vaksin H1N1

Rich countries corner supplies of swine flu vaccine
PARIS — Governments are scrambling to buy up hundreds of
millions of doses of swine flu vaccine but health experts warn the poor
may lose out as wealthy countries corner strictly limited supplies.
The World Health Organisation has unofficially estimated that the
world’s labs may only be able to produce around 900 million doses for
the A(H1N1) strain per year, for a planet that is home to 6.8 billion
people.
Global pharmaceutical companies are more optimistic about how much
of the drug they can produce but, since each potential victim needs two
doses, most of the world’s population will inevitably miss out.
And there are already signs that the wealthiest countries will snap
up more than their fair share in the rush to halt the outbreak, while
Africa, Asia and Latin American will struggle to secure adequate
amounts of vaccine.
“The lion’s share of these limited supplies will go to wealthy
countries. Again we see the advantage of affluence. Again we see access
denied by an inability to pay,” WHO director Margaret Chan said last
week.
France, for example, placed a firm order for 94 million doses of
vaccine doses and an option for 36 million more. Starting in October,
it hopes to be able to protect each and every member of its population
of 64 million.
The United States has set aside at least a billion dollars to buy
vaccine, and Britain hopes to protect at least half of its 60 million
population by the start of next year and the other half as soon as
possible afterwards.
Australia has also ordered enough vaccine for its 21 million
population, and as more rich world countries follow suit the world’s
potential stock of the drug will soon run out, while prices are set to
rise.
“We expressed our concern about being able to count on the vaccine
when it starts going on sale,” Argentina’s Health Minister Juan Manzur
said last week after meeting worried Latin American colleagues.“We have information that much of the production is already reserved.”
Pharmaceutical firms are racing to increase their capacity to
produce an A(H1N1) vaccine, once tests confirm that one has been
developed, and hope to begin releasing stocks in late September or
early October.
But even if they manage to make double the expected 900 million
doses per year, this would still fall far short of the amount that
would be needed to protect every man, woman and child on the planet
from the pandemic.
In these circumstances, some countries and independent experts think
the best way forward is for authorities to focus on immunising health
workers and the most vulnerable patients in order to conserve stocks.
The WHO is negotiating with vaccine producers to secure donations or
sales at lower prices for developing countries, while richer nations
are being asked to donate some of their vaccine stocks.
Peter Wutzler, president of the German Association for the Fight
Against Viral Disease, said he thought his country had made the right
decision in only looking to innoculate around a third of its people.
“Vaccine for 30 percent of the population is enough to vaccinate the
seven million people in the health sector, another seven million in the
public service and risk groups such as pregnant women or children,” he
told AFP.
“Germany took account in its order of the fact that pharmaceutical
groups have only a limited capacity. They will not be able to provide
the whole world with the vaccine,” he warned.
Even this more conservative plan, however, will eat up a large chunk
of potential global stocks. Berlin ordered 50 million doses for 25
million people and does not rule out ordering more if the situation
worsens.
“I think it is inappropriate that countries have sparked a competition for the vaccine,” said Wutzler.
The swine flu virus has spread to almost every country in the world
since it was discovered at the end of March. It was declared a global
pandemic in June and is thought to have caused at least 800 deaths.
While it spreads quickly, the A(H1N1) flu variant is so far not
regarded as especially dangerous — the vast majority of victims survive
and the illness responds to treatment from flu remedies such as Tamiflu.
Experts warn, however, that the virus might mutate and become more
deadly, and that with the onset of the winter flu season in the
northern hemisphere might become a major health catastrophe.