The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated recently a worldwide production capacity for swine flu pandemic vaccines at approximately 3 billion doses per year.

NONE A spokesperson for the organization said last week that production would actually be "considerably lower," without providing any figures.

Moreover, says WHO, outcomes of trials completed to date suggest that pandemic vaccines are as safe as seasonal influenza vaccines with similar side effects, the Algerian Press Service (APS) said.

Limited capacity

Trials also suggest that a single dose of vaccine will be sufficient to confer protective immunity in healthy adults and older children, effectively doubling the number of people who can be protected with current supplies, WHO added.

These supplies will still be inadequate to cover a world population of 6.8 billion people in which virtually everyone is susceptible to infection by a new and readily contagious virus, it said, as global manufacturing capacity for influenza vaccines is limited, inadequate and not readily augmented.

Last week, donations of pandemic vaccines for use in developing countries were announced by the United States of America, in concert with Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

- Bernama