More swine flu vaccine ready in US; kids need 2 doses

Up to 30 million doses of vaccine against the H1N1 swine flu virus have been delivered to the U.S. government and production is now picking up, officials said on Monday.

But more studies confirm that children under the age of 9 will need two doses of the vaccine to be fully protected, they said.

Studies in pregnant women, one of the groups most vulnerable to the pandemic, also show no indication of side effects from the vaccine.

The U.S. government is trying to make vaccines and drugs available to fight the virus while countering fears about safety and criticisms that officials were too optimistic in predicting how quickly the vaccine would be ready.

Original predictions suggested at least 80 million doses should have been delivered to state health departments, clinics and retailers by now and a few politicians have complained.

People have been lining up for the vaccine to protect against the virus, which has killed at least 1,000 Americans and infected an estimated 5 million.

“Over time, we expect that supply will start to increase and eventually catch up with the tremendous demand that we are seeing now,” Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told a news briefing.

“As of today, 30 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine are available for the states to order.” That is the cumulative amount—the CDC had 26.6 million doses of vaccine available on Friday.

Some conservative politicians, including Missouri Representative Roy Blunt, who helps lead Republican healthcare reform efforts, have questioned the Department of Defense decision to offer vaccine to about 200 detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.

“It’s outrageous that in Missouri, expectant mothers, children and others vulnerable to the H1N1 virus do not have access to the vaccine, and our tax dollars are funding vaccines for accused terrorists detained at Gitmo,” said Blunt.

VACCINATING CHILDREN

Unlike seasonal flu, which is most dangerous to the elderly, H1N1 is hitting younger adults and children especially hard. “We know that about half the vaccine that has been administered so far has been to children under 18,” Schuchat said.

Clinical trials being run by the government confirm that children under age 9 need two doses of the swine flu vaccine—optimally four weeks apart.

Last week, the World Health Organization said governments might consider giving a single dose to as many children as possible. But Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the scientific data showed it is important that children under 9 are vaccinated twice because they have a weaker immune response than adults.

A team of non-government experts has been assembled and was holding its first meeting on Monday to look at reports on the vaccine’s safety, said Dr. Bruce Gellin of the National Vaccine Program Office at the Health and Human Services Department.

Fauci disputed criticism that the vaccine is being distributed too slowly to be of use against the virus, which is now active across the entire country.

“You cannot assume that this is going to disappear,” he said. “I don’t think you can make the assumption that anything is going to be too little, too late.”

Separately, Connecticut’s top prosecutor said he is investigating complaints of price fixing by companies that make and distribute the seasonal flu vaccine.

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* Further study confirms children need 2 doses of vaccine

* Pregnant women tolerate H1N1 vaccine well

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters)