A sharp rise in Hepatitis A cases in the Czech Republic has triggered a real vaccination boom. Within just a few days, thousands of people received the vaccine – more than at any time in decades. The huge demand is now leading to shortages of vaccines.
In the Czech Republic, demand for the Hepatitis A vaccination is rising sharply. Around 15,000 people were vaccinated within a single week, and since the beginning of the year more than 127,000 doses have been administered – almost twice as many as in the whole of last year. This is according to data from the Czech Ministry of Health. Due to the high demand, there are now supply shortages. However, according to the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL), extraordinary deliveries are already on their way to the Czech Republic.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,800 people have been infected with Hepatitis A – the highest number since 1996. Last year, the figure was only about a third of that. The capital city, Prague, is particularly affected.
Given the exceptionally high demand for vaccinations related to the current epidemiological situation, the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL) has been working on ensuring supply since the summer.
“Orders for vaccine deliveries must be placed well in advance due to the complex production process. At the time of annual planning, the extraordinary surge in demand in recent months could not have been foreseen,” explained SÚKL Director Tomáš Boráň. “Fortunately, we have the necessary tools for such exceptional situations – we are negotiating with manufacturers to increase delivery volumes and organising special imports of vaccines from other EU countries.”
Thanks to these intensive efforts, additional deliveries beyond the original plan have now been secured. These special batches are arriving in the Czech Republic in the coming days, with more expected to follow in the next few weeks.
Authorities are calling on the public to continue paying close attention to proper hand hygiene. Preventive measures have also been strengthened in public transport. Vehicles of the Prague Public Transit Company have been cleaned with a higher concentration of cleaning and disinfectant agents for over a month – similar to the measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly busy metro stations are also being cleaned additionally to reduce the risk of further spread.
