OPINION:
The front-page story “HHS admits overstating flu-vaccine availability” (Page 1, Thursday) illustrates the challenge of large-scale immunization. Health officials in the United States are not alone. The H1N1 flu pandemic is a global issue.
Taiwan, too, has begun its efforts to vaccine some 12 million people (half of its population) by February. The domestic private pharmaceutical firm Adimmune Corp. has cooperated closely with Taiwan’s government. Clinical trials for a vaccine similar to that produced by Novartis AG (a Swiss firm) were completed already this month. A schedule for administering the vaccine is under way, beginning with primary school students and proceeding with secondary students later on. Two key elements of Taiwan’s progress have been high public awareness of the H1N1 epidemic and a politically neutral attitude toward generating a solution.
President Obama’s declaration of a national emergency sent an important message to the public about preventing the spread of the virus, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been monitoring it very closely. The U.S. government has been doing its best to protect Americans. Disease knows no borders. Countries around the world as well as the World Health Organization should contribute their experiences and work together to curb the spread of this rampant virus.
STEVEN LAI
Potomac
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