Swine flu shots on track so far
Alan Bavley, MCT
Issue date: 8/26/09 Section: News
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Everything so far is on schedule to begin delivering swine flu shots to the public by October.
Government officials already are working with manufacturers to package the vaccine in vials-the "fill and finish" stage-for distribution to doctors and clinics and hospitals.
About 50 million vaccine doses should be ready by mid-October, officials are saying.
Swine flu vaccine tests started on adults about two weeks ago at medical centers across the country. Tests on children began last week at various locations.
Scientists are still monitoring safety data. And they don't yet know if we'll need one shot or two to gain enough protection against this H1N1 virus.
"It's possible we'll see two peaks," one of swine flu and one of seasonal flu, said Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association.
Swine flu recently subsided in the U.S. When the new flu season starts, there could be an upsurge in cases.
Or maybe not.
And while most cases so far have been relatively mild, swine flu has put almost 8,000 people in the hospital and caused more than 500 deaths in the United States.
Here's what we do know:
Who has top priority for the first available doses of swine flu vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adopted a list of people who should get the vaccine first when supplies are limited:
-Pregnant women.
-People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age.
-Health care and emergency services personnel.
-Young people 6 months to 24 years old.
Anyone 25 to 64 who has a medical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes, that puts them at higher risk from flu.
Why are older people not included among the priority groups?
Older people usually are among the most vulnerable to flu. But this time, the young top the list.
There's been a high swine flu infection rate among children, and children and young adults have accounted for more than half the swine flu deaths, said Jay Butler, director of the CDC's H1N1 vaccine task force.
Government officials already are working with manufacturers to package the vaccine in vials-the "fill and finish" stage-for distribution to doctors and clinics and hospitals.
About 50 million vaccine doses should be ready by mid-October, officials are saying.
Swine flu vaccine tests started on adults about two weeks ago at medical centers across the country. Tests on children began last week at various locations.
Scientists are still monitoring safety data. And they don't yet know if we'll need one shot or two to gain enough protection against this H1N1 virus.
"It's possible we'll see two peaks," one of swine flu and one of seasonal flu, said Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association.
Swine flu recently subsided in the U.S. When the new flu season starts, there could be an upsurge in cases.
Or maybe not.
And while most cases so far have been relatively mild, swine flu has put almost 8,000 people in the hospital and caused more than 500 deaths in the United States.
Here's what we do know:
Who has top priority for the first available doses of swine flu vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adopted a list of people who should get the vaccine first when supplies are limited:
-Pregnant women.
-People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age.
-Health care and emergency services personnel.
-Young people 6 months to 24 years old.
Anyone 25 to 64 who has a medical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes, that puts them at higher risk from flu.
Why are older people not included among the priority groups?
Older people usually are among the most vulnerable to flu. But this time, the young top the list.
There's been a high swine flu infection rate among children, and children and young adults have accounted for more than half the swine flu deaths, said Jay Butler, director of the CDC's H1N1 vaccine task force.
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