July 20, 2005

scientists react to Department of Health plans to buy bird flu vaccines

This followed the announcement by Patricia Hewitt that the Department of Health planned to buy 2 million doses of avian flu vaccine.

Ian Jones, Professor of Virology at the University of Reading, said:

“The decision by the Department of Health to buy 2 million doses of vaccine, aimed at health care workers who would be in the front line of a response to an outbreak, is a sign of how seriously they take the avian flu threat. It’s good news and builds upon the antiviral drug stockpile announced earlier in the year. The only concern, given that the virus constantly changes, is that manufacture can be completed before the virus drifts too far away from the current threatening strain.”

Professor Peter Openshaw, Head of Respiratory Infections Section at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, said:

“‘This is a very welcome development. If a pandemic does occur, the closure of health care facilities and other essential public services because of illness amongst staff would be a major problem. Assuming the vaccine protects against the strain of flu that causes the pandemic, this would help lessen the impact.”