Malta to wait for fully-tested vaccine

Malta is not expected to receive the swine flu vaccine anytime soon although the European Commission has just given the go-ahead for two anti-H1N1jabs to be placed on the market.

Two vaccines were authorised for sale by the Commission after an expedited approval procedure.

However, director general of health Ray Busuttil yesterday told The Times the government wanted to wait until fully tested jabs were available towards the beginning of next year.

"Our policy has not changed," he said, referring to a decision taken last July to put safety first, especially since the flu that sparked a world pandemic has been relatively mild and the vast majority of patients recovered.

The expedited approval had raised concerns even from the World Health Organisation. In summer WHO flu chief Keiji Fukuda warned about the potential dangers of untested jabs and stressed there must be no doubt about the safety of swine flu vaccines before giving them to the public.

The fast-tracking process comes in the shadow of a medical catastrophe in the US in 1976 when hundreds of people vaccinated for another form of swine flu developed a paralysing disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, with more than 30 dying. The feared pandemic had never materialised. Dr Busuttil yesterday said that although there were positive results from the newly approved vaccines, the government preferred to wait until more tests had been carried out.