Swine Flu Vaccine Shortages Widespread

Slow Production of H1N1 Vaccine Limits Availabilty of Immunizations

Oct 25, 2009 Molly Markey

Swine flu vaccine manufacturing is going more slowly than expected, causing a shortfall in the supply of the vaccine. Manufacturers are working to meet demand.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, swine flu (H1N1) is widespread in 46 states as of October 24, 2009 (www.cdc.gov). Doctors' visits and hospitalizations for flu-like illness are unusually high this year, and H1N1 has been largely responsible for this steep rise in influenza activity. In fact, on October 23rd, President Barack Obama declared the swine flu epidemic a national emergency, allowing hospitals to care for suspected H1N1 patients more efficiently by waiving some requirements of government insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, according to Reuters ("Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency", www.reuters.com, October 24, 2009). Although this declaration is only a precautionary measure, concerns about H1N1 and how to obtain the vaccine against swine flu are widespread.

On October 16th, flu experts at the Centers for Disease Control stated that a shortage of 2009 H1N1 vaccine was not anticipated, "...but availability and demand can be unpredictable. There is some possibility that initially the vaccine will be available in limited quantities." This statement has been borne out by recent events; as of late October, many people are finding that doses of H1N1 vaccine are not yet available at their doctors' office.

Is there, in fact, a shortage of swine flu vaccine? If so, what is the cause of this shortage, and how will it be addressed? How can swine flu be avoided while waiting for the vaccine to become available? Where can the vaccine be obtained, when it does become available?

Swine Flu Vaccine Shortfall

In spite of the CDC's assurance that the swine flu vaccine would be widely available starting in late October 2009, production has lagged. In fact, on October 23rd, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced at a news conference that only 16.1 million doses are currently available nationwide, a much smaller figure than the original 40 million doses the CDC had anticipated would be ready at this time.

These doses are earmarked for people most likely to become ill with swine flu if exposed, including infants over six months of age (babies younger than six months should not be given any type of flu vaccine), children up to four years old, children between the ages of four and 18 with chronic medical problems, pregnant women, and health care workers (www.cdc.gov, viewed on October 25, 2009). As more doses become available, the Centers for Disease Control insists that everyone who wants to be innoculated will have the opportunity to get the vaccine.

Both types of swine flu vaccine -- the "flu shot" (an injectable vaccine made from inactived H1N1 virus ) and the "flu mist" (a vaccine administered via nasal spray that contains a very weak form of the virus) -- are affected by production shortages.

Cause of the H1N1 Vaccine Shortage

There are two major reasons for the backup in swine flu vaccine manufacture:

1. Pharmaceutical companies are producing vaccines for the seasonal flu and for H1N1 at the same time, so each vaccine is produced more slowly;
2. Swine flu virus apparently requires different conditions to grow than seasonal flu virus, so companies are having trouble preparing enough "harmless" swine flu virus to make their vaccines. Amanda Gardner of U.S. News and World Report reports that "the H1N1 virus did not grow as quickly as expected during a half-century old -- and often-criticized -- egg-based production technique" used by pharmaceutical companies to make selected vaccines ("Production Problems Plague Delivery of Swine Flu Vaccine", October 22, 2009).

How More Swine Flu Vaccine Will Be Made For the 2009 Flu Season

H1N1 vaccine is produced in much the same way as seasonal flu vaccine. According to Dr. Thomas Frieden, chief of the Centers for Disease Control, “This flu vaccine is made as flu vaccine is made each year, by the same companies, in the same production facilities, with the same procedures, with the same safety safeguards" (The Boston Globe, "Swine Flu Vaccine Passes Safety Test", October 9, 2009).

Therefore, more swine flu vaccine will be made using the same process as seasonal flu. In short, H1N1 virus is grown in chicken eggs, then extracted from the eggs and killed. The extracted, killed virus is then injected into people, which triggers their immune systems to produce antibodies that can target and kill H1N1 virus if it tries to infect them. It is impossible to catch the flu from the H1N1 vaccine because only killed virus is used in vaccine production. (The inhaled version of the vaccine does not employ killed virus, but greatly weakened H1N1, which prompts antibody production without causing illness either).

Avoiding Swine Flu While Waiting for Vaccination

Good hygiene, including adequate hand washing and avoiding infected people, is an essential tool for preventing H1N1 infection. Parents need to be particularly vigilant while waiting for more swine flu vaccine to become available, as children are especially vulnerable to complications associated with influenza.

Where to Get the H1N1 Vaccine

When more swine flu vaccine is produced, it should be widely available in all 50 states. The best way to find out where the swine flu vaccine can be obtained is to call one's state public health office. However, the Centers for Disease Control has published a list of contacts for each state that have information about their local swine flu vaccination plan. This information is intended for health care providers, but is also useful for anyone wanting to keep abreast of how swine flu is being tackled in their state.

The copyright of the article Swine Flu Vaccine Shortages Widespread in General Medicine is owned by Molly Markey. Permission to republish Swine Flu Vaccine Shortages Widespread in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Swine Flu Vaccine Production Slower Than Expected

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