IT IS TOO DANGEROUS TO LEAVE FOR MOZAMBIQUE

A1+
[12:39 pm] 28 September, 2007

If you are travelling to a tropical country, you ought to be inoculated
against yellow fever. The point is that travelers to exotic countries
cannot be vaccinated in Armenia because of the lack of vaccine.

For example, people leaving for African countries to in search of
better job, should first leave for Moscow for inoculation.

According to Gagik Sayadyan, the head of the RA Health Ministry’s
Personnel, the problem is really actual as vaccine is rather expensive
and is rapidly spoiled.

A few years ago "Euromed" Centre imported vaccines to Armenia. Gagik
Sayadyan states that few need such vaccines and 99, 9 % serum are
not used. Therefore, rare and expensive vaccines are not imported
to Armenia.

Armenia’s neighbour Georgia also encounters this problem. Georgians
leaving for African countries also have to fly via Moscow.

In case we are confident that 20 people leave for Mozambique
annually to find a job, we shall fetch the corresponding amount of
vaccine. But so far we haven’t got such figures. We didn’t come across
the problem at the Soviet period as we were well aware of statistics,
Sayadyan said.

Nevertheless, there are still people moving to Mozambique who spend
great sums of money on inoculation. They have to stay in Moscow for
ten days as the influence of the vaccine is felt within ten days. They
are denied entry to Mozambique during those ten days.

Anyway, expensive serums against malaria are imported to Armenia.