Europe fast-tracking new flu vaccines

LONDON: In a drive to inoculate people against H1N1 flu before winter, many European governments say they will fast-track the testing of a vaccine, arousing concern among some experts about safety and proper doses.

The European Medicines Agency, the EU's top drug regulatory body, is accelerating the approval process for flu vaccine, and countries such as Britain, France and Sweden say they'll start using the vaccine after it's greenlighted, possibly within weeks.

Meanwhile, three deaths from the H1N1 flu strain were reported in other parts of the world. Israel and Saudi Arabia recorded their first fatalities yesterday and Malaysia its second.