Eurolink News

Swine flu vaccine could be ready by September (July 8th, 2009)

July 8, 2009 at 11:13 am Leave a comment

A vaccine being developed to prevent the spread of swine flu or ‘novel flu’ is likely to be ready by September, according to the EU Director-General for Health Robert Madelin. But he also warned that Europe is braced for fatalities ahead a predicted second wave of infections that could be deadlier than the current outbreak. ‘It is not a question of whether Europeans will die, but more a question of how many. Will it be hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands,’ said Mr Madelin.
Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said our country is ‘very well-prepared’ compared to other EU member states because we have high stocks of anti-virals. He added that once the vaccine begins to be produced, the government has secured access to 7.7 million doses of vaccines.
More than 10,000 cases of swine flu have now been reported across the EU, over 80 of them in Ireland. EU health ministers are to hold an extra meeting in October to discuss common measures to fight the virus, including the option of helping countries cover the cost of buying vaccines.
Meanwhile, Ireland East MEP Mairead McGuinness is warning against what she says is an ‘alarming complacency’ among the public about the virus. ‘Experts agree we are only experiencing the weak version of the virus now, and that the worst is yet to come – the general public and health authorities must stay vigilant,’ she said.

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