United Nations Radio

H1N1 vaccine being administered

PRES: So far, there are 5700 laboratory confirmed deaths from the H1N1 virus. With winter approaching, the World Health Organization warms that the virus activity will increase and is advising people to get vaccinated, especially pregnant women and children who are at high risk of contracting the virus. Jocelyne Sambira has the story.

NARR: Riding the elevator one morning to the office, I walked in the middle of what seemed to be an animated discussion on the H1N1 vaccine. One man declared before stepping out of the car, that he was not going to get the shot, and that he did not trust this vaccine. His remarks are echoing the controversy that surrounds the new H1N1 vaccine. In Switzerland, a recent poll showed that 87% of people said they would not agree to the vaccination, and there are reports that even some doctors are advising their patients against it. Dr. Gregory Hartl, Spokesperson for the Epidemic and Pandemic Diseases at WHO, tries to dispel some these fears.

HARTL: We can just keep repeating what we believe to be the soundest public health advice and counsel. The vaccine is shown to be a very good match for the pandemic virus, it has been already administered to hundreds of thousands of people and so far we have not seen severe side effects.

NARR: Many people are worried about potential side effects, because the vaccine is quite new although it is modeled after the original flu vaccine. The World Health Organization says this vaccine has been tried and tested, and insists on its benefits. Dr. Gregory Hartl:

HARTL: What we know of adverse events with this vaccine - all vaccines, you will once in a while get a side effects from a vaccine. It is rare, but it does happen. But, what we have seen so far is that there have not been any unexpected side effect so far and that those side effects that do happen with the vaccine are mild and temporary.

NARR: Another fear is that the virus mutates and a new strain appears with the flu season. Dr. Gregory Hartl has this to say.

HARTL: The virus can do a lot of things, the virus can mutate, of course, and can become less or more severe. It can mutate into a form that make it a less good match for the vaccine. Of course, those are all eventualities that we cannot account for today. We so far also have with the hundreds of thousands of doses which have been administered not seen any severe adverse effects. There might be when millions of doses are administered across tens and twenties of countries, we might see the occasional severe adverse event. We haven't seen that today.

Producer: Jocelyne Sambira, United Nations Radio
Duration: 2'24"