Sebelius: WHO Will Have Access To 10 Percent Of Swine Flu Vaccine

By Laura Smith, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the World Health Organization will have access to 10 percent of the new H1N1 vaccine.

“Joining Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, New Zealand, Italy, France, Norway, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom are countries that have either donated vaccine or donated its purchase power,” Sebelius said.

The Secretary said $34 million was donated to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) stockpile of antiviral medication this year.

PAHO met Monday to discuss health threats, such as the H1N1 virus, throughout the world, and what is being done to treat and prevent diseases in various Latin American countries.

“PAHO has become the first line of defense in combating [H1N1]," the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, Dr. Mirta Roses Periago said Monday. "We have faced up to this major health challenge. We have expressed solidarity with the countries and families that have lost human life."