Dutch officials seek to return surplus vaccine
The Dutch health ministry has signaled that it is in talks with GlaxoSmithKline to possibly return a large portion of its surplus H1N1 flu vaccine, Reuters reported. The ministry had ordered 34 million doses at a time when experts thought each person would need two doses. Of that total, 11 million doses have been administered, and the government is holding 2.2 million as an emergency reserve.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6251NW20100306
Mar 6 Reuters story
ACHA, CDC caution spring break travelers
In an effort to prevent a repeat of last year's post spring break flu spread, the American College Health Association (ACHA) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised students with travel plans to get the pandemic H1N1 vaccine and take other measures to protect themselves. The two groups warned in a Mar 5 letter that the virus is still circulating in the United States and abroad and that some colleges have recently reported increases in flu activity.
http://www.acha.org/general/HHS_ACHA_SpringBreak_letter.pdf
Mar 5 ACHA and CDC letter
UK health records helped vaccination program
Britain's system of electronic health records made it easier for medical providers to notify people targeted for H1N1 vaccination than was the case for US providers, said CDC Director Thomas Frieden at a recent conference. While Americans mostly decided on their own if and when to get vaccinated, British providers used the electronic records to identify people with high-risk conditions and invited them to come in for vaccination, he said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0525886220100305
Mar 5 Reuters report
Spain to give vaccine to Latin America
Spain plans to donate 4 million doses of H1N1 vaccine to the countries of Latin America, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced recently. Trinidad Jimenez, Spain's minister of health, announced the donation at a Mar 4 meeting with Dr. Socorro Gross, assistant director of PAHO.
http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2554&Itemid=1926&lang=en
Mar 4 PAHO announcement
