U.S. H1N1 vaccinations to begin in fall

WASHINGTON, July 10 (UPI) -- School students are among the first in line for H1N1 flu vaccinations when the U.S. campaign against the pandemic begins in the fall, federal officials said.

The federal government should get about 100 million doses of vaccine by mid-October, if the production schedule by five companies goes as planned, The Washington Post reported.

However, enough vaccine for broader use by the 120 million people considered particularly vulnerable the strain of H1N1 flu virus -- formerly called swine flu -- won't be available until later in the fall, officials said.

The vaccination schedule and the target populations were among the announcements made by administration officials during its flu preparedness summit Thursday at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., About 500 state, territorial, city and tribal health officials attended.

Among groups targeted for initial vaccination are children, pregnant women, adults with chronic illnesses and healthcare workers, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

Federal officials said vaccination campaigns would be overseen by local governments.

To help them develop specific plans to combat the pandemic, Sebelius said the federal government will provide $350 million by the end of July. About $260 million will go to states and territories, with the remaining $90 million to hospitals, she said.

The H1N1 virus emerged in April in Mexico and Southern California, the Post said. The latest count from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated there have been 37,246 confirmed cases in the United States, of which 211 were fatal. Worldwide, the World Health Organization has confirmed 94,512 cases, of which 429 were fatal.