THE GOVERNMENT has agreed to put money up front now to secure supplies of any vaccine developed in coming months against the new swine flu virus, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said has the potential to cause a global pandemic.
Minister for Health Mary Harney confirmed the move yesterday but refused to say how much money had been provided, other than to state it was an "expensive" decision.
The cost is likely to be millions as the Minister said the antivirals which had already been stockpiled to treat up to 47 per cent of the population in the event of a flu pandemic had cost some €30 million.
Speaking to reporters in Killarney Ms Harney said she had taken the advice of the Irish pandemic expert group which told her the Government needed to "join the queue for the vaccine".
"The government has decided that we're going to do that," she said. On the money put up-front, she said: "That's money we could use on other things at the moment but if a pandemic came and we didn't have access to the vaccine people would be very worried and very critical so we have to adopt a very precautionary approach."
She confirmed Ireland was in a queue with 16 other countries for any potential vaccine against influenza A(H1N1) which is developed and that around €250,000 had been spent in recent days on a leaflet on swine flu which will be delivered to every home in the country. Meanwhile, Ms Harney said, countries dealing with something like a possible pandemic have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
She said it was a bit like the preparations for Y2K when "there was a lot of speculation that computers would all break down, aeroplanes would fall out of the sky and so on and so forth and a lot of money was spent on preventative measures" but "nothing like that happened".
Medical experts are not yet able to give a definitive view as to what might or might not happen with swine flu, whether it might ease off now and return in the winter for example, and therefore "we have to plan on the basis that the worst could happen", she added.
Some 25 countries have now officially reported 2,500 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection to WHO. Mexico has reported 1,204 laboratory-confirmed human cases of infection, including 44 deaths. The US has reported 896 laboratory-confirmed human cases, including two deaths. Brazil reported its first cases yesterday and Canada its first death.
WHO has said it is keeping its global pandemic alert at level five out of six for the moment, given the H1N1 flu strain has not yet gained momentum outside the Americas. Sylvie Briand, acting director of the WHO's global influenza programme, said most people infected with the new strain around the world had imported the virus by travelling to Mexico or by being in close proximity to those who had.
The US president, Barack Obama, also told Hispanic community leaders the H1N1 flu virus did not appear to be as virulent as first thought, but warned: "We're not out of the woods yet . . . we still have to take precautions."
Meanwhile, a Department of Health official told a press briefing yesterday there were no new or confirmed probable cases in Ireland. Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer with the Department of Health, said he would not be surprised if there was another case of swine flu in Ireland but said Ireland was "moving towards" being able to cope with an outbreak.
Officials urged people to read leaflets being sent to homes and advised people returning from Mexico and infected regions to return to work or school unless they felt ill.