Scientists claim swine flu vaccine

Scientists in Brisbane say they have created a vaccine against swine flu, as two New Zealand patients were fighting for their lives in intensive care units in Wellington and Hastings last night.

Hawke's Bay District Health Board spokeswoman Anna Kirk said a woman in her early twenties was admitted to intensive care on Thursday and a swab confirmed swine flu on Friday night.

She remained in intensive care.

Kirk refused to comment on whether the woman suffered from any pre-existing health conditions, citing patient confidentiality.

A 30-year-old woman has been in a critical condition in Wellington Hospital for more than a week. The number of confirmed cases in New Zealand has now reached 587.

University of Queensland researcher Anton Middelberg said a swine flu vaccine was only months away from being available in Australia.

The university, in collaboration with United States firm Protein Sciences Corporation, had produced Australia's first batch of a vaccine against the virus, Professor Middelberg said.

"We only received the genetic construct from PSC two weeks ago and we have been able to produce the vaccine already, which is an amazing achievement."

The vaccine is not yet registered for use in Australia, but he said it was hoped that clinical trials in Australia, Mexico and the US could be fast-tracked.

"It all depends on the regulatory process but I say we are months away from a swine flu vaccine."

International drugmakers are racing to have their vaccines on the market first. US company Baxter International said its vaccine could be commercially available next month.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis expects its vaccine to be available by September or October after it produced the first batch for testing ahead of schedule.

Since 2005, New Zealand has had an agreement for a guaranteed supply of a pandemic vaccine with Australia's CSL, the only flu vaccine manufacturer in the southern hemisphere.

New Zealand is third on CSL's priority list after Australia and an unnamed small country that put in its order before New Zealand and has a contract for supply of eight million doses so that each person can have two doses.

Deputy Director of Public Health Darren Hunt has said a vaccine could be useful to protect front-line health workers.

However, Health Minister Tony Ryall told a press conference this month that officials were not at that time recommending a wide-scale vaccination programme.

SWINE FLU NUMBERS JUMP

The cumulative number of confirmed swine flu cases continues to rise, up 64 from yesterday to 653.

The Health Ministry said that while most people recovered within a week without requiring hospitalisation or medical attention, the reiterated the warning that some groups were advised were more at risk of serious complications.

"People who appear to be at higher risk of more severe illness include pregnant women and people with significant health conditions such as chronic heart disease, chronic respiratory conditions (including severe asthma), diabetes or reduced immunity," the ministry said in a statement.

"People should not hesitate to seek medical advice if they are in a higher risk group or if they become seriously ill."

Wellington has the highest number of cases at 209 while Canterbury has 183 and Auckland has 176.

World Health Organisation figures show there are 70,893 cases of worldwide including 311 deaths.

- with MICHAEL FOX, Stuff.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News