Swine influenza is an infection of a host animal by any one of several specific types of swine influenza virus or it can be termed as any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is usually hosted by (is endemic in) pigs. The disease has become familiar in the global arena owing to the hype of the media but its effects have not died down yet. Britons, in large numbers, have become vulnerable to it already and it seems more may get susceptible soon. What may happen then? There is no straight answer to this question but it’s true that there may be a disaster.

Isn’t there any swine flu vaccine? In this context, Head of World Health Organization comes to the fore since she is skeptical of the government’s claim that first stocks will arrive before long. There are lots of shortcomings, it seems and hence head of the World Health Organization asserts that vaccines to protect millions of Britons from swine flu will not be available for several months.

This startling revelation appeared when Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director General, in an interview with the Guardian said these. She said, “There’s no vaccine. One should be available soon, in August. But having a vaccine available is not the same as having a vaccine that has been proven safe. Clinical trial data will not be available for another two to three months.”

Well, she is not alone in this respect. Lots of scientists are simply at a loss witnessing the intensity of swine flu in UK and its rapid expansion there. One of them is Dr Alan Hay, Director of WHO’s London-based World Influenza Centre, who said the extensive summer outbreak in Britain had not followed expected patterns and warned that the health department needed to be prepared for a more deadly form of the disease.

He said very clearly, “We have been a little surprised by the degree of spread of this virus. A few weeks ago we anticipated that this was going to be a short series of outbreaks that would probably peter out before reappearing in the autumn or winter and that has proved not to be the case.”