United Nations Radio

The World Health Organization is urging people not to underestimate the impact the H1N1 influenza virus could have on their health.

WHO says although the flu has remained mild in most countries, vaccination was a vital too for prevention especially in high-risk groups such as pregnant women. Patrick Maigua reports from Geneva.

The World Health Organization says at least 20 countries worldwide have begun public vaccination campaigns against the H1N1 influenza virus. Although WHO insists the pandemic vaccine is safe, there is concern that the rapid spread of unsubstantiated and often conflicting reports about the H1N1 vaccine was fuelling public skepticism over its safety. Dr Keiji Fukuda from WHO says it was evidently clear that the H1N1 influenza virus was likely to lead to serious illness and death among chronically ill, pregnant women as well as some otherwise healthy younger people.

WHO along with other public health authorities believe that these vaccines are very useful against pandemic infection and do support their use. These vaccines now have been used in a significant number of countries, vaccination programmes have started in over 20 countries over the past several weeks and based on this experience which millions of people have now received vaccines, we in fact see that these vaccines are very safe. The levels of local side effects, sore arm, redness, swelling in the arm when you get injected are really similar to what we see with seasonal influenza vaccines or perhaps lower, and in terms of any unusual or unexpected side effects we have no evidence right now that these vaccines lead to such side effects.

WHO says it was still sourcing for 200 million doses of the H1N1 pandemic vaccines to be distributed to at least 95 developing countries who have no financial capacity to access the vaccines from manufacturers.

Patrick Maigua, UN Radio Geneva.
duration: 1'44"