Geneva - Production for vaccines against the pandemic A(H1N1) virus were "on track," a senior World Health Organization official said Thursday. "Clearly vaccine development is on track," said Marie-Paule Kieny, the head of vaccine research at WHO, adding that "vaccine trials have given very good news."
She noted that most tests were showing only one dose of the vaccine would be needed per person, while children and those with poor health might need an extra shot.
Also, the formulation for making seasonal vaccines was proving successful in producing one for the pandemic virus.
The WHO had revised downwards to 3 billion doses its estimate for the amount of vaccine manufacturers will be able to produce for the A(H1N1) pandemic virus.
Previously, it had estimated some 5 billion doses would be available per 12 months. The latest report noted that it was increasingly looking like one dose would suffice for healthy people, which would mean an effective increase in the quantity of vaccine shots available.
