Swine flu virus should be in next year's seasonal flu vaccine

The pandemic H1N1 influenza virus should be a component of the seasonal flu vaccine prepared for the coming winter in the Southern Hemisphere and probably in next year's vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere as well, the World Health Organization said today.

The virus, commonly known as swine flu, has become the predominant circulating type A influenza virus, and the seasonal flu vaccine should reflect that, the agency said.  The practical impact will be that only one flu shot will be required once the world makes it through this fall's round of dual injections for swine and seasonal flu.

The swine flu virus was not included in this winter's seasonal shot because it made its debut on the world stage after manufacturers had already begun working on the seasonal vaccine. That meant that pharmaceutical companies had to go through a second round of production for the swine flu after they had finished producing their regular batches of seasonal vaccine. At least 2 billion doses of swine flu vaccine are expected to be produced this fall.

Manufacturers will not begin working on the new vaccine for several months, so they will be able to choose a slightly different strain of the virus if it begins, as many people suspect it eventually will, to show some antigenic drift.

If the WHO recommendation is solidified at an advisory committee meeting next month, the seasonal vaccine will contain not only the pandemic H1N1 virus but also an H3N2 strain isolated in Perth and an influenza B virus isolated in Brisbane.

-- Thomas H. Maugh II

Comments

[Ashley]

just another way for the pharmaceutical companies to get in your pockets. $$$

[courmic]

This is not good, not good at all. There should be the option. I dont want the swine flu vaccine. Certainly not until I see how many people drop dead from it or have long lasting issues!!
Even some doctors feel that way!
This vaccine was too rushed. There needs to be more research and trials done first, and not a blind trial on us guinea pigs!

[Rhonda]

Ashley, don't be foolish, honey. This is no different than the regular seasonal flu shot. They change the strains every year, and H1N1 is just the newest nastiest strain. In the US, taking the vaccine isn't mandatory, except for certain health care workers who are already required to take the seasonal flu shot as a condition of employment, and I read somewhere that it's mandatory for most prison inmates and some folks in nursing homes. Now, over 4000 people have died from it already, and over 300,000 have been diagnosed with it, so how many more people should we have let die before we started producing a vaccine? You're absolutely right this vaccine was rushed, but a flu vaccine should be ready before the flu season starts, right? You're not gonna be a guinea pig, since "The H1N1 vaccines approved today undergo the same rigorous FDA manufacturing oversight, product quality testing and lot release procedures that apply to seasonal influenza vaccines"
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm182399.htm
Okay? There's way too much paranoia about this out there. People need to relax and educate themselves!