Swine Flu Vaccine Volunteers

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Response overwhelms scientists leading safety trials for new H1N1 drug.
From Seattle to St. Louis, at least 3,000 people so far have told scientists they’re eager to be part of fast-track clinical trials to assess the early safety of a shot aimed at preventing widespread infection, serious illness or death in a huge swath of the U.S. population.

The volunteers may be motivated by a range of reasons, from altruism and patriotism to simple self-protection, said Dr. Wendy Keitel, the chief investigator for the trials at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Healthy adult volunteers will be recruited initially for five trials conducted by the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units, research stations specially selected for their ability to quickly evaluate vaccine effects.

Virus could sicken 36 percent of U.S. population
About 54 percent of the U.S. population could be infected, with about 36 percent actually becoming ill with symptoms, said Ira Longini, a leading influenza researcher at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Longini shared latest estimates based on research pending publication.

The new vaccine is expected to be as safe as any flu shot given during a regular season, said Keitel, the Baylor researcher. She and other scientists say the new vaccine is merely a “strain change,” a shift similar to altering the mix of seasonal vaccines depending on which flu bug is expected to circulate each year. The goal is that the vaccine is effective and free of side effects as scientists expect.

At-risk populations to get vaccine first
If all goes well, the trials would pave the way for use of up to as many as 160 million doses of swine flu the U.S. has procured for the fall. Federal officials are likely to recommend that schoolchildren receive the shots first, along with health care workers and, perhaps, pregnant women. A CDC vaccine advisory committee is expected to issue guidelines Wednesday.

Texas has 5,151 confirmed cases only second to Wisconsin leading with 6,222 cases.

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