Taiwan - Locally produced flu vaccine made available to the public

2009-11-19 10:17:53 -

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.

Press Release, Government Information Office of Taiwan, 18. November 2009