H1N1 Vaccines extend to low to middle income nations

12 October 2009

The World Health Organisation plans to start sending H1N1 flu vaccines to poorer countries as early as next month, the United Nations agency's head of vaccine research announced on Monday 12th October.

About 100 low- and middle-income nations would receive the vaccines donated by companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi, as well as related supplies such as syringes.

It is critical that health workers in poorer countries get protected against the virus to avoid passing it to the patients they treat and to ensure that hospitals and health clinics can stay open throughout an outbreak.

China began the world's first mass vaccination program in late September, followed by Australia and the United States.

The vaccines that have been quickly developed in response to the H1N1 strain are yielding more volume than first expected, raising hopes about the total quantity of shots that could be made available.

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