Why would they expect there to be a vaccine at this stage? Flu mutates constantly, so new strains are bound to emerge. Pigs can also be infected with both the human and avian influenza. This swine flu strain appears to contain genetic elements from all three. It's going to take a while to develop a vaccine.
Swine flu is apparantly resistant to two of the common used drugs, namely Amantadine and Rimantadine. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are very different from human H1N1 viruses. Therefore, current vaccines for human seasonal flu will not provide any protection at all.
However, a little bird, who is usually right on the money, tells me that a seed vaccine has been specifically tailored to this swine flu and will be manufactured if the CDC deems it necessary.
|