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June 17, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Flu Vaccine Better, Not Perfect"

American Medical News (www.amednews.com) (06/10/02) Vol. 45, No. 22, P. 31; Stagg Elliott, Victoria

Now that supplies for the influenza vaccine are returning to acceptable levels, speakers at this year's National Influenza Vaccine Summit felt free to veer away from the supply shortage problem and concentrate instead on meeting Healthy People 2010 goals.  Dr. Walter A. Orenstein, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Program, said the significant headway that has been made in vaccine production makes it possible to concentrate now on the objectives for 2010.  Meeting these goals will require overcoming several challenges, including uneven distribution system, higher prices, low Medicare reimbursement, late-season decline in demand, and excess inventory.  To meet the 2010 goals, 90 percent of all people older than 65 and 60 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 64 who are at high risk for complications would have to be vaccinated.  Manufacturing capacity would also have to nearly double, to at least 152 million doses.

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