Whats the likelihood well have an effective swine flu vaccine in ample supply this fall?
Good. Most seasonal influenza vaccine production will be done by the end of July so manufacturers will be able to switch their manufacturing capacity to swine flu at that time if it appears the virus will circulate again when influenza season starts. Q: What are the chances the virus could mutate significantly from what we’re seeing now? A: The most important thing people need to understand about the influenza virus is that it’s a wily and unpredictable foe. We already know that an H1N1 virus went from mild to severe in the 1918 pandemic. That doesn’t mean that this one will. I think you hope for the best and you anticipate there could be a change in the virulence. But even if doesn’t change to become more virulent, it’ll likely still cause widespread infections, deaths, doctors visits, hospitalizations and secondary pneumonias – what we see every year with seasonal influenza. Q: To experts in the field, does it seem unacceptable that 36,000 people a year die from the flu? A: Certainly
