US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an (A) H1N1 vaccine.

Secretary Sebelius said four of the five manufacturers licensed to produce seasonal influenza vaccines have been approved and the fifth is expected to be approved shortly. A large-scale vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin next month. US authorities have ordered 195 million doses of the vaccine, which will be available free of charge.
 

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that pregnant women, people in contact with infants, medical personnel, people aged between six months and 24 years as well as adults up to the age of 65 who have a serious underlying medical condition be vaccinated first.

The vaccine comes in the form of an injection with a dead (A)H1N1 virus or as a nose spray with a weakened, live form of the virus.

The European Union expects to approve the first vaccines against (A) H1N1, also known as Mexican flu, next month.