Canada's swine flu vaccine coming in October
Last Updated: Saturday, September 5, 2009 | 7:06 PM ET
CBC News
Canada could start rolling out H1N1 vaccine earlier than November if needed. (CBC)Canada will have swine flu vaccine available in October, Canada's chief public health officer said Thursday.
"In early October, we'll start having vaccine, we'll actually have it in vials and safety tested by the company," Dr. David Butler-Jones said in an interview with CBC Newsworld.
Federal public health officials are waiting for the results of clinical trials to be confident before moving forward to immunize people.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has said that a vaccine against the H1N1 would be ready by mid-November.
On Wednesday, Liberal health critics charged that Canada is lagging behind the U.S. in getting the vaccine early enough for people at high risk.
An editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal last week also accused the federal government of delaying rollout of the H1N1 vaccine because of time-consuming regulations for an adjuvant in the vaccine that boost immune response and increase production.
"We feel that we will be certain of that by mid-November, but it could happen sooner, and that's always been the case," Butler-Jones said.
"We will have vaccine in place. And so if we do see a more serious outbreak or if we see the flu come heavily earlier than we expect then we can potentially move that date up. So we're in line with every other country in the world."
Compiling priority vaccine list
In Ontario, the chief medical officer of health, Dr. Arlene King, said Thursday that seasonal flu vaccine campaigns will likely start in late September and early October, followed by the pandemic flu clinics when that vaccine becomes available.
"In terms of what we'll see in the fall, I don't have a crystal ball and no one else does. And we need to be prepared for potentially less than normal flu activity, about the same or possibly somewhat worse," King told a news conference.
"And so what we're planning for is a somewhat worse or busier than usual flu season based on what we've seen in the Southern Hemisphere," where flu season is winding down.
Federal, provincial and territorial officials are deciding on who should be first in line for pandemic vaccine when limited amounts first become available.
So far, the priority groups include pregnant women, health-care workers, people living in northern and remote communities and people under age 65 with chronic health conditions, King said.
Vaccinate school children, U.S. urges
Like other Canadian and international public health officials, King recommended basic measures to curb the spread of flu such as staying home when sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and frequent handwashing.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Dr. Thomas Friedman, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the U.S. anticipates H1N1 vaccines will be available in mid-October.
"We're going to be trying to reach out to children in large number, and parents, to get kids vaccinated because we know that so many kids can get the flu, and the vaccine is likely to be quite effective," Friedman told a news conference.
"My kids will get the flu vaccine when it becomes available, and I would recommend that all school children get vaccinated."
Children will likely need two doses of the H1N1 vaccine in the U.S., which lacks an adjuvant, unlike the Canadian vaccine. So far, three swine flu vaccine manufacturers worldwide have reported that a single dose seems to offer enough protection against the virus based on the early results of human trials.
The CDC also recommended H1N1 vaccination for all people with underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, neuromuscular conditions and neurological conditions that increase their risk, as well as pregnant women.
