By Tom Randall
July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Swine flu has taken root across the globe faster than previous influenza pandemics, and its full force may strike the U.S. earlier than the typical flu season, health officials said.
Vaccine production is on schedule to combat the pandemic in October, and the difficulty some drug companies are facing with manufacturing is accounted for in the timetable, Anne Schuchat, director of the Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said today in a conference call.
The World Health Organization said yesterday that the H1N1 influenza was moving with “unprecedented speed.” The flu has spread more infections globally in less than six weeks than previous pandemics produced in more than six months, the Geneva- based agency said on its Web site. The virus has moved unpredictably, in a “popcorn pattern,” and communication among scientists has enabled a swift response to the disease, Schuchat said.
“We’re taking this virus very seriously, and I think it’s very important for the public to be thinking ahead,” Schuchat said today. “We do expect there to be an increase this fall. Influenza is unpredictable, and we don’t know the extent of the challenges that we’re going to face in the weeks and months ahead.”
