Flu vaccine makers ramp up production to meet demand

[Guest guest]

Flu vaccine makers ramp up production to meet demand

With adequate supply expected, officials are urging all who want a

shot to get one

By Bor | Sun reporter November 10, 2007

Manufacturers are on track to produce and ship more flu vaccine than

ever before, averting the fears of a shortage that have marked recent

flu seasons, federal health authorities said yesterday.

With the supply virtually assured, officials of the U.S. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention urged all Americans who want flu

vaccinations to get them.

In particular, they recommend innoculation for infants over 6 months

of age, pregnant women, adults with asthma, heart disease, diabetes

and other chronic illnesses, as well as all adults 50 and older.

Officials also strongly recommended the vaccine for caregivers of

babies under 6 months old, for whom the vaccine is not appropriate.

So far, no states have reported widespread flu outbreaks, though

officials said it is too soon to predict severity. Flu normally peaks

in December and January and continues into February.

" The take-home message is that activity remains low, and the people

who have not yet been vaccinated this year should get vaccinated as

soon as possible, " said Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of epidemiology and

prevention with the CDC's influenza division.

Vaccine manufacturers have ramped up production to meet rising demand,

officials said. In recent years, federal health authorities have

broadened their recommendations as to who should be vaccinated.

The government has also created incentives for companies to produce

vaccine against pandemic flu - which is not circulating - and some

have responded by making more conventional vaccine as well.

" We anticipate that as many as 132 million doses could be available by

the end of the season, " said Dr. Jeanne Santoli, deputy director of

the CDC's immunization branch. " That would be about 10 million doses

more than have ever before been produced in the United States. "

Americans should not be dissuaded by news that the vaccine may not be

a perfect match to protect against one of the three flu strains it is

designed to prevent, officials said. The vaccine should be effective

at preventing two strains and still reduce symptoms and complications

for people afflicted with the third.

" Even if it's less than an ideal match, it can protect enough to make

influenza illnesses milder, " Bresee said.

Fashioning each year's flu vaccine involves a degree of guesswork. The

vaccine is based on strains that emerge toward the end of the previous

season. This year, there is some evidence that a strain emerging in

the southern hemisphere has a different genetic makeup than anticipated.

Meanwhile, the land Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

reported that it expected to receive 130,000 vaccine doses - enough

for its Vaccine for Children program, according to spokeswoman

Black. The program provides vaccine at a reduced price to children

whose families lack insurance, have insufficient coverage or receive

Medicaid.

Under the program, vaccine is distributed to 24 local health

departments and more than 800 private doctors who have agreed to

participate. Families are charged up to $15.47 to cover administrative

costs though nobody is turned away if they can't afford to pay

anything, Black said.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.flu10nov10,0,248299.story