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| Illinois drug co. working on vaccine for swine flu |
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DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Specialty drug maker Baxter International, Inc. will work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop a vaccine that could stem an outbreak of a deadly swine flu strain in Mexico.
Baxter spokesman Christopher Bona said Saturday that the Deerfield, Ill.-based company has asked the WHO for a sample of the flu strain. He said Baxter has patented technology that allows the company to develop vaccines in half the time it usually takes – about 13 weeks instead of 26.
There have been 20 confirmed deaths in Mexico of the swine flu, with nonfatal cases also confirmed in Kansas and California.
Two cases of the human swine influenza have been confirmed in Kansas and one in California, bringing the U.S. total to 11. At least eight students at a New York City high school probably have swine flu also, but health officials said Saturday they don’t know whether they have the same strain of the virus that has killed people in Mexico.
The WHO chief said Saturday the strain has “pandemic potential” and it may be too late to contain a sudden outbreak. Kansas health officials said they had confirmed swine flu in a married couple living in the central part of the state after the husband visited Mexico. The state described their illnesses as mild. Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, the state health officer, said, “Fortunately, the man and woman understand the gravity of the situation and are very willing to isolate themselves.” The man traveled to Mexico last week for a professional conference and became ill after returning home. His wife became ill later.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A flu viruses, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Human cases of swine flu are uncommon but can happen in people who are around pigs, and can be spread from person to person (see related Q&As). Symptoms of the flu include a fever of more than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea. At least nine swine flu cases have been reported in California and Texas.
The 11 U.S. swine flu victims range in age from 9 to over 50. All recovered or are recovering; at least two were hospitalized. Health officials are worried because people appear to have no immunity to the virus, a combination of bird, swine and human influenzas. Also, the virus presents itself like other swine flu, but none of the U.S. cases appear to involve direct contact with pigs, said Eberhart-Phillips, who called the strain “a completely novel virus.”
Humans don’t have a natural immunity to swine flu strain that emerged in Mexico in March. Officials have warned the outbreak could become a global epidemic. |
| 4/30/2009 |
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