Date:05/10/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/10/05/stories/2005100503401900.htm

Back `Combo vaccines needed for flu'

Our Bureau

Hyderabad , Oct. 4

SANOFI Pasteur, the vaccines business of the Sanofi-Aventis group, organised a workshop on `New avenues in vaccines science for effective disease prevention' here on Monday.

Experts highlighted the problems posed by the influenza virus and advocated combination vaccines for protecting children.

Dr Ajit Vigg, consultant chest physician, said that in the industrialised countries, influenza vaccines offer healthy adults 70-90 per cent protection against clinical disease. Among the elderly, vaccination may reduce the number of hospitalisations by 25-39 per cent. It reduces overall mortality by 39-75 per cent during influenza seasons, Dr Vigg said.

According to Dr Vigg, children are efficient transmitters of influenza viruses and those between five to nine years of age typically manifest the highest rates of infection and illness.