[Ip-health] CNN: Obama offers to share H1N1 vaccine with needy countries

[Suerie Moon]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
September 17th, 2009
Obama offers to share H1N1 vaccine with needy countries
Posted: 07:17 PM ET
WASHINGTON
(CNN) =E2=80=94 The United States is prepared to make up to 10 percent of i=
ts
H1N1 flu vaccine supply available to other countries through the World
Health Organization, President Barack Obama said Thursday.
In a White House statement, Obama said the vaccine would be
provided =E2=80=9Con a rolling basis=E2=80=9D as supplies become available =
to help
countries without direct access to the vaccine.
=E2=80=9CThere is broad international recognition that the 2009-H1N1
pandemic presents a global health risk,=E2=80=9D Obama said in the statemen=
t.
=E2=80=9CMillions of people around the world have been affected, thousands =
have
died and the virus continues to spread across international borders.=E2=80=
=9D
He said Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom also were contributing to the WHO
effort to help other countries.
U.S. health officials expect the first vaccine supplies to be
available for domestic distribution in the next few weeks. They also
first believed the vaccine would require two doses to immunize people,
but announced last week that effective immunization occurred for most
people after one dose.