CDC eyes 600 million doses of swine flu shots
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31571476/ns/health-swine_flu/
ATLANTA - A potential fall swine flu immunization campaign may involve an unprecedented 600 million doses of vaccine, though officials said Friday they haven’t figured out how to administer so many doses or accurately track side effects if a seasonal vaccine is given simultaneously.
The swine flu campaign could far eclipse the roughly 115 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine distributed each year, officials said at a national vaccine advisory committee meeting.
thanks, bfl
What am I missing? The US population is approximately 306,772,987 (according to census clock). So why 600 million doses?
More swine flu deaths ‘a certainty’
By Jennifer Macey for AM
Posted 4 hours 4 minutes ago
Updated 3 hours 35 minutes ago
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/27/2610255.htm?section=justin
An infectious disease expert says the swine flu vaccine will be available too late to help many of the people who are going to contract the virus.
Four people have died so far and in New South Wales, two children are in intensive care because of the virus.
One of the children has no pre-existing medical conditions.
Professor of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at the University of New South Wales, Raina Macintyre, told AM it is certain more people will die from swine flu in Australia.
“We expect that it will peak towards the end of July or early August,” she said.
“That’s when we’ll really be at the height of the epidemic, and we would expect something of the same range or higher, but in the same ball park of a bad flu season.
“It could be anywhere from 10 to 30 per cent of the Australian population over the whole winter. Every year from seasonal flu there are about 2,500 deaths from flu and pneumonia.”
She says swine flu deaths are expected to be higher because people have not built up immunity to the virus.
“Any influenza, even seasonal influenza, has a higher rate of complications and death in people with pre-existing conditions because they’re just more vulnerable to infections like influenza,” she said.
“So, it’s not unexpected really that the first deaths that we’re seeing are in people who are immuno-compromised or have chronic diseases.”
Professor Macintyre says the vaccine for the flu expected to be available by the end of July will not be soon enough.
“No, it’s not ideal. Normally with seasonal flu we vaccinate people in February or March, and the flu season starts in June and beyond,” she said.
“So, really, in the ideal world you would vaccinate several months before the outbreak starts.
“In this case, we’ll be vaccinating at the peak of the outbreak, so half of the people who are going to be get infected will already be infected and won’t be able to benefit from the vaccine.