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July 28, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

“SARS Experts Search for an Effective Vaccine, Fast Response to Outbreak”

Edmonton Journal (www.edmontonjournal.com) (07/26/03) P. F10; Branswell, Helen

Many top Canadian vaccine researchers and health experts met on Friday to discuss areas of focus and methods for developing a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which gripped Toronto in fear this spring as the disease jumped from China via an infected airplane passenger.  The medical professionals admit they do not know if SARS will return as a seasonal disease or will be a rare event, but they want to be prepared for its next appearance either way, according to Dr. Alan Bernstein, head of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.  Part of the difficulty in dealing with the disease and developing possible treatments and vaccines is that it has disappeared for now, resulting in a lack of patients for study or for clinical trials, meaning that scientists would be researching without knowing the exact results their products would have on humans.  In the end, researchers agree that they will have to move more quickly if SARS reappears in Canada, acting as fast as possible without circumventing ethical considerations.