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Study Warns Over Pandemic Flu Vaccine 6-month Time Lag
Dr Iain Stephenson, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Leicester, said that by that time, the first wave of pandemic flu might be over before people are vaccinated.
Stephenson conducted a study to find out if a pre-pandemic vaccine could mitigate the worst effects of pandemic flu.
"This study is the first to show an effective pre-pandemic vaccine approach. This means that we could vaccinate people potentially many years before a pandemic, to generate memory cells that are long lasting and can be rapidly boosted by a single dose of vaccine when needed," he said.
"If an influenza pandemic occurs, vaccination will to be the main way to protect the population. The major current threat seems to be from avian influenza H5N1 (bird flu) which has spread rapidly around the world and causes human infections and deaths.
"Unfortunately, if a pandemic occurs, it will take up to six months to manufacture effective vaccine, so the first waves of the pandemic may be over before people are vaccinated. Furthermore, most people need two doses of H5 pandemic vaccine to get protection- so this adds a further delay.
"To reduce any delay, we could consider stockpiling vaccine or immunizing people with vaccine prepared in advance -(a so called 'pre-pandemic vaccine' - to protect them before a future pandemic.
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