Flu vaccine could come soon, health officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health officials told lawmakers Wednesday it took only two weeks to identify the genetic characteristics of swine flu, and they are in good position to quickly produce a vaccine if the flu takes a turn for the worse.

At the same time, the officials cautioned members of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that there are still elements of what they called the novel 2009 H1N1 influenza virus that they don’t understand, and it was not time for complacency.

Dr. Dennis Carroll, special adviser on pandemic flu to the U.S. Agency for International Development, noted that the 1918-1919 flu pandemic also began in the spring and was initially mild, but a much more lethal version hit six months later and the virus eventually killed 50 million worldwide.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting deputy director for science and program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also urged caution, saying they expected to see more people get sick and more serious cases. One factor, she said, is that the Southern Hemisphere is now moving into its flu season.

But she also stressed that “at no time in our history have we been more prepared to face this challenge.”

She said the CDC moved rapidly to determine that the virus circulating in the U.S. and around the world contains genetic pieces from four different virus sources and that within two weeks it was able to understand its complete genetic characteristics.

“We have isolated and identified the virus and discussions are under way so that, should we need to manufacture a vaccine, we can work towards that goal very quickly,” she said.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the CDC is currently at the stage of processing vaccine seed virus. If the need arises, they can coordinate with manufacturers on clinical trials, verifying the safety, efficacy and right dosages of the vaccine, and then move to mass production.

CDC has confirmed more than 640 cases in the U.S., and states are reporting at least 11 not yet on the CDC list.