Sep 15, 2009 11:14 pm US/Eastern
Md. Researchers Test H1N1 Vaccine
Reporting
Adam May
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Maryland researchers are testing the H1N1 vaccine.
CBS
We are just weeks away from flu season. This year a new strain of the virus could lead to overcrowded hospitals and possibly a staggering death toll. The best defense is the H1N1 vaccine.
Adam May takes us inside the Maryland lab where doctors are leading the rush to save lives.
"It's very important that we get the information out," said Dr. Karen Kotloff with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Dr. Kotloff is overseeing one of the biggest vaccination research projects in our nation's history, trying to stop the spread of H1N1 flu. It's a virus that has already claimed hundreds of lives across the U.S.
Right now the most promising vaccine is being tested on a few hundred Marylanders. Following that study, the Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine.
Mardi Reymann was one of the volunteers. She got the vaccine Aug. 7.
"I didn't have a reaction, no pain, no headache," she said.
Maryland researchers have three main questions: how fast does the vaccine work, how strong does it need to be and how many doses are necessary?
"The lower the dose that is needed for any individual, the more vaccine there is to go around," Kotloff said.
It's critical information because of a White House report that predicts up to 50% of Americans could get H1N1, leading to 1.8 million hospitalizations and possibly killing between 30,000 and 90,000 people.
"Time is very important because we want to make the information available prior to the time it's available for the public so that we know how to best use it for the population," Kotloff said.
Right now, this lab is processing hundreds of samples a day and the vials will be sent to the federal government for additional testing. Despite this rush, only 45 million doses of vaccine may be available by the start of flu season in October. Children, pregnant women and young adults will get the priority.
"It's happening as fast as it can be done with the quality that we do these types of studies," Kotloff said.
So far, Maryland researchers haven't found any negative vaccination side effects.
"I would have really liked for my children to get it. They're both on college campuses and that concerns me," said Reymann.
The state of Maryland's Health Department will start administering the vaccine in mid-October. More information on how qualified people can get the shot is pending.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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