While the world is going all out to fight the H1N1 influenza, the international community has focused on when a vaccine for "H1N1 flu" will be available. On August 4th, the World Health Organization (WHO) answered relevant questions about the vaccine on its official website.
One, there is currently no effective vaccine for the H1N1 influenza, and it will take 5 months to develop one. According to the introduction, vaccines are mainly composed of viruses that have been killed (i.e., inactivated) or have reduced toxicity. The virus contained in the vaccine must be as close as possible to the virus that is currently circulating. The H1N1 influenza virus is a new type of virus, and developing this kind of vaccine requires extracting a new viral strain.
Two, vaccine production is determined based on the development of the epidemic situation. When a new influenza pandemic occurs, WHO will comprehensively consider several important factors, such as epidemiology, severity of the disease itself, etc., and decide when to officially recommend to vaccine manufacturers so that they can start large-scale production of the new vaccine.