Vaccine against flu pandemic being ordered

The government is in the process of ordering 300,000 doses of vaccine to prepare for an expected influenza pandemic, a spokesman for the Health Division said.

The World Health Organisation believes it is only a matter of time before the pandemic hits, likely to be caused by the human variant of avian flu spreading from Asia to other countries.

The vaccines will be available as part of a Lm3 million programme to reduce the impact of the pandemic, which will also include the use of antivirals, protective clothing for health personnel and laboratory testing equipment.

The vaccines in question will not be the same as the annual jab given to protect people against the annual bout of influenza but a specific vaccine against the strain of virus behind the pandemic.

However, it is still important to take the annual jab, because although this does not protect against the avian flu it can still offer some immunity, health officials say. The spokesman pointed out that the vaccine for the pandemic strain will only be delivered once the strain of the virus is known and the vaccine is available.

However, the importance of ordering now cannot be underestimated. In an interview with The Times last month, National Influenza Pandemic Steering Committee chairman Tanya Melillo said some countries were currently in negotiations with the vaccine companies as it would take two months to produce the vaccine and the first three months of production have already been taken up by orders from some countries.

The government is also in the process of establishing the necessary parameters for the buying of antiviral drugs and protective clothing for health care staff.

Antivirals would play a major role during a pandemic, since when taken within 48 hours of developing symptoms, they reduce viral shedding, shorten the period of illness, reduce the severity of symptoms and lead to a reduction in complications and hospitalisation.

Asked if orders from Malta could be discounted because pharmaceutical companies will be busy producing antivirals or vaccines for larger countries, the spokesman said once an order for vaccines and antiviarals is placed, the size of the country is immaterial as far as delivery of the product is concerned.

The spokesman said the government has also started the process of buying laboratory equipment to test for the influenza. To date Malta is able to detect whether an influenza is A or B, but local laboratories are not yet capable of defining it more accurately.

Moreover, it is considered highly unlikely that other countries will carry out tests for Malta since once the pandemic strikes, they would be flooded with their own work and would not be able to spare human resources or equipment.

The spokesman said that following the recommendations of the National Influenza Pandemic Steering Committee, the government will ensure that the necessary measures are in place to enable the Health Department to deal with the pandemic once it starts.

The committee is also planning the measures that need to be taken in terms of examining patients and hospital admissions.

"Measures that will have to be taken to control the spread of the epidemic can only be decided upon at the time as decisions depend on a number of factors," the spokesman said.