H1N1 Flu Vaccine Supply Runs Dry

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:27:17 GMT

By Austin Fuller

A rare photo of the elusive H1N1 Vaccine that has become scarce in supply.

The H1N1 virus has been on a rampage recently and the fact that the citizens of the United States have only 25 percent of the expected supply of vaccine is not helping anyone. As of last week, more than 5,000 cases of H1N1 flu were reported, compared to 7 cases in October of 2008. More than 800 people have died from H1N1, including 86 children, according to the latest reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine is becoming more and more behind schedule. The original timetable was for 120 million doses to be ready by late October, compared to the 30 million that have been delivered by end of the month. Now, 50 million doses will not be available until the middle of November. Another 150 million were originally planned to be ready by December. So far only 15 million additional doses will available by December according to federal officials. All in all, the federal government is behind by 90 million doses for October. Due to this extreme shortage H1N1 vaccine clinics everywhere have been forced to postpone or cancel themselves completely. "I just was notified that the clinic we had tentatively planned for November 4 has been cancelled due to the fact that vaccine will not be available at that time," Superintendent John Weaver said in an email to all staff. According to a contact at the Health Department, "Right now, there isn’t even enough [vaccine] to finish the first responders." Because of the shortage, some groups have been exploiting the situation by offering fake H1N1 flu supplements over the Internet. The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission issued on Oct. 15 a joint warning about the large number of Websites offering fraudulent swine flu supplements. So, be warned my fellow students of North Muskegon, there are many dangers among the internet.

The Norse Star

H1N1 Flu Vaccine Supply Runs Dry