The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that a swine flu vaccine will not be available for several months, significantly later than ministers currently claim.
In an interview with the Guardian, Dr Margaret Chan, WHO director general, said that suggestions a vaccination programme could begin as early as August were unrealistic.
She said: “There's no vaccine. One should be available soon, in August. But having a vaccine available is not the same as having a vaccine that has been proven safe. Clinical trial data will not be available for another two to three months.”
Her comments came as the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, warned that the virus “won’t be here for just one winter”.
“Previous pandemics have been around for three, four, five years,” he said.
He added that it was too early to say whether the swine flu death rate could be as high as one in 200 but said that between 30-35% of the population were likely to be infected this winter.
“We are tracking the pandemic very closely and scientists are looking at the virus for any signs of mutation. We haven't seen anything of that,” he said.
"It's still an emerging profile, so putting a figure on the death rate is premature.
"The longer it goes on - as the virus passes through more and more people - you do have to be alert to it changing.
“But provided it stays within the present strain then it will probably produce a similar profile of illness.”
Concern over swine flu has risen in the past week after the death of otherwise healthy sufferers, including six-year-old London schoolgirl Chloe Buckley. Until recently, those who died after contracting the virus had suffered from existing health problems.
Sixteen people have now died as a result of swine flu but Bedfordshire GP Dr Michael Day, originally thought to be another victim, was yesterday revealed to have died of natural causes.
