Pneumonia vaccine may be effective in lessening swine flu impact

Some say usage of Pneumovax vaccine is underused against the H1N1 swine flu virus, and evidence exists that it may ward off unnecessary death.

The H1N1 swine flu viral pandemic is an industrious animal, having managed to spread across the planet at record speed and having displayed an ability to infect populations of birds, swine and humans across a number of temperate zones. But the H1N1 swine flu virus is industrious in another manner as well: it often produces pneumonia in its victims - and this is how the swine bug kills. Given this behavior, there are now calls for the usage of the readily-available pneumonia vaccine, Pnuemovax. "In years past, the nation's attempts to prevent flu-related deaths have focused on limiting transmission of the virus through widespread vaccination programs," the LA Times reported. "This year, with school starting up well before a vaccine for the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus will be available, there will be little that can slow the spread of the virus for the next few months." The most serious cases of H1N1 swine flu infection involve complications with pneumonia. Usage of the Pnuemovax vaccine can limit - and even prevent - these complications. As swine flu vaccines remain on the horizon and H1N1 vaccination distribution is likely to begin in the middle of October, the Pneumovax solution could offer a viable alternative. "The vaccine, made by Merck & Co., stimulates the body's ability to neutralize the bacteria responsible for many cases of pneumonia, and it has the potential to prevent an estimated one-third of pneumonia deaths linked to swine flu," the LA Times reported. "We would certainly like to see the vaccine used more extensively," Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the preventive medicine department at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told the LA Times. Recommendations to date have centered on Tamiflu distribution and on the hopes of a successful swine flu vaccination program this fall. "Unfortunately, I think too much emphasis has been placed on inappropriate administration of [the antiviral drug] Tamiflu, which has its own side effects and, aside from that, may create resistance," Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told the LA Times. "Most of my pulmonary patients are already getting [Pneumovax], but I am broadening my recommendation to other patients, since it is such a relatively harmless thing to do." The H1N1 swine flu virus has been responsible for more than 1,000 deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In the Northern Hemisphere, the pandemic is expected to begin to ramp up again in September - with the return of the school year.