Preparing for flu season

The federal government's top health agencies told members of a US House subcommittee that they will recommend vaccination only for high-risk United States residents when the upcoming influenza season begins. Access will be broadened to the general public only after the agencies are certain that highrisk residents are ensured the vaccine, officials told the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on May 4th. The subcommittee members said they wanted to avoid the situation that arose during the 2004-2005 flu season when the manufacturer,Chiron Corp, Emeryville, California, of roughly half the vaccination supply for the United States was forced to stop production due to contamination at itsEngland plant. Panic among consumers regarding the abrupt cut in supply led to temporary shortages of the vaccine followed by a surplus as concerns subsided and a relatively moderate influenza season unfolded. Witnesses from the United States Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Vaccine Program Office agreed that even in a worst-case scenario, vaccine will be available to high-risk individuals.