Flu Vaccine Shortage Temporary: CDC Officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unexpectedly high demand for the influenza vaccine means some U.S. clinics have run out early, but the country will have plenty of influenza vaccine this year, health officials said on Thursday.

The flu season has not taken off yet, they pointed out, and Americans will have time to be vaccinated before the influenza season peaks, generally in February or March in the United States.

"So far at least 71 million doses of influenza vaccine have been distributed," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Julie Gerberding told reporters in a telephone briefing.

"We expect that by the end of November we will have distributed more than 81 million doses of vaccine," she said, which will be the total supply available this flu season.

The spot shortages are only the latest problems to affect the U.S. influenza vaccination program, a combination of public health and private industry that has not always work smoothly.

Last year, health officials hoped to vaccinate 100 million Americans, the most ever. But a major manufacturer, Chiron Corp., experienced contamination at its British-based factory, lost its license and with it went half the anticipated U.S. supply.

The disruption caused long lines of people at flu vaccination clinics.

This year, a feared pandemic of H5N1 avian influenza has added to the pressure. The seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against avian flu -- it is formulated to defend against three other strains: H1N1, H3N2 and the influenza B strain.

"The specter of pandemic influenza is very frightening to people," Gerberding said. "It does remind people of the importance of influenza as an illness...and in the long run may result in people being motivated."

Ordinary flu can be frightening -- it kills an estimated 36,000 Americans in a normal year, up to 500,000 globally, and puts more than 200,000 into U.S. hospitals.

SPOT SHORTAGES

There are reports that demand may be up this year, although Gerberding said the CDC has no numbers yet.

There are spot shortages, however.

"My own mother called me this week because her doctor told her that the vaccine was not available," Gerberding said.

"One of the questions I asked her was is there a flu outbreak in the community." When her mother said there was no outbreak, Gerberding advised her to wait until her doctor had vaccine rather than trying to travel to find one.

"This year's flu season is not off to an aggressive start. We have less flu in the country than we did this time last year," Gerberding said.

"That's a good thing because it gives us time to get the vaccine out there."

Gerberding said more than 71 million doses now available included 55 million doses from Sanofi-Aventis, a unit of Aventis Pasteur, 7.5 million from GlaxoSmithKline, 1 million from MedImmune and 8 million from Chiron.

Chiron is having trouble getting its production up and shipped this year, Gerberding said.

People may also be looking for vaccine because of last year's shortage, she said.

The higher demand may encourage manufacturers to get back into the vaccine-making business, Gerberding said. Drug makers have complained that demand for flu vaccine is uncertain, with millions of doses thrown away unused every year.

The vaccine must be reformulated and made fresh every year -- a lengthy and complicated process based on decades-old technology -- because the strains mutate.

Higher demand might drive innovation in the industry.

"More than 180 million people should get (flu) vaccine and we have never gotten anywhere near close to that," Gerberding said.