US lacks vaccine for pandemic
NST, 22 Nov 2005

WASHINGTON, Mon. --- The United States is unprepared for the next flu pandemic, lacking the manufacturing capacity to provide 300 million doses of a vaccine for three to five more years, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said.

“We are not as prepared as we need to be. We will not have enough for everyone”.

A strain of a bird flu that has killed 67 people in Asia has sparked concerns of a super-flu that could kill millions worldwide.

While stressing that chances remain slight, health experts say it could lead to a global pandemic if the bird flu mutates to start spreading easily among people.

“We can’t put a number on how probable that’s going to be”, said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the infectious disease division of the National Institutes of Health.

“It’s a low probability. When the consequences are unimaginable, you must assume the worst-case scenario.”

The US, which has not seen any signs of the strain in birds or people, has enough doses for 4.3 million people.

The US has more than 295 million people. --- AP.