[NVIC] Forced Annual Flu Vaccination?

[Guest guest]

E-NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL VACCINE INFORMATION CENTER

Vienna, Virginia http://www.nvic.org

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UNITED WAY/COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN

#8122

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" Protecting the health and informed consent rights of children since 1982. "

============================================================================

==============

BL Fisher Note:

The Pandemic Flu Plan apparently depends upon the U.S. government drumming

up annual business for the drug companies marketing flu vaccine. Watch out

for public health officials and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists, who will

descend on state legislatures and push for mandatory flu vaccination laws.

Americans may be told it is their patriotic duty to take flu vaccine every

year, whether they want to or not, in order to finance the development and

stockpiling of flu vaccine for a flu pandemic that may or may not occur. And

when people get hurt by mandated flu vaccination, they will be left to fend

for themselves just like most victims of mandated childhood vaccines are

left to fend for themselves. The majority of child vaccine victims are

turned away from the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program created in

1986 by Congress.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/dec0605meetin

g2.html

Cidrap

" To clear the way, the administration wants Congress to pass laws protecting

vaccine makers from lawsuits over vaccine-related injuries. " Liability

concerns have to be taken off the table, " Leavitt said. " Legislation is

currently before Congress and we have optimism that will occur. Some

compensation arrangement [for people harmed by vaccines] will have to be

made as part of that. "

But health officials also said that expanding US production capacity depends

on having a dependable market for the vaccine, the demand for which has been

unpredictable. "

HHS hopes pandemic preparations will ease flu vaccine supply kinks

Roos News Editor

Dec 6, 2005 (CIDRAP News) - State health officials at a Washington, DC,

meeting yesterday expressed frustration over problems with supplies of

seasonal flu vaccine, while federal officials promised that the government's

pandemic influenza preparedness plan will help clear up those problems.

A Michigan health official said physicians recently had requested a total of

90,000 doses of annual flu vaccine, but the state was able to release only

36,000 doses. " We need to address distribution-we need to not disadvantage

physicians in the markets. The physicians are getting pretty frustrated with

us, frankly, " she said.

Texas State Health Commissioner J. commented, " We're in an

awkward position trying to explain what's going on with flu vaccine. . . .

The very people we want to help in a pandemic are confused when they can get

vaccine at the local supermarket, but at their doctor's office they can't. "

Dr. Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, empathized with those concerns, saying her mother's physician

had trouble getting flu vaccine this year. " Small purchasers are at a

disadvantage, " she said.

The Bush administration's pandemic plan, released last month, calls for

reinvigorating the nation's depleted vaccine industry so that it can produce

enough flu vaccine for all Americans within 6 months after the start of a

pandemic. That would also help eliminate the annual flu vaccine supply

problems that have frustrated the public and health agencies the past

several years, the administration asserts.

Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt told officials at the

meeting, which was broadcast over the Web, " The president's plan calls for

nothing short of revitalizing an entire industry. We must be able to create

as much as 300 million courses of vaccine in a relatively short period. In a

pandemic, vaccine must be produced here, not in another country, because

it'll be hard to get it out of another country. "

When the plan was released, President Bush proposed spending $2.8 billion to

improve cell-culture technology for flu vaccine production. The

administration also wants to expand existing egg-based vaccine production

and develop adjuvant, or dose-sparing, technology.

To clear the way, the administration wants Congress to pass laws protecting

vaccine makers from lawsuits over vaccine-related injuries. " Liability

concerns have to be taken off the table, " Leavitt said. " Legislation is

currently before Congress and we have optimism that will occur. Some

compensation arrangement [for people harmed by vaccines] will have to be

made as part of that. "

But health officials also said that expanding US production capacity depends

on having a dependable market for the vaccine, the demand for which has been

unpredictable.

" We've got to build the demand for the annual flu vaccine, " said Leavitt.

" So the annual flu vaccine is a very important part of the strategy to have

pandemic preparedness. "

Gerberding said that having a " reliable large supply " of annual vaccine will

help iron out kinks in distribution, but a steady demand is necessary to

drive production. She added, " This timing [of vaccine distribution] will

also continue to be a problem, and we don't want to promise that will

completely go away. Ultimately these investments should result in a large

supply of vaccine and hopefully a faster supply, but they won't solve

everything. "

In his opening speech at the meeting, Leavitt voiced hope that Congress will

act soon on Bush's request for $7.1 billion for pandemic preparedness, which

includes the $2.8 billion for cell-culture vaccine technology. Calling the

request " the most robust proposal made for public health at one time, " he

said, " Every day without Congress acting is a day that creates a lag in our

ability to deliver a vaccine. "

Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases, said the government will have about 6.5 million doses

of the experimental " prepandemic " vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu virus by

January. It will take two doses to provide protection, he said.

Leavitt raised the question of what will happen if no flu pandemic erupts

anytime soon. " My guess is that people will in fact say, 'They overreacted,

they cried wolf,' " he said. " The truth is that a pandemic influenza of some

sort will ultimately be our lot to handle. But what I believe to be an

opportunity is that we can become the first society in history to do

something about it. "

See also:

Dec 5 CIDRAP News story on other discussions at the Washington meeting

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/dec0505pandem

ic.html

=============================================

News@... is a free service of the National Vaccine Information

Center and is supported through membership donations. Learn more about

vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed consent rights

http://www.nvic.org

Become a member and support NVIC's work

https://www.nvic.org/making%20cash%20donations.htm

To sign up for a free e-mail subscription http://www.nvic.org/emaillist.htm

[Guest guest]

" To clear the way, the administration wants Congress to pass laws protecting

vaccine makers from lawsuits over vaccine-related injuries. " Liability

concerns have to be taken off the table, " Leavitt said. " Legislation is

currently before Congress and we have optimism that will occur. Some

compensation arrangement [for people harmed by vaccines] will have to be

>made as part of that. "

At a cap of $250,000. a pop, it would be a bargain at twice the price for them

to mandate human sacrifices.

Anita

Sheri Nakken <vaccineinfo@...> wrote:

E-NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL VACCINE INFORMATION CENTER

Vienna, Virginia http://www.nvic.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

UNITED WAY/COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN

#8122

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

" Protecting the health and informed consent rights of children since 1982. "

============================================================================

==============

BL Fisher Note:

The Pandemic Flu Plan apparently depends upon the U.S. government drumming

up annual business for the drug companies marketing flu vaccine. Watch out

for public health officials and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists, who will

descend on state legislatures and push for mandatory flu vaccination laws.

Americans may be told it is their patriotic duty to take flu vaccine every

year, whether they want to or not, in order to finance the development and

stockpiling of flu vaccine for a flu pandemic that may or may not occur. And

when people get hurt by mandated flu vaccination, they will be left to fend

for themselves just like most victims of mandated childhood vaccines are

left to fend for themselves. The majority of child vaccine victims are

turned away from the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program created in

1986 by Congress.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/dec0605meetin

g2.html

Cidrap

" To clear the way, the administration wants Congress to pass laws protecting

vaccine makers from lawsuits over vaccine-related injuries. " Liability

concerns have to be taken off the table, " Leavitt said. " Legislation is

currently before Congress and we have optimism that will occur. Some

compensation arrangement [for people harmed by vaccines] will have to be

made as part of that. "

But health officials also said that expanding US production capacity depends

on having a dependable market for the vaccine, the demand for which has been

unpredictable. "

HHS hopes pandemic preparations will ease flu vaccine supply kinks

Roos News Editor

Dec 6, 2005 (CIDRAP News) - State health officials at a Washington, DC,

meeting yesterday expressed frustration over problems with supplies of

seasonal flu vaccine, while federal officials promised that the government's

pandemic influenza preparedness plan will help clear up those problems.

A Michigan health official said physicians recently had requested a total of

90,000 doses of annual flu vaccine, but the state was able to release only

36,000 doses. " We need to address distribution-we need to not disadvantage

physicians in the markets. The physicians are getting pretty frustrated with

us, frankly, " she said.

Texas State Health Commissioner J. commented, " We're in an

awkward position trying to explain what's going on with flu vaccine. . . .

The very people we want to help in a pandemic are confused when they can get

vaccine at the local supermarket, but at their doctor's office they can't. "

Dr. Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, empathized with those concerns, saying her mother's physician

had trouble getting flu vaccine this year. " Small purchasers are at a

disadvantage, " she said.

The Bush administration's pandemic plan, released last month, calls for

reinvigorating the nation's depleted vaccine industry so that it can produce

enough flu vaccine for all Americans within 6 months after the start of a

pandemic. That would also help eliminate the annual flu vaccine supply

problems that have frustrated the public and health agencies the past

several years, the administration asserts.

Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt told officials at the

meeting, which was broadcast over the Web, " The president's plan calls for

nothing short of revitalizing an entire industry. We must be able to create

as much as 300 million courses of vaccine in a relatively short period. In a

pandemic, vaccine must be produced here, not in another country, because

it'll be hard to get it out of another country. "

When the plan was released, President Bush proposed spending $2.8 billion to

improve cell-culture technology for flu vaccine production. The

administration also wants to expand existing egg-based vaccine production

and develop adjuvant, or dose-sparing, technology.

To clear the way, the administration wants Congress to pass laws protecting

vaccine makers from lawsuits over vaccine-related injuries. " Liability

concerns have to be taken off the table, " Leavitt said. " Legislation is

currently before Congress and we have optimism that will occur. Some

compensation arrangement [for people harmed by vaccines] will have to be

made as part of that. "

But health officials also said that expanding US production capacity depends

on having a dependable market for the vaccine, the demand for which has been

unpredictable.

" We've got to build the demand for the annual flu vaccine, " said Leavitt.

" So the annual flu vaccine is a very important part of the strategy to have

pandemic preparedness. "

Gerberding said that having a " reliable large supply " of annual vaccine will

help iron out kinks in distribution, but a steady demand is necessary to

drive production. She added, " This timing [of vaccine distribution] will

also continue to be a problem, and we don't want to promise that will

completely go away. Ultimately these investments should result in a large

supply of vaccine and hopefully a faster supply, but they won't solve

everything. "

In his opening speech at the meeting, Leavitt voiced hope that Congress will

act soon on Bush's request for $7.1 billion for pandemic preparedness, which

includes the $2.8 billion for cell-culture vaccine technology. Calling the

request " the most robust proposal made for public health at one time, " he

said, " Every day without Congress acting is a day that creates a lag in our

ability to deliver a vaccine. "

Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases, said the government will have about 6.5 million doses

of the experimental " prepandemic " vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu virus by

January. It will take two doses to provide protection, he said.

Leavitt raised the question of what will happen if no flu pandemic erupts

anytime soon. " My guess is that people will in fact say, 'They overreacted,

they cried wolf,' " he said. " The truth is that a pandemic influenza of some

sort will ultimately be our lot to handle. But what I believe to be an

opportunity is that we can become the first society in history to do

something about it. "

See also:

Dec 5 CIDRAP News story on other discussions at the Washington meeting

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/dec0505pandem

ic.html

=============================================

News@... is a free service of the National Vaccine Information

Center and is supported through membership donations. Learn more about

vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed consent rights

http://www.nvic.org

Become a member and support NVIC's work

https://www.nvic.org/making%20cash%20donations.htm

To sign up for a free e-mail subscription http://www.nvic.org/emaillist.htm