Swine flu vaccines on the way

Malta should soon be able to launch the vaccination programme against swine flu following yesterday's decision by the European Commission to authorise the placing on the market of the first two anti-H1N1 vaccines.

Member states have been scrambling for vaccines to combat the new flu strain before a feared second wave of infection hits Europe in winter.

EU officials said that yesterday's approval by Brussels meant the vaccines would shortly be available in the 27 EU member states as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, which form party of the European Economic Area.

The European Medicines Agency last week recommended the vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis called Pandemrix and Focetria.

Malta had said it had ordered sufficient amounts of vaccinations to cover the entire population.