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Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
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US government may throw out unused H1N1 vaccine
Source: Agencies |
October 29, 2009, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE United States government may end up throwing away unused doses of swine flu vaccine if people cannot get it soon enough, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Members of Congress questioned whether federal officials were too rosy in their estimates of how much vaccine would be available and when, and companies said they were still struggling to produce immunizations against H1N1.
CDC director Dr Thomas Frieden said 22.4 million doses were now available to states, which can get them a day after they order them.
"It's quite likely that too little vaccine is one of the things that's making people more interested in getting vaccinated, frankly," Frieden said on Tuesday.
"We think it will get easier to find vaccine in the weeks that come."
President Barack Obama's daughters found it. "Malia and Sasha were both vaccinated for H1N1 last week, after the vaccine became available to Washington, DC schoolchildren," a White House blog reads.
"President and Mrs Obama have not yet been vaccinated for H1N1, and they will wait until the needs of the priority groups identified by the CDC - including young people under the age of 24, pregnant women, and people with underlying conditions - have been met."
Many states and cities say they have received about one-tenth as much vaccine as they originally had expected by this time.
"It is likely also as we produce more vaccine and as both people are given the opportunity to get vaccinated, and as disease maybe wanes in the future, we will have significant amounts of vaccine that can't be used," Frieden said.
"One of the messages for states, localities and health providers is... to give out the vaccine as soon as it comes in, as more is on the way."
Members of Congress questioned whether federal officials were too rosy in their estimates of how much vaccine would be available and when, and companies said they were still struggling to produce immunizations against H1N1.
CDC director Dr Thomas Frieden said 22.4 million doses were now available to states, which can get them a day after they order them.
"It's quite likely that too little vaccine is one of the things that's making people more interested in getting vaccinated, frankly," Frieden said on Tuesday.
"We think it will get easier to find vaccine in the weeks that come."
President Barack Obama's daughters found it. "Malia and Sasha were both vaccinated for H1N1 last week, after the vaccine became available to Washington, DC schoolchildren," a White House blog reads.
"President and Mrs Obama have not yet been vaccinated for H1N1, and they will wait until the needs of the priority groups identified by the CDC - including young people under the age of 24, pregnant women, and people with underlying conditions - have been met."
Many states and cities say they have received about one-tenth as much vaccine as they originally had expected by this time.
"It is likely also as we produce more vaccine and as both people are given the opportunity to get vaccinated, and as disease maybe wanes in the future, we will have significant amounts of vaccine that can't be used," Frieden said.
"One of the messages for states, localities and health providers is... to give out the vaccine as soon as it comes in, as more is on the way."
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