'Explosive' swine flu threat for poor countries: UN
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.(AFP) -
Poor countries face "explosive outbreaks" of the global swine flu pandemic and need speedy financial assistance to access vaccines, UN officials warned on Sunday.
"What we see now is that the A(H1N1) virus is beginning to penetrate into some of the poorest communities in the world," said Julie Hall, an expert from the UN's World Health Organisation.
"We are anticipating that we may well see a different pattern of impact once this virus starts to take off and those explosive outbreaks occur in poorer communities," she told a news conference
David Nabarro, UN senior influenza coordinator, said both manufacturers and rich countries were ready to make vaccines available for developing nations, but warned that the supply would still be inadequate.
"We are aware that there will only be enough for a small percentage of the population of developing countries," he said.
"The challenge during the next few weeks is... to ensure that adequate vaccines reach health workers and essential personnel in developing countries in time to help them as the next waves of the pandemic reach them," he added.
Last week, the WHO said pharmaceutical firms can produce only three billion doses of swine flu vaccines a year, covering less than half of the global population.
Nabarro also called for cash donations to help low-income countries prepare for the pandemic by raising awareness and improving their health services infrastructure.
At least 3,917 people have died from the A(H1N1) virus since it was uncovered in April, with most of the fatalities in the Anericas region, according to the WHO.
su/dt/boc
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments