Pune doctors get tips on Nasovac

PUNE: Doctors from various parts of the city collected at the office of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tilak road on Friday to get first-hand experience of how to administer Nasovac, the intra-nasal swine flu preventive vaccine, from scientists who developed it at the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). The first consignment of the vaccine arrived in the city on Thursday.
"Various doubts about the vaccine were dispelled by the scientists. The one big misconception was about its administration to asthmatic and severely asthmatic patients. The vaccine is safe for all kinds of asthma patients," said paediatrician Sharad Agarkhedkar, president of the city chapter of the IMA. "The only thing is that it should not be given during an asthma attack," said Agarkhedkar.
Elaborating further he said, "The vaccine should not be sniffed. When the doctor pushes the vaccine into the nostrils it trickles down to the nasopharynx. It starts acting and the protection to the virus is developed within seven days. Some persons could start sneezing and develop nasal stuffiness. Some children may become irritable. The possibility of mild fever also exists."
The symptoms do not last for more than two days and one does not need to be treated for them," said Agarkhedkar. "Serious reactions are not seen. This kind of vaccine has been tried and tested in Russia for over 50 years for seasonal influenza," he added.
As far as the administration of the vaccine is concerned, Agarkhedkar said, "The vaccine is in a dry powder form. It is to be reconstituted with a diluent provided with the vaccine. The reconstituted vaccine the volume of which is 2.5 ml (equivalent to five doses) should be used within six hours," said Agarkhedkar.
"Although the cost for a single dose is around Rs 158, the doctor can charge a consultation fee along with it. And again, he has to monitor the patient's condition for the next 30 minutes. Besides, he has to keep his emergency drug ready. Hence all this will cost the patients more than Rs 158, as per normal immunisation practises." said Agarkhedkar.