'Anti-avian flu drugs 'will be here in April'

Plans are being developed by the Health and Social Services Emergency Planning Group for the distribution of the drugs and management of any pandemic which threatens Jersey.

In a written question, Senator Len Norman asked what arrangements, if any, the Health and Social Services Committee had made to protect the local population.

Committee president Senator Stuart Syvret said vaccine manufacturers around the world were now geared up to work together to ensure the fastest possible manufacture, licence and distribution of the vaccine, which was properly ‘tuned’ to any pandemic virus.

This would, however, take around three months to make.