DTMT Network
The World Health Organisation has issued an alert for tampered COVID19 vaccines from Iran, a statement released by the organisation said.

The reports of tampered products came from outside the authorised immunisation programmes and regulated supply chains in the month of October, the statement added.
According to the alert, the tampered vaccines belonged to AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech.
According to WHO, while in the case of AstraZeneca vaccines, the metal caps showed signs of tampering, in the case of Pfizer-BioNTech, the expiry date printed on the ‘falsified’ vials did not match with the expiry date supplied to the authorised immunisation programme, the alert added.
The falsified products are difficult to detect, as they may be indistinguishable from genuine vaccines, the alert issued by WHO said.
“Falsified COVID-19 vaccines pose a serious risk to global public health and place an additional burden on vulnerable populations and health systems. The risk to patient health from falsified COVID-19 vaccines includes delayed immunisation against COVID-19 and could be life-threatening in some circumstances,” it further added.
“It is important to detect and remove any falsified COVID-19 vaccines in circulation to prevent harm to patients,” the statement read.
WHO has appealed to health professionals and the general public to remain vigilant.  It urged them to look for physical signs like scratched vials, damaged or tampered labels, broken, scratched or dented caps, punctured tuber seals etc.
If the vaccines are available for private sales outside the authorised immunisation programme, it could also be a sign of being not genuine, the statement added.
“WHO requests increased vigilance within the supply chains of countries and regions likely to be affected by these falsified products. Increased vigilance should include hospitals, clinics, health centres, wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, and any other suppliers of medical products,” the statement further added.