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In 1976, the Center for Disease Control made the unprecedented decision to vaccinate the United States against swine flu, fearing that it would become a pandemic in the country that would rival the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919. Later, it was established that the mass vaccination attempt was largely unnecessary, and may have proved fatal for some of the 46 million Americans who received it in the massive effort. After Americans began dying from swine flu in the mid 1970s, then-CDC director Dr. David Sencer made the unprecedented decision to vaccinate millions Americans against the illness in a massive campaign that...

Drugmaker MedImmune is recalling nearly 5 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine because the nasal spray appears to lose strength over time, federal health officials announced Tuesday. The vaccine recall is the second this month caused by declining potency and comes as public health officials urge millions of Americans to get vaccinated against swine flu. The action affects more than 4.6 million doses, but the vast majority have already been used, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Agency officials said the vaccine was strong enough when it was distributed in October and November.

A nurse herself for many years, the 47-year-old Milliken has spent the last 38 days in medical care. Her boyfriend and family said she may have been struck down by what's called Guillain-Barre Syndrome -- which starts with pain and ends with paralysis. Milliken's family said they believe the H1N1 flu shot she received in the first week of November may be to blame for her suffering. "Right now, she's in a lot of pain, mostly in her extremities. A lot of nerve sensations such as burning in her legs is what she's feeling," said Milliken's daughter Michelle Mellett. The...

f you've been waiting to get a swine flu shot, here's your chance. New Hampshire Public Health Director Dr. Jose Montero announced yesterday that anyone over the age of 6 months may receive a swine flu vaccine. The shot had previously been limited to people in high-risk groups, such as pregnant women, health care workers and those with a serious health condition. "The supply has caught up with the demand and allowed us to move forward," said Montero. "I know it has been difficult to wait, but it has been the right thing to do to protect the people of...

ATLANTA (AP) - Health officials are recalling hundreds of thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years. Health officials recommend children those ages get two doses, spaced about a month apart. Health officials say it's not clear how many doses have already been given, but they don't think...

Hey, stop worrying about a massive government takeover of health care. You’re in good hands: Health officials are recalling hundreds of thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years. …Health officials say it’s not clear how many doses have already been given, but they don’t think children need...

800,000 Doses Of Kids' H1N1 Vaccine Recalled ATLANTA (CBS) ― Health officials are recalling hundreds of thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years. Health officials recommend children those ages get two doses, spaced about a month apart. Health officials say it's not clear how many doses have...

It's the kind of information that fuels conspiracy theorists everywhere... Danish journalists claim several World Health Organisation advisers are on the payroll of leading pharmaceutical companies that make swine flu vaccines. RT talks to Louise Volle, a journalist at the Danish Daily Information newspaper and a co-author of the report...

As they battle the holiday crowds this weekend, frazzled travelers at Chicago airports also will have the option of stopping to get protection against the swine flu virus. A clinic at O'Hare International Airport run by the University of Illinois at Chicago began offering H1N1 flu vaccines in nasal mist form this week. City officials say the clinic also hopes to receive arm-shot vaccines this week and plans to open kiosks to administer the mist form of the vaccine at both O'Hare and Midway this weekend. "We feel that it is a good amenity and service for travelers passing through...

NEW YORK, Nov. 25 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Twenty-four people have developed a side effect known as anaphylaxis from new-flu vaccine in Canada and one of them has died, Canadian health officials said Wednesday. The fatality was a man in his 80s who was suffering from an underlying disease, the officials said, adding they are investigating a possible linkage between the H1N1 flu vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc which the man was administered and his death.

LONDON — Canadian doctors have been advised not to use a batch of 170,000 swine flu vaccines after six reports of serious allergic reactions among recipients, but there are no similar reports from other countries, pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday. Authorities routinely monitor vaccines for any signals of problems, such as the allergic reactions that do occur, rarely, every year. Company spokeswoman Gwenan White said that GlaxoSmithKline advised medical staff in Canada ast week to refrain from using one batch of the vaccine while they look into reports that that it might have caused more allergic reactions than normal....

LONDON — The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline says it has advised medical staff in Canada to not use one batch of swine flu vaccine for fear it may trigger life-threatening allergies. GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White said Tuesday the company issued the advice after reports that one batch of the swine flu vaccine might have caused more allergic reactions than normal. She says the affected batch contains 172,000 doses of the vaccine. She declined to say how many doses had been administered before the advice to stop using them was given.

Shaw wasn’t always skeptical about vaccines. The neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia had his teenage son vaccinated with most of the recommended shots. But then he started studying some of the ingredients commonly found in vaccines. What he discovered caused him to go cold turkey on all shots for his six-year-old daughter. And that includes the vaccine for the H1N1 flu. “I am not convinced H1N1 is sufficiently hazardous to most people to risk the potential downside of the vaccine,” Shaw said over the phone from his office in the research pavilion at the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority....

The World Health Organisation said on Thursday that checks on many of the 30 deaths recorded following mass pandemic flu vaccinations had so far ruled out a direct link to the vaccines.

A U.S.-based group representing people who portray Santa Claus during the Christmas season wants its members to be designated a priority group to receive the swine flu vaccine. Over the next few weeks, Father Christmases will come into contact with thousands of children at shopping malls and Santa Claus parades. The Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, a fraternal organization that provides training and resources for people who work or volunteer as Santa Clauses, said the health of its roughly 700 members is a real concern. "Yes, we should be given the needle," said Nicholas Trolli, the organization's president. "Many...

CONCORD, N.H. – Forget cookies and milk. Santa wants the swine flu vaccine. Many of the nation's Santas want to be given priority for the vaccine and not just because of those runny-nosed kids. There's also the not-so-little matter of that round belly. Research has suggested obesity could be a risk factor. Swine flu has become such a concern that the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas featured a seminar on the illness at a recent conference in Philadelphia. The group also urged its members to use hand sanitizer and take vitamins to boost their immune systems. The president...

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel made up of medical and public health experts, met July 29, 2009, to make recommendations on who should receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine While some issues are still unknown, such as how severe the flu season, the ACIP considered several factors, including current disease patterns, populations most at-risk for severe illness based on current trends in illness, hospitalizations and deaths, how much vaccine is expected to be available, and the timing of vaccine availability. The groups recommended to receive the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine include: Pregnant Women because they are at...

A 14-year-old Virginia boy is weak and struggling to walk after coming down with a reported case of Guillain-Barre syndrome within hours after receiving the H1N1 vaccine for swine flu. Jordan McFarland, a high school athlete from Alexandria, Va., left Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Tuesday night in a wheelchair nearly a week after developing severe headaches, muscle spasms and weakness in his legs following a swine flu shot. He will likely need the assistance of a walker for four to six weeks, plus extensive physical therapy. “The doctor said I’ll recover fully, but it’s going to take some time,”...

Student refused; was held down for vaccination. It took the strength of two sheriff's deputies to keep a middle schooler still enough to receive a shot of the swine flu, or H1N1, vaccine at a recent clinic. During a regular Wheeling-Ohio County Health Board meeting Tuesday, health department Administrator Howard Gamble told board members about the student's attempt to flee Wheeling Middle School during a vaccination clinic held there last Friday. He noted the boy's mother could not bear to watch the scene and left the gymnasium. "He tried to run. I looked over and saw two sheriff's deputies holding...

thousands of nurses and other front-line healthcare workers are fighting mandatory flu immunization policies being put in place by some U.S. hospitals. The H1N1 pandemic, which has killed about 3,900 Americans so far, has stoked tensions over the best way to safeguard medical caregivers and their patients from flu. Nurses unions have won some early battles against compulsory vaccination. data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that only about 40 percent of U.S. healthcare workers ever get shots for seasonal influenza. mandating that healthcare workers get vaccines is misguided, ineffective and ultimately counterproductive. "There is no...