The shipment of A/H1N1 flu vaccine to Nepal has been delayed almost by a month after the manufacturing company cited time lag in production, The Himalayan Times reported on Sunday.

According to the daily, the World Health Organization (WHO) had earlier assured the vaccine by the end of January.

Nepal will receive the Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1 vaccine by the first week of March, said Dr. Nirmal Kandel, the national program officer of Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Response of WHO.

"The delay in production of the vaccine by the manufacturing company has delayed the shipment," he said, adding that the manufacturing companies are unable to produce the required amount of vaccine that they had pledged.

Earlier, WHO had assured that the vaccine would be made available in Nepal by the end of January, initially to around 10 percent of the total population.

Meanwhile, the five sets of intensive care equipment for the treatment of the flu have reached the country in time, informed the national program officer.

WHO had said it was providing the equipment to strengthen the hospital capacity and to treat the patients in full-fledged condition.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2010)