WHO sees 4.9 billion pandemic flu shots in best-case

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-20 14:11

GENEVA – Vaccine makers could produce 4.9 billion pandemic flu shots per year in the best-case scenario, the head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, as rich and poor countries grappled over limited supplies.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters after her meeting with 30 pharmaceutical companies that "there are a lot of unanswered questions" about how many vaccines could be made to protect vulnerable people from the new H1N1 virus.

"That is a very optimistic maximum capacity," she said of the 4.9 billion estimate, which would be significantly lower if people need more than one injection to gain immunity against the strain or if seasonal flu vaccine-making continues.

Bringing a new pandemic vaccine to market -- if it goes ahead -- is expected to take 4-6 months, according to the WHO. It must be tested first on ferrets and then on humans in clinical trials before regulatory authorities can approve it.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the news briefing that while the newly-discovered virus strain now appears mild, it needs to be closely watched as it spreads around the world and starts to afflict impoverished countries.

"We may be in a grace period with H1N1 but we are still in the danger zone," Ban said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations chief said it was essential for drugmakers to work with governments to avert the worst potential impacts of the flu, which has killed 79 people and infected nearly 10,000.

"Partnerships with the private sector are absolutely vital," he told representatives of the WHO's 193 member governments gathered in Geneva, urging them to think beyond their borders in their response to the H1N1 strain.

Though most people infected so far have experienced mild symptoms similar to the common flu, pregnant women and people with HIV/AIDS, diabetes and other health problems appear to be vulnerable to more severe effects like pneumonia.

Health experts have said weather could affect the continued spread of the virus, with more cases expected as countries in the southern hemisphere move into winter. Flu viruses typically thrive in cold and dry environments.

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