H1N1: WHO Announces the Distribution of New Vaccine

An official at the WHO announced that a new vaccine to help fight the H1N1 virus could be available as early as September this year.

At a press conference in Geneva, Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research said, the WHO was “on the right track” with the development of the new vaccine to help fight the current pandemic. Small amounts of the vaccine have already begun test trials in Australia, China, the United States, Germany and Britain. Kieny also assured the new vaccine was safe, but also commented that countries administering it, should investigate whether there are any adverse effects. The WHO advised that countries should closely monitor any side effects associated with the administering of the new vaccine. Kieny encouraged participating countries to share any data that could help determine what those side effects are. In 1976, a neurological condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome affected as many as 500 people during the U.S. vaccine program against swine flu. "The quality controls on today's vaccine are much better than they were 30 years ago," Kieny said. The new seed strain of the vaccine began its shipment to manufacturers this Wednesday. It is unclear how much of the new strain will be produced, or how it will be distributed amongst the general population. Earlier the WHO had estimated that, as much as 94 million doses a week could be made by manufacturing plants once they are fully engaged in production. Kieny also stated that early clinical trials of the new vaccine that can show dose sizes, and number of doses each person requires, will help the WHO determine how much of the vaccine will need to be produced and made available to the general public.