All countries will need vaccine for ‘unstoppable’ A(H1N1) virus – UN health experts

The highest body of experts advising the United Nations health agency on immunizations has determined that all countries will need to have vaccines for the influenza A(H1N1) infection, noting that the spread of the pandemic is “unstoppable.”

Just over one month ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the influenza outbreak had officially reached global pandemic levels, and raised its warning system to Phase 6 – meaning that sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus had spread beyond North America, where it was initially concentrated.

As of 6 July, there were over 94,500 reported cases of the virus, including 429 deaths.

At its meeting last week in Geneva, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization reviewed the current pandemic situation, the status of seasonal vaccine production and potential A(H1N1) vaccine production capacity.

“They recognized that the pandemic is unstoppable and, therefore, all countries will need to have access to vaccines,” Marie-Paule Kieny, Director of WHO’s Initiative for Vaccine Research, told a news conference in Geneva today.

The experts noted that different countries have different epidemiological situations. As such, countries will have to take decisions that are the best suited to their own situations, said Dr. Kieny.

SAGE identified three objectives that could guide countries as they set out their immunization strategies. These are to reduce transmission, to reduce morbidity and mortality, and to protect the health-care system.

Among its recommendations, which were endorsed by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan on Friday, the group said that all countries should immunize health-care workers as a priority. This is to “maintain functional health systems as the pandemic evolves,” said Dr. Kieny.

Also, priority could be given to certain groups deemed most vulnerable, such as pregnant women, who are at elevated risk of disease or death; healthy adults over the age of 50; and healthy children, since they are “amplifiers” of the infection.

The group also cited the need to ensure that the new influenza A(H1N1) vaccine will meet all safety criteria, and noted the importance of collecting data to this effect.

In addition, as most of the production of the seasonal vaccine for the 2009-2010 influenza season in the Northern Hemisphere is almost complete, the experts did not think there was a need to recommend a “switch” from seasonal to pandemic vaccine production, said Dr. Kieny.