Since the WHO considers it a matter of when, not 'if' that the H5N1 bird flu will cross-over* to people, the gov't has contracted with a company for vaccine. It's not quite clear what dosage, schedule and so forth will be most effective; research is ongoing:
*Meaning that person-to-person transmission will occur, not bird-to-person as currently documented. http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/111/110201.htm ...The vaccine contract between the government and manufacturer Sanofi-Pasteur was actually signed on Aug. 19, according to Sanofi-Pasteur spokesman Len Lavenda; the Bush administration did not announce the agreement until today. The contract comes weeks after federal researchers announced that an experimental vaccine against the H5N1 flu strain, the virus known to cause bird flu, produced protection against the virus in humans. The company has already begun production of a bulk form of the vaccine that is due for completion in December, Lavenda says. Still, officials still don't know how many effective doses of the vaccine will be attainable from the bulk form or when it will be ready for use in the event of a pandemic. Government studies conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that two 90-microgram doses of the vaccine were needed to produce an effective immune response in humans. That dose is more than 12 times higher than the single 15-microgram dose usually needed for protection from seasonal flu. The NIH is conducting more studies to determine how much the vaccine can be diluted while retaining its effectiveness, or what amount of other vaccine ingredients used to boost effectiveness will be required. Until the studies arecomplete, company officials won't know how many vaccine doses will be available or what the final price per dose will be... Debbi Back To The Ponies Now Maru __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
