HHS Secretary Says 100 Million Doses Of H1N1 Vaccine Are Coming

By Laura Smith - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

The H1N1 flu virus is showing no signs of going away anytime soon, but more doses of the vaccine are being produced.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Thursday that 100 million doses of the H1N1 flu virus vaccine will be made available to the American people.

“Our message is take advantage of the increased supply, and get vaccinated as soon as you can,” she said.

"The vaccine was given to the high risk groups first to ensure that the limited vaccine would get to those most in danger of complications, added Sebelius, referring to pregnant women, people with asthma, small children and the elderly.

Sebelius noted that programs such as “Sid the Science Kid” as well as children's television characters like Elmo are teaching kids about how to properly cover a sneeze or cough.

Additionally, social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook are just a few “unconventional methods” that are helping to get the message out about the vaccine and prevent the spread of the flu, said Sebelius.

“You can’t mount a public response only inside the Beltway. It has to be a collaborative effort with partnerships on the ground, and that’s exactly what this response has been,” she said.

The Secretary urged people to go to www.flu.gov to find out more information about the H1N1 vaccine.

H1N1 Vaccine Production Plodding, But 49.9 Million Doses Available

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Anne Schuchat, Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases acknowledged the slow production of H1N1 vaccines, but says there are nearly 50 million doses available to the States for use.

“Like everyone, I’m disappointed in the initial production,” said Schuchat during a hearing with the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "However, today we can announce there are 49.9 million doses available of H1N1 vaccine for the states to order."

"Its not as much as we wanted to have by now, or, frankly what we needed to have by now, but every dose is being rapidly moved out," Schuchat added.

Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) praised the initial response to the virus, but also recognized the dangers posed by the vaccine shortage.

“The hope was that a robust vaccine supply would arrive before infections began to soar and everyone worked as quickly as possible to meet that goal. These hopes were not met. The past several weeks have reminded us that the process of making flu vaccines is unpredictable and challenging,” said Waxman.

Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Nicole Lurie was grilled by Rep. Greg Walden (R-Oregon), who was diagnosed in late October with H1N1.

"We had testimony September 15 from Secretary Sebelius and everything seemed to be on track and fine. So, explain who, did the manufacturers, weren't they straight with you?" asked Walden.

"There's nobody to blame here, there's no smoking gun," Lurie said.

CDC estimates nearly 22 million Americans have been infected with H1N1. Of the 22 million infected, 98,000 were hospitalized and nearly 4,000 have dead.

New H1N1 Vaccine Study Shows Good News For Pregnant Women

By Laura Smith - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Health officials announced today that there are about 30 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine available for states to order.

The annoucement was coupled with good news for people who health officials believe are at serious risk of contracting the virus. Anthony Facui, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that results from a series of vaccine tests done on groups such as pregnant women were encouraging.

“The data show that nearly all the pregnant women who received a single 15 microgram dose have a robust immune response that is likely predictive of protection,” Facui said.

He added that children between six months and nine-years-old who receive a 15 microgram dose of the vaccine had a “less robust immune response” and would most likely need a second dose of vaccine.

Not all of the news surrounding H1NI is positive, however. Anne Schuchat, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the virus has spread to all but two states in the U.S. Schuchat was hopeful that, as the number of hospitalizations and deaths as a result of the virus continue to increase, so will the medical response nationwide.

“We expect more vaccine doses to become available and eventually shipped out to the states for use,” she said.

A full report on the study was posted today on flu.gov.

Health Care Employees Must Get Priority For Swine Flu Vaccine, Says WHO Official

By Laura Woodhead - Talk Radio News Service

Health care employees should get priority for the H1N1 vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended Monday. While there is no official priority ranking for who should get the vaccine first, immunizing health care workers would insure that the health care system would be able to properly combat a possible spread of the virus said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, Director of the WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research.

"Health care workers should be immunized in all countries in order to maintain a functioning health care system" she said. "They need to remain in good health condition to care for pandemic influenza sick people."

While health care employees are the WHO's main recommendation for priority, there are other vulnerable groups that countries should think about vaccinating first said Kieny. These groups, which include pregnant women and people with chronic illness, have an increased risk of mortality with the H1N1 strain. The obese are also included in the WHO's list of vulnerable peoples.

"Obesity has been observed as being one of the risk factors for most severe disease with H1N1 influenza." Kieny said. The Director added that "people with a body mass index over 30 or even more over 40 have a higher chance of having a severe disease."

Kieny stressed that the WHO's vulnerable groups are simply recommendations, and should be evaluated on a country by country basis.

"Countries will have to take decisions that are adapted to their own national situation" Kieny said. "There is an identification of options, but no ranking, no priority given to these options."

The H1N1 vaccine is expected to be fully licensed by the end of the year, Kieny said.