Should We Stretch Limited Stockpiles Of Pandemic Flu Vaccines?

Main Category: Flu / Cold / SARS
Also Included In: Bird Flu / Avian Flu;  Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 19 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

To prepare for the next flu pandemic, many countries are stockpiling potential vaccines. These are likely to be sub-optimal (i.e. not match the emerging pandemic viral strain) and sure to be in short supply. In a new study in the international open-access journal PLoS Medicine, Steven Riley and colleagues from Hong Kong University, ask the tough question of what to do to make the most of such limited vaccine stockpiles. Their provocative study suggests that, under many possible scenarios, it might be beneficial to spread the vaccine thinly, i.e. give a lower than optimal dose to more people.

In an accompanying Perspective article discussing the study and its limitations, Christophe Fraser of Imperial College London concludes that the study brings forward a new and interesting concept that deserves wider discussion in the public domain

Citation: Riley S, Wu JT, Leung GM (2007) Optimizing the dose of prepandemic influenza vaccines to reduce the infection attack rate. PLoS Med 4(6): e218.
Please click here

Related PLoS Medicine Perspective:
Citation: Fraser C (2007) Influenza pandemic vaccines: Spread them thin? PLoS Med 4(6): e228.
Please click here

About PLoS Medicine

PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org

About the Public Library of Science

The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org

• Additional
• References
• Citations