WHO: Vaccine not available until mid-July

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Drug manufacturers will not be able to start manufacture of a vaccine for the A/H1N1 flu until mid-July at the very earliest. WHO officials had earlier said they expected production to start later this month.

And that's because specimens of the virus are not growing as quickly as hoped in laboratories, making it difficult for scientists to get "seed stock" a key ingredient for a vaccine.

Despite that, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan says some vaccine makers are offering to distribute A/H1N1 flu vaccines if a worldwide outbreak is declared.

She and UN Chief, Ban Ki-moon, appealed for help in a meeting with drug companies and vaccine makers in Geneva. Ban Ki-moon stressed that solidarity is key to tackling the flu outbreak.

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, said, "Global solidarity must be at the heart of the world's response to this crisis. Solidarity in the face of this particular outbreak must mean that all have access to drugs and vaccines. It means that virus samples and data are shared, it means that self-defeating restrictions on trade and travel are avoided."