A vaccine for the H5N1 strain of influenza has finally gotten approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine requires two doses, about a month apart. This vaccine will not be available for sale, but the US gov't will purchase it to add to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile maintained by the CDC.

Note that this is *not* the magic bullet that will save us from the next pandemic. First, the next pandemic could involve a completely different disease or a different strain of influenza that this vaccine doesn't protect against. However, H5N1 is the most likely candidate at present to become the next pandemic. Secondly, the vaccine is "only" effective for about half the people who receive it. The other half may have partial immunity to no immunity. The point of this vaccine is to slow down any H5N1 epidemic by immunizing at least a good chunk of the population. That will give scientists time to develop and manufacture a vaccine for the specific strain that is circulating.

Anyway, good news, I think. I'm not aware of any serious side effects during the clinical trials, although that only involved 103 participants, so it's possible that a rare but serious side effect could still appear in widespread use, like during an actual epidemic/pandemic.

Oh, that reminds me. A couple weeks ago, there were reports out of Japan that the run-of-the-mill influenza B was developing resistantance to anti-viral meds, like Tamiflu. Hypothetically, someone infected with H5N1 and the common influenza B could transfer the drug resistance to H5N1, creating a new, drug-resistant strain.




Edited by Arney (04/20/07 04:00 PM)
Edit Reason: Fixed subject