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June 09, 2003
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
Drug Companies Say SARS Vaccine May Take at
Least 5 Years to Produce
At the International Students Conference in
Switzerland, some members of the pharmaceutical industry said that a vaccine for
severe acute respiratory syndrome could be at least five years away.
Researchers pointed to the fact that the virus is a part of the coronavirus
family, which is known to mutate easily--and this rapid mutation could hinder
efforts to develop a successful vaccine. Other issues, such as how the virus
travels, also need to be examined before companies can develop a vaccine that
will safely protect people from the virus and its mutated forms.
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information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for
general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the
knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended
as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate
is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in
consultation with your health care provider.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"