FDA Approves First Human H5N1 Vaccine

And by god you know damned well I'm going to get the jab! Here's the full story from Reuters:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first bird flu vaccine for people won U.S. approval on Tuesday as an interim measure in case an influenza pandemic strikes before a better immunization comes along.

The vaccine made by French company Sanofi-Aventis will not be sold commercially. It is being stockpiled by the government for use if the H5N1 bird flu virus mutates to a form that can spread easily from person to person.

The Food and Drug Administration said two injections given 28 days apart may provide "limited" protection if a pandemic occurs. About 45 percent of people who got the vaccine in a study developed an immune response to the virus.

The vaccine is "sort of an interim measure" until better ones are developed, said Norman Baylor, director of the FDA's Office of Vaccines Research and Review. Several companies are working on other versions.

"Ideally, yes, you would like a vaccine that would have a higher efficacy," Baylor told reporters.

A single shot and a lower dose also would be preferred, Baylor said. The dose needed for the new Sanofi vaccine is higher than used in the seasonal flu vaccine."

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Wow 45% protection! So with this vaccine you have about 50/50 odds of getting H5N1, and then 50/50 odds of dying from it. I assume better vaccines will be coming down the line soon -- I can see why the government is doing a "limited" stockpile of it.

Here's to millions spent on the virus too stupid to mutate after 3 years of chances!