By Jane Luscombe
The United States is about to launch its biggest ever immunisation campaign, against swine flu.
The US Federal Drug Administration has just approved a vaccine, meaning 45 million doses can now be distributed by drug companies.
“There’s no doubt that we’re in a race: the virus versus the vaccine. The sooner we can get the vaccine and get it into people the more likely we are to kind of truncate this epidemic,” says Dr William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert.
But New Zealanders will have to wait months before the vaccination is available here.
The first shipment arrived earlier this month but it must go through clinical trials before it can be licensed for use by Medsafe.
Latest figures show there have been more than three thousand confirmed cases of swine flu in New Zealand, and 12 people have died as a direct result of the virus.
Many more mild cases have gone unreported.
Research in the US has found the H1N1 virus can stay in the body longer than originally thought, up to seven days after symptoms begin.
“I think we’re learning that this virus is the seasonal virus a little bit on steroids. It seems to be spreading for a more prolonged period of time after people get completely well,” says Dr Schaffner.
Although cases of swine flu are declining here, the Ministry of Health says it is highly likely we will experience another surge at some point.
But the Government still has not decided whether to go ahead with a pandemic immunisation campaign once the vaccine is approved. If it does, frontline health workers will get the first shots early next year.
3 News