Sharpe
Senior Moderator
I wonder why it's hard to produce this strain. Could H3N2 be killing the chick embryos used to produce it? Does H3N2 naturally infect birds too?
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/National/2006/08/05/1720229-sun.html
Influenza vaccine delivery to be delayed
Sat, August 5, 2006
Difficulty growing one of the flu strains will mean inoculation programs will start later.
By CP
TORONTO -- Delivery of flu vaccine for the coming winter season will be delayed, forcing provinces and territories to postpone the start of their vaccination programs by as much as a month, public health officials said yesterday.
Dr. Perry Kendall, chief medical officer for B.C., said the provinces and territories were recently told by Public Works and Government Services Canada that the manufacturers who supply the Canadian market were not going to be able to deliver their orders in the normal time frame.
Public Works buys vaccine in bulk for all publicly funded programs, typically buying 11 million-plus doses to protect against the three main flu strains World Health Organization experts believe will circulate the coming winter.
The delay in delivery had been rumoured for several weeks after an industry group representing European-based flu vaccine makers announced they were getting a disappointing yield in efforts to grow one of the strains, the one that protects against H3N2 viruses. H3N2 is an influenza A virus that has caused production problems in the past.
"A series of delays compounding the issue means that the vaccine program, which we like to start earlier in the beginning of October, probably won't start -- as it did last year -- until the beginning of November," Kendall said.
"It's happened before -- it happened last year. It's not unusual that it happens."
Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario's chief medical officer, put out a statement late yesterday saying the province was making preparations to deal with the delay and that the program would begin later this year.
Because the start of the flu season varies from year to year, vaccination programs typically begin in October in order to give people time to allow their immune systems to respond to the strains in the vaccine. But influenza can begin hitting any time from late November through April.
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/National/2006/08/05/1720229-sun.html
Influenza vaccine delivery to be delayed
Sat, August 5, 2006
Difficulty growing one of the flu strains will mean inoculation programs will start later.
By CP
TORONTO -- Delivery of flu vaccine for the coming winter season will be delayed, forcing provinces and territories to postpone the start of their vaccination programs by as much as a month, public health officials said yesterday.
Dr. Perry Kendall, chief medical officer for B.C., said the provinces and territories were recently told by Public Works and Government Services Canada that the manufacturers who supply the Canadian market were not going to be able to deliver their orders in the normal time frame.
Public Works buys vaccine in bulk for all publicly funded programs, typically buying 11 million-plus doses to protect against the three main flu strains World Health Organization experts believe will circulate the coming winter.
The delay in delivery had been rumoured for several weeks after an industry group representing European-based flu vaccine makers announced they were getting a disappointing yield in efforts to grow one of the strains, the one that protects against H3N2 viruses. H3N2 is an influenza A virus that has caused production problems in the past.
"A series of delays compounding the issue means that the vaccine program, which we like to start earlier in the beginning of October, probably won't start -- as it did last year -- until the beginning of November," Kendall said.
"It's happened before -- it happened last year. It's not unusual that it happens."
Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario's chief medical officer, put out a statement late yesterday saying the province was making preparations to deal with the delay and that the program would begin later this year.
Because the start of the flu season varies from year to year, vaccination programs typically begin in October in order to give people time to allow their immune systems to respond to the strains in the vaccine. But influenza can begin hitting any time from late November through April.