Swine flu vaccine to be available by Sept: WHO

The World Health Organisation has announced that the first vaccines for the swine flu pandemic are likely to be ready for use by September this year.

Many pharma companies in China, Australia, United States, United Kingdom and Germany have already made the first batches of the H1N1 vaccine and these are being clinically tested, reports the BBC.

Pregnant women and young children are expected to be the first recipients of the vaccine.

Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's director of vaccine research, also sought to calm fears about the safety of the new vaccines.

She said the vaccines were based on 'old and proven technology'. 

Image: A handout file photo shows a technician preparing specimens from a master H1N1 virus sample for the pre-production of a vaccine against pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus at a laboratory of GlaxoSmithKline in Dresden

Photograph: Reuters