Build A Kinder Earth

A vaccine for Swine Influenza will hopefully be available in several months.

In light of the current Swine Flu epidemic, U.S. Health Officials have begun researching and collecting information for developing a possible vaccine. The vaccine will take months to develop and there is no guarantee of it’s effectiveness. However, with 109 confirmed Swine Flu causes in the United States since Thursday, and the recent death of 21-month old Mexican baby taken to a Texas hospital for treatment, a vaccine seems to be the next best step for controlling outbreaks. Although Swine Flu cases are typically mild, fatalities can be expected to occur. The goal is to provide a vaccine before the outbreaks reach a pandemic level.

The Swine Flu shot will be modeled after the flu shot which takes about six months to produce and distribute. Over 120 sites collect information on what strains are circulating year round. Twice a year, experts meet to determine which strains should be included in that season’s vaccine. Even with the “regular” flu, there is often not a perfect match between circulating strains and the distributed vaccine. However, people receiving a non-perfectly matched vaccine can still use it to help avoid getting sick, or at least not be sick for as long.

The U.S. still uses an egg-based production technique, in which selected strains of the influenza virus are grown in chicken eggs. One egg can only produce two doses of the vaccine at most. After this stage, government approval is required for the vaccine to be distributed. Although this is a lengthy process, officials hope a vaccine will be beneficial in the future.