The Ministry of Health is advising distributors, wholesalers and retailers that sale of the following children’s preparations is to be suspended until further notice: Benadryl, Tylenol, Tylenol Plus, Motrin and Zyrtec. McNeil Consumer HealthCare, a US based company issued a recall of the products because they did not meet required quality specifications.

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer has assured that the Ministry’s surveillance system is effective and allows health care workers to respond quickly when the need arises. The Minister, who was speaking at the launch of Vaccination week in the Americas on Thursday (April 29, 2010) at the Rocky Point Fishing Beach in Clarendon, also said the procurement of vaccines has always been a priority for the Health Ministry and there has never been a situation where the country did not have adequate supplies. Minister Spencer says these have contributed to the country attaining 90 percent vaccination coverage in 2009 with MMR in the high 80s despite an environment of declining budgets.  This is a significant improvement from the average of 83 percent over the last years with MMR languishing in the high 70s.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sheila Campbell Forrester has urged families and communities to work together to ensure that children and family members are fully immunized. Dr. Campbell Forrester was speaking at the official launch of Vaccination Week in the Americas on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at the Rocky Point Fishing Beach in Clarendon.

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer will be officially launching ‘Vaccination Week in the Americas’ this Thursday, April 29, 2010 at the Rocky Point Fishing Beach in Clarendon. The week is being observed from April 24-May 1 this year under the theme Vaccination: An Act of Love with a focus on “Reaching Everyone”.