Congressman Jim Moran's News Commentary
Our nation is now preparing itself for the upcoming flu season. Unfortunately, contamination at an English pharmaceutical plant in Liverpool has lead to major shortages this year. Two British plants currently provide the U.S. with its supply of the flu vaccine. One hundred million doses were expected to be ready for shipment this fall, but that number has been cut in half to 54 million due to the contamination.
In reaction to the shortage, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has requested that vaccine dispensers give the vaccine to the most susceptible in our population first. This includes adults over the age of 65, children between 6 and 23 months, patients with serious medical conditions and caregivers. While the CDC announced on Tuesday, October 12 that Aventis Pasteur, the other U.S. flu vaccine provider, will add over 22 million unshipped shots in the coming weeks, the goal of 100 million is still not within close reach.
In the meantime, a group of congressional members, including myself, have sent a letter to President Bush requesting that he take all necessary steps to follow the CDC's recommendations and ensure that the flu vaccine be distributed to the most vulnerable in our country: children and the elderly. We also called on the President to put in place emergency measures to prevent the recurrence of the misdistribution and profiteering that occurred in the last crises during the 2000-2001 flu season.
Each year, the flu is attributed to an estimated 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations. Recent testimony provided before the U.S. Senate, by Janet Heinrich of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), foretold of another impending crisis if changes were not made in the future. In our letter to the President, we state that Ms. Heinrich acknowledged that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had developed a "Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan" that gives guidance on state, local, and federal roles, responsibilities, and collaborations, but that the "decisions about the purchase, distribution, and administration of the vaccines were unresolved" and were being bucked to the states to handle.
This is of great concern, particularly at a time when most states are ill-quipped to handle such duties. If the responsibility were placed solely on their shoulders, it would lead to many gaps in the system with some states maintaining adequate supplies and plans for proper distribution while others surely would be unprepared and have flawed or lax oversight of distribution.
If you are interested in obtaining a flu shot for yourself or a loved one, please contact your local vaccine provider or health department. You can also use a vaccine distributor locator online from the American Lung Association's website at www.findaflushot.com/lungusa. |
