avian influenza strain H5N1 appears in gold, growing in a laboratory culture of dog kidney cells (green). Photo courtesy of the CDC Public Health Image Library

With the long lines at pharmacies and constant appeals to the better natures of the healthy, everyone knows that half the nation's flu vaccine vanished last week, when the Liverpool, U.K., plant of California-based Chiron Corporation was decertified by the British FDA, the Medical and Health Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) for reasons related to contamination of the vaccines.

Many who wanted to be protected against influenza this year are now being forced to remain un-vaccinated. A black market in vaccine is emerging, as those desperate to be vaccinated, and those desperate to make money by providing the vaccine, bid up the price of vaccine to previously-unheard-of levels.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, migratory birds are infecting domestic fowl with "avian influenza" or "bird flu," which is itself migrating into farm mammals and humans, and from human to human, killing most of its victims. You can learn about bird flu, more officially the A-type influenza virus H5N1, by clicking on the title of this EMMNN article, published yesterday: "Could the bird flu virus H5N1 cause a 1918-class global influenza pandemic?"

Today's research into the response of the U.S. Government to the threat of a global influenza pandemic involving the H5N1 virus revealed that the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) has drafted a "Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan"; that the CDC is a Collaborating Center within the structure of the U.N.'s World Health Organization (WHO), which is the world's lead agency for dealing with a possible avian influenza pandemic; and that the CDC has its own Emerging Infectious Disease Office in Thailand monitoring the bird flu situation.

Also revealed was the fact that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in late May of 2004 awarded "two contracts to support the production and clinical testing of an investigational vaccine based on a strain of avian influenza, H5N1, which might have the potential to cause pandemic influenza." The awards went to Aventis Pasteur Inc. of Swiftwater, Pennsylvania, and to Chiron Corporation of Emeryville, California.

These are the same two companies selected to produce most of the normal flu vaccine that the country was depending upon this flu season. Aventis' contribution to the public health has proceeded, so far, without incident. Chiron's, of course, has not.

To read in its entirety the NIAID press release announcing the awarding of this contract to Aventis and Chiron, along with some other interesting information about avian influenza and the potential impact of a global influenza pandemic, click here.

EMMNN contacted Chiron Corporation this afternoon to inquire about whether the de-certification of their flu vaccine manufacturing plant in Liverpool, U.K., would in any way negatively impact their ability to carry out "the production and clinical testing of an investigational vaccine based on a strain of avian influenza, H5N1," which they had undertaken in May, 2004, as part of the nation's coordinated effort to protect itself against the threat of a possible avian influenza pandemic.

By the close of business today, there had been no response. If and when there is one, EMMNN readers and listeners will be the first to know.