This is interesting and somewhat ironic - at a time when Nuria has exposed the use of counterfeit vaccines in DR, the Government is busy pressurising GSK to drop an ad advising hepatitis vaccinations for Canadians. From today's DR1 News:
Company will remove ad
The GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company has announced that it will remove an ad campaign urging Canadian citizens to obtain Hepatitis A and B vaccinations before arriving in the DR. The company decided to end the campaign after the DR's Tourism and Health officials, Francisco Javier Garcia and Bautista Rojas Gomez, criticized the campaign, calling it negative and affecting the DR's tourism sector. Both ministers called for the campaign to be removed from air, print and television. In a press release GlaxoSmithKline says its been working for 30 years in the DR and prides itself on the work done for the health of the Dominican public. The firm said that it occasionally urges travelers to get shots to other Caribbean destinations, not just the DR.
Meanwhile the CDC says vaccination is 'Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection (see map) where exposure might occur through food or water'
Health Information for Dominican Republic | CDC Travelers' Health
The DR counts as an 'intermediate' area. Sorry, GlaxoSmithKline (& the DR Gov't
) I will continue to advise people to consult their physicians and get vaccinated before arrival.