Stuff | 10 Jan 2016
The Ministry of Health is unfazed by questions being asked by a US congressional committee about whether current bird flu vaccines will be effective in the event of a pandemic.
The ministry, which is going to tender for 300,000 doses of vaccine to fight the H5N1 bird flu influenza, says it’s capable of tackling the virus no matter how severe.
However, some American lawmakers have serious doubts current vaccines will even work against the rapidly mutating threat.
In a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the congressmen said a June 2015 meeting of an advisory committee at the US Centers for Disease Control heard that tests suggested the vaccine would “not be protective”.
The Ministry of Health said that in the event of a bird flu outbreak, the initial course – two doses each for 150,000 people – would be provided to staff at key front-line agencies including health, police, prisons, defence and border security.
“New Zealand has developed a framework for action, including vaccines, which can readily be adapted and applied to any pandemic, irrespective of the nature of the virus or its severity,” said acting director of public health Stewart Jessamine.
“The World Health Organisation has stated that while there are other potential pandemic strains, the most likely candidate for pandemic influenza continues to be H5N1”.
The tender also covers an advanced purchase agreement – this is a contract that extends to enough doses of the vaccine to protect the entire population as quickly as possible.
“Because pandemic can emerge relatively rapidly, it may take several months before the vaccine for a particular influenza strain becomes available. This means there must be a rigorous focus on other techniques to help keep the population safe,” Jessamine said.
In the United States, some Congress leaders are also worried about “the age and effectiveness” of the nation’s stockpile of pre-pandemic vaccines.
According to media reports, they have asked for evidence that the vaccines currently being stockpiled would provide protection against the “circulating avian flu viruses which devastated US poultry this year”.
Professor Kurt Krause of Otago University’s biochemistry department, who has spent time working and studying both here and in the US, said Congress was right to have concerns but he is been impressed by New Zealand’s preparedness.
“You can’t have cover for all of the viruses because there’s too many possibilities,” he said.
“It’s fair for the US to be concerned because nobody knows for sure if the vaccines will work on every strain but they’re the best bet we have right now.”
Krause said criticisms out of the US that vaccines were being manufactured with out-of-date technology were unfair.
Although some companies still used old methods of “giant egg incubators”, many were moving away from that.
The biggest issue was how quickly countries could get hold of enough vaccinations for an entire population.
“In New Zealand you could acquire 4 million doses of a particular vaccine but if it’s the wrong one then it’s pointless,” he said.
Obtaining enough for an entire country could take up to six months.
Krause said that was commendable despite criticisms of the timeframe by some political leaders, including US President Barack Obama.
In the case of a pandemic in New Zealand, the ministry would hold the supply of vaccines and planning and delivery would be managed through district health boards, amongst other providers.
“Access to anti-virals and vaccines form an important role in pandemic management but pandemics by their nature are unpredictable in terms of timing, severity and the population groups they most affect,” Jessamine said.
