"Preliminary data from our trials indicate that a single 15-microgram dose of ... vaccine is well tolerated and induces an immune response in most healthy adults," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Results of NIH-sponsored clinical trials which began last month showed that a swine flu vaccine produced by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur produced "a robust immune response" in 96 percent of adults aged 18 to 64 after "the rather short time point of eight to 10 days after vaccination," Fauci said.

In the same trials, 80 percent of adults in the 18-64 age group who received a single dose of Australian company CSL Biotherapies' 15-microgram swine flu vaccine rapidly developed antibodies to the A(H1N1) virus, said Fauci.

Among people over 65, a smaller percentage of trial volunteers showed a robust immune response, but Fauci said that was "expected as it is also the case with seasonal flu vaccine."

The rapid immune response found in the NIH-backed trials was "very good news for the vaccination program, both with regard to the supply of vaccine as well as its potential efficacy," said Fauci.

Scientists had assumed that two doses would be required to immunize people against swine flu and were scrambling to develop enough vaccines to inoculate at least the most at-risk populations before the northern hemisphere flu season begins with the return of cooler weather.

US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was encouraged by the findings.

"Based on the previous assumption that everyone would need two doses, we thought that even those people who were getting the H1N1 vaccine wouldn't be fully immunized until Thanksgiving," the US holiday that falls on the fourth Thursday in November, said Sebelius.

The new finding "shortens the window of worry and more people can be protected much earlier," she said.

Swine flu has claimed more than 3,000 lives around the world since it was first reported in Mexico in April. Unlike the seasonal flu, the virus has hit younger people and people with an underlying health condition harder than the elderly.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that pregnant women, people in contact with infants, medical personnel, people between the ages of six months and 24 years old, and adults under the age of 65 with underlying medical conditions should be the first to get the shots.

That is about 160 million people in the United States -- but no more than 52 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be available, and only after mid-October, officials have said.

The NIH is currently conducting swine flu vaccine trials on children and pregnant women, but preliminary tests results are still unavailable, Fauci said.

The NIH-sponsored trials on healthy adults confirm the results of swine flu vaccine tests carried out by pharmaceutical companies, said Fauci.

He cited a report published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine which said that trials on CSL Biotherapies' swine flu vaccine indicated that a single, 15-microgram dose was sufficient to inoculate most adults against the A(H1N1) virus.

Nearly all of the 120 people given a 15-microgram dose of the CSL H1N1 vaccine showed a "robust immune response", the report said.

Swine flu has claimed more than 2,100 lives worldwide since an outbreak was first reported by the World Healthy Organization in Mexico in April.

earlier related report
Parade participants lead vaccination drive
Around 100,000 students in the Oct. 1 National Day Parade are among the first to be vaccinated by law against swine flu, China Daily reports.

The move makes China the first country to make it legally binding for its citizens to be vaccinated against the A/H1N1 flu strain, Health Minister Chen Zhu said.

China has nearly 6,000 confirmed cases of swine flu and no deaths have been reported. But the fear is that a major outbreak could affect hundreds of thousands if not millions resulting in many deaths.

This week's announcement is part of a greater nationwide vaccination program to vaccinate 65 million people, or 5 percent of the 1.3 billion population before year's end. It is being kicked off now because the National Day Parade presents a particular opportunity for the flu to spread.

Oct. 1 marks the beginning of a weeklong nationwide holiday in China, when an estimated 200 million people will travel to visit loved ones and friends.

The plan for a legally binding vaccination was issued by the State Food and Drug Administration after consultations with the World Health Organization. It was set up after the safety and effectiveness of the domestically produced vaccine had been proved in clinical tests, China Daily noted.

Chen said protection would also be given to vulnerable groups, such as carriers of chronic disease, school students and medical staff.

"We will also consider the differences between regions and start the vaccinations in areas where there are serious flu situations," said Zhu.

The National Day Parade, which is put on every 10 years, is a particularly prestigious international showcase event for the government this year. It marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of communist-led China after Mao Zedong's forces routed the Western-backed Kuomintang armies of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek to the island of Formosa, now called Taiwan.

The parade is traditionally a military drive past Tiananmen Square, scene of tragic pro-democracy confrontations in June 1989, and is accompanied by mass pageantry including floats and marching bands.

Security measures have also been increased for the parade starting now, according to the national news agency Xinhua.

All holiday leave up until Oct. 1 has been cancelled for firefighters in Beijing, Deputy Fire Chief Luo Yuan said.

"Nearly 6,000 police officers and 460 fire engines have been put on guard against fire hazards from Tuesday up to National Day on Oct. 1."

The Beijing municipal government ordered all rooftops and balconies of buildings in the vicinity of Tiananmen Square and other nearby areas should be cleared of flammable materials.

The announcement also stipulated outer structures decorated with flammable, heat retentive and waterproof materials, as well as all visible holes and cracks should be covered up by non-flammable materials, Xinhua reported.

Post offices are to set up special parcel inspection processes to look for suspicious mail.

Beijing's neighboring province of Hebei has also taken measures to allay transportation safety concerns. Residents of Hebei are required to register their real names when travelling to Beijing, and every bus bound for Beijing should also be registered and include safety supervisors.

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