Waiting for Your Flu Shot

George Rebane

The news about getting swine flu (H1N1) vaccine into your neighborhood has been all over the place lately – the bottom line is that most of us can’t get vaccinated for the next several weeks, if then.  If you read carefully, you’ll notice that the reports talk of the vaccine being imported from some mysterious places not mentioned.  And you correctly conclude that we’re not making much of it anymore in the U.S.

A couple of years ago or so we were all worried about avian flu (H1N5) because it had a very high mortality rate (60 – 90%).  I represented SESF on our county’s bird flu task force charged with coming up with various community response mechanisms if and when the flu reached a pandemic level in the country.  A factor that kept affecting all of our planning was that avian flu vaccines would not be available until about six to nine months after the pandemic’s onset.

There were the same technical reasons for the delay as there are today – what strain? length of manufacturing sequence, antiquated processes, distribution problems, etc.  But the big factor that emerged was that the U.S. no longer had the capability to manufacture massive amounts of vaccines.  Drug companies had exported those manufactories overseas, or abandoned vaccine manufacturing altogether.

Further digging revealed that this was due to the legal liabilities to which American vaccine manufacturers were exposed.  When coupled with the low profit margins and other regulatory hurdles in place to increase risk for low return, it was reasonable for most American companies to exit this market.

Europe and Asia now are the main sources of flu vaccines.  And as we were reminded during the H1N5 days, during a worldwide pandemic no country will allow the export of vaccine until its own needs are satisfied.

Isn’t it interesting that we don’t hear of people in Europe or Asia concerned about delays in getting their swine flu shots?  It’s only pictures of long lines and people being turned away in America that are making the news.  And none of the news outlets are talking about the out-migration of vaccine manufacturers.  Does that mean that the long arm of the ABA is longer than we thought?  Here’s a list of flu vaccine manufacturers from the World Health Organization.

Comments

[Dixon Cruickshank]

Good point, all we're hearing about is 114 US kids dying, no where else though ??