Prevention is better than cure,they say. But shortage of swine flu vaccines is making it a tough advice tofollow. Flu season has hit Gujarat hard, with experts predicting it to growworse. As death toll rises to 108 in the state this season, shortage ofvaccines is stoking people's fears. "I recently learned that we could
vaccinate ourselves against swine flu. I visited four big pharmacies and
several small ones across the city but was unable to find anyone stocking the
vaccine.
Why is it not available to
the common man?" asks Viren Patel, a 34-year-old Bodakdev resident working
with a private firm. Monica Raval, a 28-year-old homemaker from Prahladnagar,
says, "There are two types of vaccines available: shots and nasal spray. I
am pregnant and cannot take the nasal spray which is unsafe for children. I
have put my entire family on vaccine watch. They have been to many pharmacies
across the city but were unable to find even one that stocked flu shots.'
