New Group Helps US Monitor Swine Flu Shot Safety

LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON (AP) — Independent health advisers begin monitoring safety of the swine flu vaccine on Monday, an extra step the government promised in this year's unprecedented program to watch for possible side effects.

Decades of safe influenza inoculations mean specialists aren't expecting problems with the swine flu vaccine, because it's made the same way as the regular winter flu vaccine. But systems to track the health of millions of Americans are being tapped to make sure — to spot any rare but real problems quickly, and to explain the inevitable false alarms when common disorders coincide with inoculation.

U.S. health officials have spotted no concerns to date, Dr. Bruce Gellin, head of the National Vaccine Program Office, told The Associated Press.

A specially appointed working group of independent experts will track the vaccine's safety, too. Although the group will deliberate in private meetings, starting Monday, its charge is to raise a red flag if members feel the feds miss anything.

"Given the rapidity with which this particular vaccine was rolled out, there seems to be an extra-special obligation to make sure things remain as uncomplicated as they have in the past," Dr. Marie McCormick of the Harvard School of Public Health, who chairs the working group, told the AP.