WHO Chief Sees Need For Seasonal And Pandemic Jabs

The WHO should make a recommendation `soon` about the best balance for vaccine production, Chan said.

There will likely be a continued need for both seasonal and H1N1 pandemic flu vaccine production, the head of the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said it will be important for pharmaceutical companies to keep making seasonal flu jabs because that more common virus causes sevre illness in 2 to 3 million people a year and kills up to 500,000.

"We are moving on two tracks to ensure some security for seasonal vaccine and at the same time kick-starting early scientific work for pandemic vaccine," Chan said, saying a seed virus to be used in vaccines should be ready by the end of May.

The WHO should make a recommendation "soon" about the best balance for vaccine production, Chan said. Flu vaccine makers include GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis and Baxter International.