Australia expects to launch a swine flu vaccination program next month, giving the first doses to vulnerable Australians including pregnant women, handicapped children and health workers, the health minister said Thursday, AP reported. It was not immediately clear if Australia would be the first country to start vaccinations following the emergence in April of a swine flu strain that has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Health Minister Nicola Roxon said she expected other countries to start programs at about the same time. The U.S. government, to be supplied by GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and other pharmaceutical companies, has predicted it would start distributing a vaccine by mid-October. Clinical trials will determine whether one or two doses are needed to protect a person from the potentially fatal virus. Australia plans to buy 21 million does. Swine flu killed 1,799 people worldwide through last week, according to the latest figures released by WHO. -- SPA
