All Countries must give entire population H1N1 jab, orders WHO * Baxter executives sit on WHO “advisory vaccine board” * Dr Chan does not appear at press briefing as expected
By birdflu666Executives from Baxter, Novartis, GSK and Sanofi Pasteur have seats at the advisory group that today recommended mandatory H1N1 jabs to WHO, according to a WHO document.
Such a recommendation becomes binding on all 194 signatory countries if accepted by WHO as formally happened today in the event of a pandemic emergency being declared by WHO under the International Health Regulations act of 2005 and the WHO pandemic plan of April 2009.
http://www.who.int/immunization/sage/LOP_SAGE_7_JULY_08_07_09.pdf
WHO media spokesperson Alphaluck Bhatiasevi confirmed that Dr Margaret Chan did not give the press briefing at WHO’s headquarters in Geneva at 4 pm today as anticipated.
At short notice, Dr Marie-Paule Kieny stepped in to announce that “vaccines will be needed in all countries.”
Toxic vaccines “such as those that are formulated with oil-in-water adjuvants and live attenuated influenza vaccines [are] important,” says WHO.
Health workers, pregnant women, healthy young adults of 15 to 49 years, healthy children are target groups, says WHO.
The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, established by the Director-General of the World Health Organization in 1999 to provide guidance on the work of the WHO Immunization Department, and pharmaceutical executives, who have the status of “observers”, recommended to WHO’s Dr Chan the following steps, which have been accepted by Dr Chan, so acquiríng a binding character for countries, according to a press statement on WHO’s website.
“All countries should immunize their health-care workers as a first priority to protect the essential health infrastructure. As vaccines available initially will not be sufficient, a step-wise approach to vaccinate particular groups may be considered. SAGE suggested the following groups for consideration, noting that countries need to determine their order of priority based on country-specific conditions: pregnant women; those aged above 6 months with one of several chronic medical conditions; healthy young adults of 15 to 49 years of age; healthy children; healthy adults of 50 to 64 years of age; and healthy adults of 65 years of age and above.
In view of the anticipated limited vaccine availability at global level and the potential need to protect against “drifted” strains of virus, SAGE recommended that promoting production and use of vaccines such as those that are formulated with oil-in-water adjuvants and live attenuated influenza vaccines was important.
WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan endorsed the above recommendations on 11 July 2009, recognizing that they were well adapted to the current pandemic situation. She also noted that the recommendations will need to be changed if and when new evidence become available.