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Vaccines in 2010 Should Include Swine Flu Protection
This year's seasonal flu vaccines should include protection against swine flu.
That's the recommendation from the World Health Organization and it means millions of excess doses of H1N1 vaccine in the U.S. and other countries can be used for the next flu season. The oversupply of vaccines caused a dilemma for countries, many of which canceled orders and donated unused shots.
The panic over swine flu, which ended up being less severe than world health officials predicted, turned into a multibillion dollar windfall for big manufacturers, including GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG and Sanofi-Aventis SA. But it also raised the ire of countries like Germany, which lashed out at world health leaders after they bought more shots than they needed.
The latest recommendation, which is for the northern hemisphere, provides guidance for the big vaccine makers. They can either mix the swine flu shots with the regular vaccine or health care providers can administer the shots separately. That decision is up to the governments buying the vaccines. The U.S. flu season usually begins in November.
Brett Chase covers health care for Portfolio.com and writes the blog Heavy Doses.
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