The H1N1 flu virus is starting to infect older people, and pregnant women and the obese are at highest risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.
The United Nations agency said school-age children remain most affected by the newly discovered virus that has been spreading fast in schools and is gaining momentum in broad communities alongside seasonal flu.
“It remains a top priority to determine which groups of people are at highest risk of serious disease so steps to best protect them can be taken,” it said, estimating that vaccine manufacturers should have H1N1 shots ready soon.
“Manufacturers are expected to have vaccines for use around September. A number of companies are working on the pandemic vaccine production and have different timelines,” the WHO said.
Some 160 countries have now reported infections and about 800 people have died from the virus whose fast international transmission caused the WHO to declare in June that a flu pandemic is under way. But for most patients, H1N1 is causing mild and manageable symptoms.
“For the moment we haven’t seen any changes in the behaviour of the virus,” WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said yesterday, while warning that the virus could change as it circulates, especially in flu-conducive wintry conditions.
“We do have to be aware that there could be changes and we have to be prepared for those,” he told a Geneva news briefing.
At least 50 governments have placed orders or are currently negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to secure supplies of H1N1 vaccines, which are still being developed. – (Reuters)