Berlin, 29 nov (EFE).-Germany opened today to destroy a total of 16 million flu vaccines H1N1 of the British Pharmaceutical GlaxoSmith Kline amounting to 130 million euros by the maturity of their date of expiry.

Said German health authorities fear of a pandemic in 2009, after the first deaths in Mexico by an outbreak of flu in humans, it led to the 16 Länder to purchase 34 million doses of the vaccine Pandemrix amounting to 283 million euros.

According to the Robert Koch Institute of Virology, the vaccination rate stood between 4% and 14%, depending on the Bundesland, so total acquired vaccines overran 28.7 million doses.

Until this Wednesday afternoon, a total of 196 pallets with expired vaccinations will be eliminated at a cost of 14,000 euros to 1,000 degrees of temperature in the plant incinerator of Rothensee in Magdeburg, in the East of the country.

For them States Federated was a spending of 239 million of euros, because them safe medical public only assumed the cost of the dose used.

.

Also the Länder must now assume the destruction of expired vaccines distributed between their respective health centres and optional.

According to data from the World Health Organization (who), at least 18,400 people died as a result of the flu H1N1 – spread to 214 countries and island Territories-, a much lower figure for the between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths a year by influenza seasonal.

In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute reported a total of 226,000 cases of infection by influenza AH1N1, of which 252 patients died between May 2009 and April 2010.

75% Of the fatalities were minors 60; 29 of them children.

In August 2010, who announced the end of the outbreak, with 350 million people vaccinated worldwide fourteen months after decreeing a State of high alert for influenza a.

A Scientific Committee was subsequently commissioned to evaluate the performance of the who, after accusations that the Organization had ceased to influence by the pharmaceutical industry when making decisions.

Finally, the Committee found there was no “direct or indirect evidence” of the influence of commercial interests. EFE