Mexico, Chile urge more access to H1N1 flu vaccine

Friday, June 26, 2009

Mexico, Chile urge more access to H1N1 flu vaccine

Posted: 26 June 2009 1101 hrs

A mask placed on a statue in Mexico City.

MEXICO CITY: Mexico and Chile's leaders on Thursday stressed an "urgent" need for developing countries to find a vaccine against H1N1 flu that has killed more than 200 people and infected tens of thousands worldwide.

"It is urgent to ensure, on the one hand, access for all developing countries to an effective vaccine, when available, and of course to ensure the availability of appropriate treatment to combat this disease," said Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

The Mexican leader was summing up his meeting with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, the first foreign leader to visit Mexico since the pandemic first emerged two months ago.

Large pharmaceutical companies have launched a campaign to quickly develop a vaccine against the A(H1N1) influenza virus pandemic that has affected 100 countries.

Swiss drug giant Novartis has already produced a first batch of vaccines, but has ruled out donating the drugs to poor countries and already proposed sales prices.

A company spokesman told AFP it hoped to have a vaccine in production by September or October.

Bachelet said the experience of Mexico, which was at the centre of the global pandemic when it first emerged in late April, will be very useful for her government to address "the growing number of cases" in Chile, which has confirmed seven deaths and 5,186 infections.

"Chile believes in solidarity among Latin Americans," said Bachelet, after Argentina, Peru, Cuba and Ecuador suspended flights to and from Mexico, which she labelled on Wednesday as the "wrong answer".

Mexico's H1N1 flu death toll rose by three to 119 late Thursday and the number of infections jumped by more than 700 to 8,909, the health ministry said, as scientists trawled through a backlog of cases.

There have been 238 deaths and nearly 56,000 infections worldwide, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) figures.

Bachelet ended a two-day visit to Mexico on Thursday to mark 10 years of trade between the two countries, during which bilateral trade grew 269 per cent, according to the Chilean government.

- AFP/so

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.