Locally produced flu vaccine made available to the public

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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="92%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=en_content_title width="66%" colSpan=2>President Ma Ying-jeou jabbed against A (H1N1)

</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=5></TD></TR><TR><TD class=author width="59%">Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Page 1
2009-11-17 12:00 AM
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President Ma Ying-jeou was vaccinated against A (H1N1) Monday as the swine flu virus claimed its 29th victim in Taiwan.Yesteray saw the first day of vaccinations for pregnant women, elementary school children and younger infants, and gravely ill patients.

Ma was vaccinated during a visit to the Kuangfu Elementary School in Chungho, Taipei County, the first school in Taiwan to close down all classes amid an outbreak of the virus.

After a nurse pricked a needle in his left shoulder, Ma said he had not felt anything. He was accompanied to the school by Taipei County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei, an entertainer, and a pregnant model, who all recommended vaccination.

If the outbreak came under control, Taiwan should consider donating vaccines to the World Health Organization and to countries where the vaccine was hard to come by, Ma said.

The vaccine was provided by Adimmune Corporation, Taiwan's only producer of human vaccines. Taiwan was one of only 15 nations in the world able to produce the vaccine, Ma said, emphasizing the quality and safety of its product.

Vice Premier Eric Liluan Chu and Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang were also vaccinated during the morning at the Central Epidemics Command Center. Chu said he wanted to recruit famous models, sports stars and entertainers to show that being vaccinated against the swine flu was not dangerous. Officials also countered criticism that Ma should not have been vaccinated since he did not belong to any risk group. Ma brought his own vaccine, and was not allocated a dose from the Taipei County quota, the DOH said. The president's vaccine was part of 1,000 doses donated to the government by Adimmune for promotional purposes, according to the DOH.

<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="1%" align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=table_back></TD></TR><TR><TD class=author>President Ma Ying-jeou expressed his support for the government vaccination campaign against the A (H1N1) swine flu virus by volunteering for a Taiwanese-made vaccine. He visited the Kuangfu Elementary School in Chungho, Taipei County, to receive a dose of the Adimmune Corp. product.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_...&lang=eng_news

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Locally produced flu vaccine made available to the public

Locally produced flu vaccine made available to the public

fecha de publicaci?n：2009/11/18

Government Information Office
November 18, 2009

Taiwan?s second phase of administering vaccinations against influenza A(H1N1) began on November 16, 2009. A total of 3.91 million people, including elementary school students, preschoolers aged 1 to 6, pregnant women and those who are seriously ill, are eligible for the shots. The Ministry of Education hopes the immunization of all elementary and high school students will be completed before the winter virus peak in December.

In a show of support for the locally produced vaccine, President Ma Ying-jeou received the H1N1 shot at Guangfu Elementary School in Taipei County on November 16. He said that the H1N1 vaccine produced by Adimmune Corp. had now come onto the market and urged the public to get inoculations. Ma also encouraged children to overcome their fear of needles and receive the vaccination, as it not only can immunize them against the virus, but also can prevent them from spreading the disease to their family members.

Clinical trials of Adimmune?s H1N1 flu vaccine, Taiwan?s first domestically produced vaccine, showed that a single dose can induce a strong immune response in over 90 percent of recipients aged between 18 and 59 and in nearly 80 percent of those over 60. Overall, the vaccine provides 87 percent immunity against H1N1 virus, far surpassing the 70 percent standard set by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency.
President Ma and Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang also confirmed that Taiwan would donate 500,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine to the World Health Organization for distribution to countries in need.

http://www.taiwanembassy.org/GT/ct.asp?xItem=117543&ctNode=3722&mp=312