The government will use a new type of flu vaccine during the coming winter season, capable of combating flu types A and B as well as the H1N1 swine flu, Dr Thomas Tsang, controller of the Center for Health Protection in Hong Kong, said Monday.

Speaking in Hong Kong at an international seminar on options for the control of influenza, Tsang said the new vaccine is on order and will be available for the coming winter peak season. The drug is manufactured in line with recommendations for the Northern Hemisphere by the World Health Organization (WHO), he said. "The new vaccine will be extremely safe," Tsang added.

Given that the valid dates of the vaccines bought last year to deal with the outbreak will soon expire, those medications will be disposed of in a safe manner, he added.

Dr David Wood, from the WHO's Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, said over 25 pharmaceutical companies were licensed to manufacture vaccines to deal with the H1N1 outbreak. Over 570 million doses were distributed, of which 350 million were administered. Due to over supply, there had been a huge surplus.

Responding to the query as to whether WHO had over-estimated the severity of the outbreak, Wood said the organization made its judgment quickly, based on data available at that time, taking into consideration the possible impact on the high-risk group such as the elderly and on pregnant women.

For that reason, WHO needed to make the best preparation and at the same time prepare for the worst, he said.

US expert Dr Nancy Cox, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Influenza Division, said it is very difficult to predict when the next influenza will occur because the virus can change, diffuse or become more toxic.

It is necessary to monitor the virus and produce vaccines more quickly, she proposed.

Knowing WHO has been monitoring and tracking the movement of H1N1 in over 250 countries, Cox said she is confident in saying no new virus has so far been detected. She said since the new vaccine is very similar to the viruses found in human bodies, it will be very effective and will provide immunity to human bodies.

ASEAN nations declared the H1N1 pandemic to be over in Southeast Asia, in mid-July, though Hong Kong reported an unturn in flu activity later that month. Dr Tsang cautioned, however, it is still necessary to remain vigilant over emergence of new viruses and the possibility of cross-transmission from animals to human beings.

China Daily

(HK Edition 09/07/2010 page1)