U.S. and other countries make H1N1 vaccine available internationally through the WHO

The United States joins Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and Britain in efforts to make the H1N1 vaccine available to less-developed countries.  The White House announced yesterday that they are prepared to make 10 percent of America’s H1N1 vaccine supply available to other countries through the World Health Organization.

The recent news that a single dose of H1N1 vaccine can protect adults against the virus has sparked conversations between the WHO and developed countries about sharing their vaccine stockpiles with developing countries.

The White House said it would make the vaccine available to the WHO on a rolling basis as vaccine supplies become available, to assist countries that might not have direct access to the vaccine.  The vaccine is expected to be available in the coming weeks, earlier than originally anticipated.

Millions of people around the world have been infected with the H1N1 vaccine, thousands have died and the virus continues to spread across international borders.

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