# 4858
In what appears to be a case of `use it, or lose it’, Taiwan’s Centers For Disease Control announced today that they will begin to distribute soon-to-expire pre-pandemic H5N1 vaccine to some of its population.
In the wake of a spike in human infections from the bird flu virus in 2006, a handful of countries ordered varying stockpiles of H5N1 vaccine as a hedge against a possible pandemic.
Many of those stockpiles have either expired, or are nearing the end of their shelf life.
In September of 2008, roughly 6,000 medical workers in Japan received an experimental pre-pandemic bird flu vaccine as a test for a larger distribution of their stockpile (see Japan: Pre-Pandemic Vaccination Priority List).
The hope being that even if it wasn’t a perfect match to the next emerging influenza virus, having similar antibodies may convey some protection, and that a single `booster’ shot might be all that was required to fix immunity.
Of course, we won’t know if this little experiment works unless an H5N1 pandemic breaks out, and recipients of this vaccine are shown to have fared better than those who weren’t `primed’.
The idea is rooted in science, however, for in the summer of 2008 we saw a study, published in the August edition of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, which showed that people who received an experimental H5N1 vaccine in Hong Kong 8 years before developed a strong immune response after receiving a single booster shot of a clade 1 H5N1 vaccine.
Last May, in an opinion piece that appeared in the journal Nature, Dr. Klaus Stohr, former head of the World Health Organization's global influenza program, suggested the world seriously consider the benefits of pre-vaccinating people against potential pandemic strains (see The Prime Of Our Lives).
This report from the Focus Taiwan News Channel.
CDC begins national bird flu vaccination program
2010/09/01 20:10:04
Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) began a nationwide program to provide free vaccinations against influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as bird flu, that is scheduled to last until Sept. 30, the centers said Wednesday.
"With new infections in poultry being reported in several countries including China, Vietnam and Indonesia, risks still exist for the disease to spread in the country, " CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw said.
The centers urged medical personnel in charge of disease control and prevention, animal quarantine officers, security check officers at airports and ports, coast guard officers, and people who frequently visit bird-flu affected countries to participate, Chou said.
Other countries with expiring stockpiles will no doubt watch this initiative to see how much interest there is in receiving the vaccine and whether any unusual side effects are noted.
