Canada may move up H1N1 vaccine rollout

Federal health officials are considering shippingswine flu vaccine to the provinces earlier than scheduled, CBC News has learned.

The plan is to issuean interim order on Oct. 19 to begin shipping up to five million doses ofthe H1N1vaccine.

The goal is to havethe vaccine ready for distribution a week later on Oct. 26 at least two weeks ahead of the previously scheduled rollout.

The news comes as reported cases of H1N1 are increasing across Canada. In Ontario, 200 samples of serious influenza-like cases have been tested each day this week.

Publicly, federal health officials say the vaccine won't be coming earlier than planned. But CBC News has learned several provinces have been hearing about the possibility of early vaccine delivery for weeks and now areplanning to have H1N1 vaccine clinics ready to go by Oct. 26.

Head start 'significant'

Pushing up the timetable by even two weeks can make a big difference, said Dr. Michael Gardam, director of infectious diseases prevention and control at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion.

"We normally think about of waves of flu occurring over anywhere from six to 10 weeks. So if you get an extra two-week head start, that's significant," said Gardam.

"It means you could theoretically prevent a whole bunch of people from getting the flu, if they actually chose to get the flu shot."

Pregnant women and health care workers will be at the front of the line for the first doses of vaccine.

The interim order hinges on quality-control testing of each lot of vaccine as it comes out ofGlaxoSmithKline's plant in Quebec City. If there is a problem with quality control, the earlier rollout could be cancelled.

The vaccine won't be released unless Health Canada is satisfied it's safe, said Dr.Scott Halperin, director of the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology in Halifax.

"They would not consider releasing it without having sufficient confidence that it's safe for use for all Canadians," he said.

On Monday, the U.S. started its swine flu program, using a nasal spray version that is not approved for use in Canada.