posted on December 16, 2003 07:25:47 PM new
The U.S. government is apparently going to buy 375,000 doses of flu vaccine from the manufacturer, which recently said they were running out. What am I missing here? Why is the government doing this, and will it lead to selective distribution of some kind?
posted on December 16, 2003 07:28:05 PM new
Like so many news stories I see now - there is not enough info to make sense of it. I suppose they can't afford reporters that can think - they will be doing useful work somewhere.
posted on December 16, 2003 07:42:00 PM new
I heard today that it was being purchased from England but would not be available here
until next month. I don't understand the delay.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government
has contracted to buy 375,000 doses of influenza vaccine from one of two makers -- Chiron, the Health and Human Services Department said on Monday.
The vaccine was made in Britain but is fully licensed for use in the United States, an HHS spokesman said. Last week Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the government was seeking to buy 500,000 doses of British vaccine from the company.
The 375,000 doses will be delivered in January, HHS spokesman Bill Pierce said. It has to undergo "lot approval" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which involves breaking it down from bulk packaging and quality testing each lot.
posted on December 16, 2003 08:40:25 PM new
I believe the selective distribution is the old and the very young, those with weak immune systems. But 375,000 isn't enough, I wouldn't think for the U.S.
I personally never take it. Was offered it my last visit to the dr, and said no to it.
I did hear they have that nasal one still, but heard some controversy on that one. Not sure what is wrong, if anything is, with it.
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posted on December 17, 2003 05:35:22 PM new
The deaths of several children in Georgia are being investigated as possibly flu related. A staph infection that is usually mild is combining with the flu virus resulting in pneumonia. Usually this drug resistant staph infection is only found in hospitals but lately it's being found outside the hospital.
These infections don't normally cause pneumonia without the flu virus. But the flu virus can impair the body's ability to fight the bacteria and expel it. The bacteria, in turn, can produce enzymes that enhance the flu's ability to infect cells.
posted on December 17, 2003 08:51:39 PM new
These staph infections are showing up at locker rooms and jails. My wife mentioned that that fellow who volunteered to be voted off survivor was suffering from a staph infection. He peobably already carried it and being stressed by bad diet and cold etc probably brought it to the fore.
posted on December 17, 2003 09:59:02 PM new
Wall Street Journal
December 9, 2003
REVIEW & OUTLOOK
Where's My Flu Shot?
A few weeks from now, when the country has run out of flu vaccine and people want to know why, we suggest they knock on the doors of Senators Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and Lincoln Chafee. Perhaps the three Republicans can explain when they intend to honor their promise to hold an open debate about the tort liabilities facing vaccine makers.
The only two suppliers of flu shots reported Friday that supplies are running out. The Centers for Disease Control is now urging health-care providers to reserve the shots for those most at risk. That leaves millions worrying that someone in their family might be next to die from a bad case of flu.
The reason for today's shortage -- as well as seven previous preventive vaccine shortages since 2000 -- is that there are just five vaccine makers. This lack of suppliers is partly thanks to Hillary Clinton, who as first lady turned government into the majority buyer of vaccines and pushed prices so low as to make business unsustainable. (This price-control approach, we'd note, is what Democrats would now like to inflict on the new Medicare drug program.)
But just as worrying to manufacturers is an explosion of class action lawsuits. Vaccine makers are supposed to be protected from suits by 1986 legislation, but tort lawyers have found loopholes and filed more than 200 cases. The Republican leadership fixed this by including a liability provision in the Homeland Security legislation of a year ago. That is, until Ms. Snowe, Ms. Collins and Mr. Chafee objected to its "dark of the night" insertion and forced Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist into repealing it.
In return for their victory, the Senators promised an open debate on broad liability reform within six months. That would have been ... June. But the Senate canceled a markup on a reform bill in April and the Senators have gone quiet. Apparently, making sound vaccine policy isn't as politically rewarding as preening before the media by standing up to "special interests" (vaccine makers). So what's your solution for the flu-shot shortage, Senators?
URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB10709334579624100,00.html
Copyright 2003 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
posted on December 18, 2003 05:13:56 AM new
I should have known that Senator Hillary Clinton is the cause of the Natiion's inadequate flu supply and that the Wall Street Journal would bring that awesome revelation to my attention.
posted on December 20, 2003 04:06:09 PM new
Took my daughter to the dr. the other day she had a sinus infection and an ear infection in both ears- one really really bad- worst the dr ever seen. Well anyways the dr said her immunne system is running pretty low right now because of this so so went in the next room to get her a flu shot and we waited and waited and she never came back so I went and found her with a whole list of phone numbers and she was on the phone with someone from the state at that point in St.Paul because she couldn't find a flu shot and the clinc was out.
The new thing is the only ones who can get a flu shot in Minnesota are children under 2yrs old, people over 50yrs old and those with a chronic disease.
Well we sure wouldn't want to give shot to school age children who can bring the flu home to their familes, let's give it to the old people who stay at home and don't come in contact with anyone.
Half my daughters class has been out sick with all sorts of stuff and yesterday a child from our town got the flu and is in the hospital and we live in a town under a population of 1800 people.
So my daughter is without a flu shot she is 7 and doesn't fall into the critieria of those who are important enough for a shot I think about that as I take her temp (she has a fever)
posted on December 21, 2003 04:31:05 AM new
So what I'm getting from this post is, it's the Governments fault that people may die from the flu. Is this correct?
posted on December 21, 2003 06:40:49 AM new
Colin,
You aren't paying attention! Didn't you read up there that it's the fault of Hillary -- and on second thought, probably Bill too, since he was associated whith Hillary.
posted on December 21, 2003 10:46:53 AM new
Why don't they offer the flu shots to be given in the schools instead of parents having to run to all these clinics. The kids need the shots before the weather starts getting bad everywhere,they battle enough colds as it is. Young children also tend to get alot sicker than adults do.
posted on December 21, 2003 11:14:54 AM new
If they had done that, the resulting outcry would have been deafening. Many people do not support any type of vaccination, believing they are harmful. Others justplain wouldn't like the fact that it smacked of the government taking over parental control.
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on December 21, 2003 12:02:02 PM new
The lined us up in the basement of our grade school and did all the vaccinations, but then that was a million years ago
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posted on December 21, 2003 12:44:28 PM new
bunni hit the nail on the head with her answer.
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They give the available shots to the elderly, young and those most at risk because they are the one's most likely to **die** from getting the flu. They're not trying to do harm to the other children. They just know those children and the adults have a better chance of recuperating from the flu than do the others.
posted on December 21, 2003 03:29:44 PM new
tell it to my 7yr old her temp was 105 last night at 5:30 and we got it down to 103 and she has been ever since.
they said if she would have been 5 or 6 she would have had seizures at 105 temp but since she is a big 7 yr old- very tall-- she didn't thank God.
We are doing everything medically possible to keep the fever down- been talking to the family Dr all day.
posted on December 21, 2003 07:05:20 PM new
nharmon, I'm so sorry to hear about daughter. Maybe I missed this, but did the drs diagnose this as the flu?
My youngest, when she was 6 months old got sick, and her temp reached 104, my God, I know how scary that is....we rushed her to ER, and they kept her there overnight. Before it got that high I was calling the dr, and they told me to do the alcohol rub, never understood how that brought a fever down, but it didn't work, so ER it was.
I'm hoping she gets better soon!
Kraft, the flu shots are free as far as I know. (that is when they had them) I know I was offered it, at my drs office, I don't know, I may have been charged if I took it, but I've never had the
flu shot before
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posted on December 21, 2003 07:14:22 PM new
nharmon - I too hope your daughter gets well soon.
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KD - Do you guys have to pay for your flu shots? At the CA HMOs no...they were free. Here, the seniors pay $15.00 for the shot. But some are still getting the flu anyway...as it is a different type of flu than the flu the shots were supposed to prevent.
posted on December 22, 2003 08:50:47 AM new
well she is a little better this morning. She has stayed on the antibiotics they put her on a week ago (for the ear infection and sinus infection)and has been talking alternating liquid ibubrophin and chewable acetominiphin. plus the baths and rubs with a sponge to keep the sweat off of her dace. Since she hasn't been dehydrated there isn't much they can do for her that I am not already doing.
It just makes me so mad our kids have good insurance and it would have covered the cost of the flu shot if she could have gotten one early enough or hell- I would have paid cash for a shot rather than go thru this.
I think Santa will have to dig extra deep and get her something good for Christmas because her Christmas vacation has been aweful so far.
posted on December 24, 2003 10:03:31 AM new
I remembered reading that the mist was genetically altered with live
viruses at some point. I wasn't sure
so found this on the internet:
Colorado flu clinics not stocking up on nasal flu vaccine
Written by: Dr. Stephanie Clements, Medical Reporter
10/22/2003 7:05:00 AM
"DENVER - If you've got your mind set on the needle-less flu vaccine, you might be disappointed at some flu clinics because the new nasal flu mist is hard to come by in Colorado. It's expensive, needs to stay frozen and isn't recommended for everyone. Unlike the conventional flu shot where the virus is killed, the nasal flu mist contains live virus. The live virus has been attenuated, meaning it's genetically altered so it won't make you sick, but there have been some reports of what's called viral shedding.
In viral shedding, some of the virus can escape into the air if you sneeze or blow your nose. And some people can have a reaction to it. The nasal vaccine's greatest obstacle though is that it's recommended only for healthy people ages 5 to 49. Pregnant women can't use it, and neither can people with chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes. Plus, it has to be frozen right up until you use it."
