Boston Globe

CALCUTTA.-City officials said yesterday despite an international airlift of medical and relief supplies, there was not enough vaccine available to carry out an emergency inoculation program against a cholera epidemic.

The officials said 400,000 innoculations had been administered in Calcutta since the program began last week but that at least 2.5 million more doses of vaccine were needed quickly. They said the vaccine had been arriving at the rate of only about 300,000 doses per week.

Officials with international relief agencies said approximately 20 million doses would be needed throughout West Bengal state, of which Calcutta is the major city.

Since the first cases were reported on May 28, officials said, approximately 4000 persons have died of cholera and more than 10,000 others have contracted it.

An Australian plane carrying 330,000 doses of cholera, typhoid and typhus vaccine and two sets of Jet injectors for mass inoculations landed yesterday at Calcutta's Dum Dum Airport .

City officials expressed concern again yesterday about delays in clearing supplies from the airport, particularly the shipments of cholera vaccine which are perishable unless kept under refrigeration. They said airport officials are working to speed the movement and protect the vaccine shipments.