A shipment of typhoid vaccines is on its way to the Island, after months of no supply. Travellers have been unable to get protection against the disease for several months, forcing many to obtain the vaccine once overseas.

A Government spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that the Department of Health has not had the typhoid vaccine available for several months due to problems experienced by the manufacturer, but we anticipate we will have a supply available in three weeks.

"Until then, medical officers in our travel clinic will continue to advise persons who are planning to travel to endemic areas on the precautions they should take to avoid infection."

The spokeswoman said the Department of Health does calculate yearly needs for all vaccines but in the last several months, it had experienced difficulty in purchasing some vaccines and biologicals due to a number of factors that include:

• the small volume/quantities that are required;

l difficulty accurately predicting the quantity needed each year;

l the availability of some vaccines;

l availability of some vaccines in single dose versus multiple dose vials with the appropriate shelf life;

l delays in shipping and problems with ensuring the vaccines are shipped in a safe manner.

She said the Department of Health takes part in regional purchasing schemes through the Pan American Health Organization in a bid to mitigate these problems.

The Travel Clinic administers 350 to 500 doses of the typhoid vaccine each year. The spokeswoman added the Health Department would continue to face problems in securing a consistent supply of vaccines produced in limited quantities. But she said: "We make every effort to maintain small quantities of vaccines that may be needed urgently but are rarely required in Bermuda, such as Japanese encephalitis, rabies, etc."