Australia:
Swine flu vaccine faces disruption
October 15, 2009 - 9:04PM
AAP
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/swine-flu-vaccine-faces-disruption-20091015-gz4b.html
Production of the swine flu vaccine might be disrupted on Friday during industrial action by workers at the CSL plant which produces the medication.
As Swine Flu Hits Van Hollen Home, Congressman Urges Vaccination
Thursday, October 15, 2009
MICHAEL LARIS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101303605.html
The swine flu vaccine being administered to a succession of nostrils last week in Silver Spring came too late for Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s 13-year-old son.
“He’s flat on his back at home,” the Maryland Democrat said Friday as dozens of Montgomery County health officials worked their way through more than 200 early recipients.
Van Hollen’s miserable teenager had been home sick for two days with a 102-degree fever and received his H1N1 diagnosis Thursday. “It’s a race against time,” Van Hollen said. “It’s already raging through the community.”
Given the challenges — scientists had to develop a safe, effective vaccine against a new flu strain — “they got it out as soon as possible,” Van Hollen said. “But that doesn’t mean a lot of people don’t already have it.”
At a congressional hearing, Van Hollen heard Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, talk about the particular dangers of H1N1 for young people.
The congressman said he expects that his son, like many who get the virus, will simply experience a serious bout of unpleasantness.
But, echoing health experts, Van Hollen warned of the potentially severe consequences for people with underlying medical conditions. That makes it all the more important for healthy people to get vaccinated to cut the virus’s spread.
“I encourage people to get it right away,” he said.
Health departments are scheduling clinics for priority populations in coming days and weeks, and doctors, hospitals and pharmacies also will be administering the vaccine.