Fake vaccinators apprehended in capital

March 30, 2011

ARJUN POUDEL

KATHMANDU, March 29: Police apprehended four people for administering fake

hepatitis B vaccine to the public in Boudha following the tip-off from the

District Public Health Office (DPHO), Kathmandu.

DPHO Chief Bisho Ram Shrestha said the police have handed over the quack

vaccinators to Kathmandu District Administration Office for punishment. Claiming

such vaccines can have disastrous impact on human health, Shrestha said,

" Preventing fake vaccinators from selling unapproved vaccines has become a major

challenge for us. "

According to DPHO, all vaccines must have quality approval from World Health

Organization (WHO) before being administered. Likewise, vaccines must also get

approval from the Department of the Drug Administration (DDA). The vaccines

administered by the arrested vaccinators had approval from neither of the

agencies.

" We have not given consent to any organization in the country to administer

hepatitis B vaccines, " Shrestha said. The government does not have a policy to

give consent for administrating hepatitis B vaccine. The vaccines for hepatitis

B, the most common serious liver infection, are administered in Nepal only

through those authorized by the government.

The arrested vaccinators were found to possess identity cards of a fake

non-governmental organization.

" We confiscated bills and identity cards of ´Heal Nepal´ and ´Janasewa Nepal´

from them, " Dhurba Adhikari, a public health officer at DPHO, Kathmandu,

revealed. Adhikari said the vaccinators smuggled unapproved vaccines from India.

" We do not know about the quality of the vaccines they were using. It could be

distilled water or something else, " Adhikari said.

The vaccinators were found charging Rs 50 for administering vaccine to children

aged 10 years, and Rs 100 to those above the age. DPHO chief Shrestha revealed

that such fake vaccinators influence school principals to sell vaccine to

students. Due to open border, the DDA faces difficulty in curbing the flow of

unapproved medicines into the Nepali market. Though DDA has prohibited

pharmacies from selling unregistered drugs, the agency´s latest report indicate

their existence in the market.

The government has been providing free hepatitis B vaccine to children since

past 10 years. " We administer the vaccine through our regular programs, thus,

children below 10 years do not have to take additional vaccines, " chief Shrestha

said.

Published on 2011-03-29 06:00:53

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