Tobago not affected by anti-vaxxers

Dr Agatha Carrington
Dr Agatha Carrington

KINNESHA GEORGE

“Anti-vaxxers” are not turning people away from getting the influenza vaccines in Tobago.

So says Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development Dr Agatha Carrington as she was responding to a question at Wednesday’s post Executive Council news conference at the conference room of the Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation in Sangster’s Hill, Scarborough.

“We don’t have a difficulty… we don’t have that issue because we are over 90 per cent in terms of our reach. Most countries try to get to 90 and up and we have been trying to maintain that. If we can boast of anything, Primary care is quite strong in terms of its vaccinations of our children.”

She added: “We actually had the opportunity to share with Trinidad in terms of our own supply in circumstances when they did not have. We ensure that we are able to respond to our children who have to be vaccinated and I’m saying as recent as a few months ago, we loaned Trinidad.”

The Health Secretary also noted that there was no issue of ad-hoc purchases of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products by the TRHA.

“Through the tender process, we have providers for most of the items and then you have C40 (the Health Ministry’s pharmaceutical and medical supplies warehouse) providing items for us.”

She said when drugs were in short supply or couldn’t be retrieved from C40, other suppliers were used.

This comes on the heels of revelations by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh that TT country had not been “vaccinated” as it should be owing to influence from the anti-vaxxer message.

The anti-vaccination movement (anti-vaxxers), which blames modern vaccination for a wide range of health problems, has influenced many to be suspicious of vaccines and to reject them for their children.

One of the biggest concerns expressed is the possible association between vaccines and autism.

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