Thursday, May 28, 2009

Australia Orders Vaccine, Releases Antiviral Stocks



# 3274

 

 

With the weather growing colder in the southern hemisphere, and their regular flu season soon to be upon them, concerns over the recent introduction of the  H1N1 swine flu virus to Australia are running high.

 

The number of new cases in Australia have about tripled, to 147, in the past 24 hours.  

 

As a vaccine producing country, Australia is in the position of being able to create their own H1N1 vaccine, and they have now decided to order up 10 million doses.

 

Until that vaccine can be made available, probably not before late summer or fall, Australia will have to fight a delaying action against the virus using antivirals and other mitigations.

 

 

 

CANBERRA has announced plans to immunise almost half the population against swine flu

Siobhain Ryan | May 29, 2009

CANBERRA has announced plans to immunise almost half the population against swine flu, after the number of confirmed cases of the virus last night reached 147.

 

The federal Government yesterday said it would order enough doses for 10 million people and begin raiding its medicines stockpile to buy time while the vaccine underwent clinical trials.

 

But its decision to release its first batch of stockpile supplies has come too late for some doctors' surgeries, which yesterday were left without enough protective masks, gowns and antiviral medicines to cope with the spike in flu cases.

 

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners spokesman Nicholas Demediuk said his Melbourne practice had been inundated by patients with flu-like illnesses, including three from the ill-fated Pacific Dawn cruise ship.

 

"We had standing room only yesterday. At one stage they were queued out the door, which I haven't seen before," he said.

 

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