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Development of A(H1N1) vaccine on track: WHO chief

The Director-General of the World Heath Organisation (WHO), Margaret Chan, said here on Monday that the production of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine was on track and it would be ideal to produce three billion of them annually.

Speaking after the opening ceremony of the Regional Committee Meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Office in Hong Kong, Ms Chan said that many countries and regions were producing vaccines for the new flu.

“The development of vaccine is on track, it will take five to six months after the emergence of the new virus before we can start producing vaccines,” she said, adding that China was the first country to report to the WHO about vaccine production and get its people inoculated.

Noting that 190 countries and regions had reported cases of influenza A(H1N1), Ms Chan said the majority of them were mild and most patients recovered on their own. However, people who belonged to the risk group such as pregnant women and those suffering from asthma, heart disease and obesity should pay more attention to the disease. — Xinhua

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