Flu vaccine won’t protect against swine flu

28 APRIL 2009

Flu vaccine won’t protect against swine flu

Amanda Cameron
acameron@nzdoctor.co.nz


Daily news: This year's winter flu vaccine probably won't protect against swine flu
This year’s flu vaccine probably won’t protect against swine flu, experts say.

As the World Health Organization ramps up its pandemic response status, New Zealand’s director of public health Mark Jacobs says there is no evidence this season’s influenza vaccine will provide any immunity against swine influenza.

The vaccine contains an influenza A/H1N1 strain, but current information suggests there is very little if any cross immunity between this and the swine influenza A/H1N1 strain that is suspected of killing at least 149 people in Mexico, according to Andrew Easton from the UK’s University of Warwick, in a background media briefing for science reporters.


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