The World Health Organization said in a May report that as many as 4.9 billion doses of the new H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine could be produced over a 12-month period once manufacturing begins. That number turns out to have been optimistic. WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said today said that production “will be substantially less than 4.9 billion” doses initially expected. On the plus side, he reinforced previous reports that one dose, not two, of the new vaccine seems to be enough to provide immunity against

the new virus. See more here and here . Meanwhile, the latest WHO count shows that at least 3,486 people have died of swine flu to date. Body Bag Blunder : Canada’s health minister has ordered an investigation after body bags were sent to aboriginal communities in Manitoba province as part of supplies to deal with swine flu, according to the BBC . Image of a flu-virus particle via CDC

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Swine-Flu Update: Vaccine Output Falls Short of Goals