WHY THIS FLU CRISIS IS HAPPENING

Frontpage Magazine ^ | 10/22/2004 | Frontpage Magazine

[RussP]

WHY THIS FLU CRISIS IS HAPPENING

Flu Shot Info...How the vaccine works:

Influenza vaccine is produced by growing the virus in eggs. The virus is killed and processed to create the vaccine, which is given by injection under the skin. The body then produces antibodies to the virus over the next two to four weeks.

If the immunized person then comes into contact with the influenza virus, the antibodies attack and kill the virus before it has a chance to cause infection.

The vaccine contains the 3 most likely strains to be active during the flu season.

Why the shortage?:

Almost half of the nation's flu vaccine will not be delivered this year. Chiron, a major manufacturer of flu vaccine, will not be distributing any influenza vaccine this flu season.

Chiron was to make 46-48 million doses vaccine for the United States.

Chiron is a British company. Recently British health officials stopped Chiron from distributing and making the vaccine when inspectors found unsanitary conditions in the labs. Some lots of the vaccine were recalled and destroyed.

Why is our vaccine made in the UK and not the US? The major pharmaceutical companies in the US provided almost 90% of the nations flu vaccine at one time. They did this despite a very low profit margin for the product. Basically, they were doing us a favor.

In the late 80's a man from North Carolina who had received the vaccine got the flu. The strain he caught was one of the strains in that years vaccine made by a US company.

What did he do? He sued and he won. He was awarded almost $5 million!

After that case was appealed and lost, most US pharmaceutical companies stopped making the vaccine. The liability out weighed the profit margin.

Since UK and Canadian laws prohibit such frivolous law suits UK and Canadian companies began selling the vaccine in the US. By the way...the lawyer that represented the man in the flu shot lawsuit was a young ambulance chaser by the name of John Edwards.

I rest my case.

[RussP]

This is my first post on Freerepublic. I came across this little nugget on Frontpage this morning. If true, we need to get out the word on this and fast. This little gem by itself could be worth five percentage points for Bush!

[The G Man]

"the lawyer that represented the man in the flu shot lawsuit was a young ambulance chaser by the name of John Edwards. "

My urban legend detector is going off ...

[SheLion]

Welcome to Free Republic!! And you did a nice job with your thread.

However, why then did Tommy Thompson of the Health and Human Services go on Fox News this past week and tell everyone that the Pharmaceutical is American owned but based in England? The brits do not own it. America does.

[atomicpossum]

Snopes says 'no.' If you trust Snopes.

[Sockdologer]

WHY THIS FLU CRISIS IS HAPPENING

Bush did it!

[FormerACLUmember]

The democrats are ceaseless masters of projection and chutzpah. They created the crisis in 1994 as the only part of HillaryCare ever to become law, and the John Edwards democrat party lawyers finished off the now defunct US vaccine industry.

[kinsman redeemer]

Same here. It's too good to be true.

Verification? Anybody?

[DrC]

This would appear indeed to be an urban legend. John Edward's court victories are listed here:
http://news.findlaw.com/newsmakers/john.edwards.html

[Mamzelle]

But this account is not a victory--he didn't actually get the money.

[kinsman redeemer]

THAT's What I expected to see - but nobody has painted a complete picture.

The other angle has to do with exposing pharmaceutical companies to more liability in the 90s. But I've never seen a complete nexus.

What's the truth?

[ravingnutter]

Not sure about this story on Edwards, but the following link was posted yesterday:

Hillary's Vaccine Shortage

[rhema]

You're on target. See also the FR-posted "La Grippe of the Trial Lawyers: Guess Who's to Blame for the Flu Vaccine Fiasco?"

[Mamzelle]

did Edwards really sue the Red Cross three times?

[Alia]

Welcome to FreeRepublic, RussP! :)

Ping! (Constitution? Your ping list, perhaps?)

[GSWarrior]

Is there a flu crisis? Haven't heard anything about flu crisis.

[rit]

Snopes says this story is not true.

[Constitution Day]

In the late 80's a man from North Carolina who had received the vaccine got the flu. The strain he caught was one of the strains in that years vaccine made by a US company.
What did he do? He sued and he won. He was awarded almost $5 million!

---

NC *Ping*

Please FRmail Constitution Day, TaxRelief OR Helms if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[y2k_free_radical]

ashamed of my netive state NC jurors

[y2k_free_radical]

native dummy

[Arrowhead1952]

Here is a letter to the editor of the Austin Pravda they actually printed today. Since the debate where skerry blame President Bush for the flu vaccine shortage, there have been several letters similar to this one. The fear factor is kicking in BIG TIME. I question this for one reason, the shots were to begin at 9 AM but they were out at 8 AM. This does not pass the smell test.

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Blaming Bush for vaccines

I set my alarm for an early hour, roused my 86- year-old husband who, reluctant but uncomplaining, rolled out of bed. We had a quick breakfast. Then after loading the car with a walker, a folding chair, the newspaper, a box of cookies and bottled water, we drove down to Randall's on Northland Drive a full hour before 9 a.m. when flu shots were scheduled to begin. A friendly young clerk met me at the front curb advising me that they were already out at 8 a.m.

I hope all the undecided voters in America and even a few loyal Republicans who share my experience will join me in voting for a regime change in Washington.

MIRIAM TORMOLLAN