WA to spearhead immunization against flu

The dreaded swine flu virus has sniffed life out of 20 residents of WA and as many as 4104 people have contracted the virus in the state.

In order of priority, the immunization would be given to pregnant women, health workers, and Aboriginal communities. In all, the government proposes to give 200,000 doses of the vaccine, Panvax.

Subsequently, the vaccine is likely to be offered to larger strata of the society, including children.

WA's chief health officer, Dr Tarun Weeramanthri was optimistic that the vaccination would be effective even though it was nearly winter end.

"We are noticing a decline in cases at the moment, but we expect there to be continued transmission and we will be offering it to people in high-risk groups who may well choose to be vaccinated and reduce their risk," he said highlighting the importance of the vaccine.

SA to follow suit
Meanwhile, South Australia (SA) will receive 150,000 doses of Panvax early next month, followed by another shipment of 420,000 doses within the next month.

Chief Public Health Officer in SA, Dr Stephen Christley said, "The initial phase of immunization will focus on vulnerable groups including people with chronic lung or heart disease, pregnant women and indigenous Australians."

There have been 7147 confirmed cases of the virus in SA and 12 deaths have been reported due to it.

CSL’s Panvax
CSL Limited, in collaboration with the Australian government, has developed the vaccine Panvax and received an approval from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to market it as an avian influenza vaccine.

Panvax is intended for use in the prevention of influenza caused by a pandemic strain of avian influenza virus.

CSL has major facilities in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and the US and employs over 9,000 employees in 27 countries.

The worldwide swine flu scenario
According to the data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), 182,166 people have contracted the swine flu virus worldwide. The influenza A (H1N1) has accounted for 1,799 deaths till Aug. 21.

The swine flu virus is widely prevalent globally and has created havoc in the United States and Mexico. In fact, Mexico is the epicenter of the current swine flu virus.