Online BusinessObama announces plan to expand fight against swine flu
In a bid to check the global spread of swine flu, US President Barack Obama has announced that his administration is prepared to make 10 per cent of its H1N1 vaccine supply available to other countries through the World Health Organisation.
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"In recognition that diseases know no borders and that the health of the American people is inseparable from the health of people around the world, the US is taking this action in concert with Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK," White House said.
Under the plan, the US will make the H1N1 vaccine available to WHO on a rolling basis as vaccine supplies become available, in order to assist countries that will not otherwise have direct access to the vaccine.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration officially licensed the 2009-H1N1 influenza vaccine and last week, the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health announced that one dose of the vaccine — instead of two doses — will be effective in developing immunity in most adults. The vaccine would be available in the coming weeks, earlier than originally anticipated.
"We remain confident that the US will have sufficient doses of the vaccine to ensure that every American who wants a vaccine is able to receive one," the White House said.
"We continue to recommend that early priority at home and abroad should be given to pregnant women, health care workers, individuals caring for infants less than 6 months of age, and other high-risk populations," it said.
Noting that there is broad international recognition that the 2009-H1N1 pandemic presents a global health risk, it said that millions of people around the world have been affected, thousands have died and the virus continues to spread across international borders.
Urging other nations to join in this urgent global health effort, the White House said: "working together, we can ensure that this vaccine limits the spread of the disease, reduces the burden on health care systems, reduces the risk of an even more virulent strain emerging and, most importantly, saves lives — in the US and around the world."