‘Swine Flu’ Update: Vaccine Could Be Ready by October 2009, Officials Say

A new vaccine to prevent the spread of the so-called swine flu may be ready for use as soon as October as the number of cases and deaths linked to the illness around the world continues to climb, U.S. health officials said.

Development of a vaccine to combat the fast-spreading H1N1 influenza virus has been fast-tracked since April, when the life-threatening virus first turned up in Mexico. As of today, 12 deaths, 500 hospitalizations, and about 8,500 illnesses in the United States have been blamed on the never-before-seen strain of the flu. Worldwide, 108 deaths and 13,000 illnesses have been associated with the deadly influenza strain.

The October target date for release of a new H1N1 vaccine hinges on production and testing of the product running smoothly over the summer, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If delays in production or testing occur, the release date could be bumped back.

Once a vaccine is ready, the CDC and other officials will review it to ensure it is effective and safe before it is made available to the general public, officials said. October is a critical time in the fight against season flu and marks the start of the annual flu-fighting season. It is feared that the H1N1 influenza could strengthen and reemerge stronger in the Fall, unleashing a worse-than-average flu season in 2009 and 2010.

Some national leaders have said they would support providing free H1N1 vaccine shots to every American, but some recent polls have shown only one in three people in the U.S. would get a shot if one was available.

Officials in Australia, where nearly 100 cases of H1N1 infection have been confirmed, recently ordered 10 million doses of the vaccine being developed by pharmaceutical company CSL Ltd.

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