Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 7

This is our 7th posting in a series to help share information about Avian flu. Information provided is taken from international and national experts from the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and US Department of Health and Human Services. Some information may be concern provoking.

Vaccine Status Updates

March 2006 Reports

The World Health Organization (WHO) 3/06:

"Influenza vaccines are an integral part of a global response to an influenza pandemic. Considerable efforts are ongoing to develop and evaluate candidate pandemic vaccines based on existing and licensed technologies. However, it would be desirable to have processes that can provide pandemic vaccines in large quantities and more quickly than current approaches."

Because the rate of vaccine manufacturing is limited in the current process, WHO is sponsoring meetings in April and May with representatives from national regulatory agencies for both human and veterinary influenza vaccines and the producers to discuss and review issues on the technical feasibility of using veterinary facilities to produce human influenza pandemic vaccines.


National Institutes of Health-NIH 3/23/06 news release:

Fast-track recruitment has begun for a trial to investigate the safety of a vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today.
This Phase I trial will test the vaccine's safety and ability to generate an immune response in 450 healthy adults aged 18 to 64. If the vaccine is shown to be safe in adults, there are plans to test it in other populations, such as the elderly and children.

Next Week: How a Hospital Might Plan for an Increase in Patients-- Surge Planning