media campaigns can not be part of
pharmaceutical or vaccine manufacturers ethical norms, he added,
 voicing his outrage that panic is being spread among the public
 for the purpose of protecting economic interests.