Expensive Vaccines

Sweden's efforts to buy vaccines against swine influenza are stuck in limbo.

Although the National Board of Health and Welfare has drawn up a contract to buy flu vaccines for a guaranteed price, the contract is not valid for the swine flu vaccine until the new virus is classed as a pandemic.

But that decision rests with the World Health Organization, not with the National Board of Health and Welfare.

If swine flu is not classified as a pandemic, the Board says that cost of the vaccine could be considerably higher than expected. (ln)