Sheikh Khalid bin Nasser bin Hamad Al Thani getting an H1N1 flu shot.

DOHA: Qatar will launch a mass vaccination campaign against H1N1 very soon as more consignments of the vaccine are expected by December, senior health officials said yesterday.

The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) yesterday launched the first phase of the campaign targeting Haj pilgrims.

The Minister of Health H E Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani and other senior health officials got the first shots, in a symbolic gesture to reassure the public about the safety of the vaccine.

The mass campaign will begin from schools in a few weeks. Other groups to be given priority during the campaign include health care workers, pregnant women and the elderly.

Dr Mohammed Al Thani, director of the Public Health Department, Dr Abdullatheef Al Khal, head of the Communicable Diseases Section at the Hamad Medical Corporation, Dr Abdul Wahab Al Musleh, chairman of the Emergency Department at HMC and Dr Abdul Salam Al Qahtani, head of the Haj medical mission were among those who joined the campaign yesterday.

Sheikh Khalid bin Nasser bin Hamad Al Thani was the first Haj pilgrim to be vaccinated. The vaccine is currently available for Haj pilgrims at SCH’s Vaccination Unit in Abu Hamour.

“All Haj pilgrims will get the vaccine in the first phase of the campaign. The national preparedness committee will decide who should be given priority while administering the remaining doses in the first consignment,” Al Khal, who is also a member of the committee, told this newspaper.

The first batch comprises 20,000 doses, while the number of Haj pilgrims this year would be less than 10,000.

“We are expecting to get one million doses of the vaccine, given the huge demand for the product in the international market. The consignments will arrive in a phased manner,” said Al Khal.

SCH officials had earlier said that Qatar had placed orders for two million doses of the vaccine.

Asked if the expected quantity would be sufficient for the nearly 1.6 million population in Qatar, Al Khal said, “ Some people would be reluctant to take the vaccine. The national committee will evaluate the situation and if there is a huge demand, steps will taken to bring more quantities.”

He said latest studies indicated that a second dose of the vaccine may not be needed for children as well as adults. The vaccine can be administered to all except those who are severely allergic to eggs.

“The requirements as well as the side effects are more or less similar to that of the seasonal flu vaccine,” said Al Khal.

Asked about the acceptance in the society for the vaccine, he said,

“Initially there was a high demand for the vaccine but later many people became confused due to rumours circulating about the side effects. We expect more people would go for the vaccine when they become convinced about its safety and quality.”