WHO: Vaccines for H1N1 Influenza Are Safe

VOA News 18/01/2010

The World Health Organization says vaccines for H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic are safe and people should have no fear of debilitating side affects. A Senior WHO Official warns people are putting their health and lives at risk by not getting vaccinated. The Swine Flu pandemic tops the agenda of this week's Executive Board meeting.

The World Health Organization says pandemic viruses have replaced seasonal flu in almost all countries. And, it says these viruses are going to stick around for a long time.

As a consequence, WHO says vaccines against the disease are the best means of protection. Next month, scientists will be meeting at WHO headquarters to discuss the composition of future vaccines.

Keiji Fukuda is Special Adviser to the WHO Director-General on Pandemic Influenza. He says one of the big questions the scientists will face is to determine what patterns are likely to be seen in the fall and the winter.

"Right now, pandemic infections are occurring in many countries, but the overall pattern is decreasing," said Keiji Fukuda. "We see that the highest activity is in northern Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and southern Asia. And, we can also say that the second wave of infections peaked very early in some parts of the northern Hemisphere."

Fukuda says there is a lot of discussion and speculation as to whether another wave of infections will occur in the late winter and spring months. He says it is unclear whether the H1N1 pandemic virus will replace seasonal viruses to some extent.

New Malaria Vaccine Initiative Aims to Stunt Parasite within Mosquitoes

VOA News 18/01/2010

A new vaccine initiative has been launched to try to prevent the malaria parasite from developing inside mosquitoes.

Malaria kills about one million people every year, most of them children under age five. Researchers say if successful so-called transmission-blocking vaccines could significantly limit the spread of infection. Once a mosquito bites a vaccinated person, it picks up a substance that interferes with parasite growth.

The Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Sabin Vaccine Institute are collaborating in the effort.

Dr. Rhoel Dinglasan, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, says there are different approaches to a malaria vaccine.

“The malaria vaccines that are currently being perused outside of this transmission-blocking vaccine concept are targeted toward different stages of the parasite life cycle. The most advanced malaria vaccine right now, the RTSS vaccine, is targeted toward prevention of liver stage infection,” he says.