Did I blink and leave the United States? - UPDATE, p. 2, post 29

[RadioFanatic]

I'm so frustrated right now. I totally understand the H1N1 flu vaccines have a back up - but the regular flu now too? And, according to my pediatrician's office, it's because the company(ies?) who are making the H1N1 also make the regular and are putting the regular vaccines on the back burner and not sending them out. This is the second visit to my doctor's office that has been cancelled. And my 20 month old is in daycare and gets EVERYTHING and has problems with ear infections, so the last thing I need is for him to get the flu too! Is anyone as frustrated as I am?

 

[minniecarousel]

It doesn't seem to be in short supply around here (SF Bay Area). DM, DH & I all got ours. Many of the drug stores are giving them (for a fee).

 

[1PrincessMomma1]

We're finding the same problem. Even flu clinics have been cancelled.

 

[maroo]

It is my understanding that they stopped production of the regular flu vaccine early this year in order to make H1N1 vaccine. I have heard that the flu vaccines that are here are going to be last of them given to doctor's offices.

The rest are going to be sent to the state health departments directly to determine how they want to distribute them.


If you want your child vaccinated for regular flu - then I would try calling the local health department and see if they have any or know of a place that would be able to give them out. Not sure how it affects everything that he is under age 2??

 

[EthansMom]

I agree with the PPs who mentioned that there was a reduced production of the regular flu vaccine due to the need to produce H1N1 vaccine. Even in previous years, there was a shortage of flu vaccine later in the year (toward late Nov. and Dec.). Production of the H1N1 vaccine has made that shortage occur at an earlier time.

Also, "they" keep saying that this winter will be bad for flu and many people are getting flu shots who haven't in the past.

Our family has always gotten flu shots (we have respiratory issues/asthma) as early in the fall as possible and never had a problem with getting them. We haven't been able to get the H1N1 shots yet as the regular shots are not yet available in our area (only nasal and we can't have the nasal due to the afformentioned respiratory/asthma issues).

If your child hasn't had the flu shot in the past, he/she should get two shots which will probably be next to impossible. But even getting one shot will offer some resistance.

I agree with the previous posters about calling the local health department to see if they can offer any advice.

Good Luck!

 

[luvmy3jewels]

Our local Health Dept. has issued a statement saying that they are out of the regular flu shots for adults. The sad thing is that none of our local Doctors offices could get the flu vaccine in this year, so the only places that it was available was the Health Dept., CVS and Walgreens. I guess that's what I get for procrastinating.

 

[RadioFanatic]

well, in my area, none of the clinics, DOH, etc. will do it for children under 9 years old. Which leaves my highly susceptable, 20 month old day care DS without it when he probably is one of the ones who needs it most. I'm pretty freaked out about it to say the least!

 

[charlie,nj]

Interesting… where is the outrage in the media about the shortages?

I remember a few years ago all of the ….err… never mind.



.

 

[mjkacmom]

It's because they're really short on the H1N1 vaccine, an illness that has already started (regular flu usually hits in November), and that is most life threatening for children than the regular flu. We did get the regular flu shot, but no word on the H1N1 shot, and my twins do have asthma.

 

[C.Ann]

Very frustrated.. By the time either vaccine is readily available, it will pretty much be useless as everyone will already have been sick and recovered - or will be in the throes of getting sick..

 

[Christine]

Our peds office and the local drug stores are still providing seasonal flu shots. No one around here seems to have received the H1N1. My peds office has no clue when they'll get it. Our health department is starting two clinics this week and are giving H1N1 out free to high-risk groups. So, hopefully, my son will get his this Wednesday. He did get the regular flu shot back in September.

 

[Pennykay]

The seasonal flu has been crowded out by H1N1 anyway with over 99.6% of flu cases being H1N1. It is probably more important for you to find that vaccine anyway. Good luck!

 

[Geoff_M]

I'm so frustrated right now. I totally understand the H1N1 flu vaccines have a back up - but the regular flu now too? And, according to my pediatrician's office, it's because the company(ies?) who are making the H1N1 also make the regular and are putting the regular vaccines on the back burner and not sending them out.

It's a manufacturing capacity issue. Pharmaceutical and biological products manufacturing facilities and production lines have to be approved by the FDA and it's a lengthy process. There's no short way to expand production capacity to be able to make both types of vaccine at the same time. So while they were working on the H1N1 "master seed", the manufacturers were cranking out seasonal flu vaccine, but then cut production over once the H1N1 vaccine was approved. They understandably opted to go with the vaccine that works against what's deemed to be a larger human health threat.

 

[RadioNate]

Our Pediatricians office doesn't have either shot. They will also vaccinate parents and I think a lot of parents without regular family physicians use them.

They are set to get more of the regular vaccine and are scheduling for that but only the nasal spray. They aren't expecting any more of the shot. My DD is too young for the spray so I guess we are out of luck on that one.

They just have a wait list for H1N1. The State Department of Health is in control of that supply and they don't know when or if they will get any. From what I understand is that you are wait listed and when you are called you need to set up a time or they move on to the next person. I don't think DD will get the H1N1 shot because in addition to not being able to use the nasal spray (which is all that seems to be available) the shot contains thermosol.

I'm most worried about DD (under 2) and myself (asthma) and I don't think there will be vaccines available for us.

DH gets his at work. I'm not sure what I'll do about DS. He is wait listed for the seasonal.

 

[clori]

I honestly didn't know the vaccines were hard to get now. Dh and I got the seasonal flu shot at a walk in clinic at our drs office about two weeks ago. Last Wednesday I called the peds for the girls (5, 9) who have no underlying health conditions. I got an appt later that same afternoon. I took them in for the seasonal flu shot and they said they had the H1N1 availible so they got that as well. I know my youngest needs a second H1N1 in a month but my oldest they said is set even though she never had either before (my youngest has had the seasonal flu vaccine before) I happen to have a yearly physical tonight and was hoping that I could get the H1N1 vaccine since I have asthma.

 

[golfgal]

It's a manufacturing capacity issue. Pharmaceutical and biological products manufacturing facilities and production lines have to be approved by the FDA and it's a lengthy process. There's no short way to expand production capacity to be able to make both types of vaccine at the same time. So while they were working on the H1N1 "master seed", the manufacturers were cranking out seasonal flu vaccine, but then cut production over once the H1N1 vaccine was approved. They understandably opted to go with the vaccine that works against what's deemed to be a larger human health threat.

Exactly, find a company in the world that can double their capacity in 6 months without adding equipment. You also have to factor in that it takes TIME to develop the vaccine-to grow it and produce it-there is nothing that can be done about that process so part of the 'backlog" is that it wasn't ready to distribute and the flu started showing up. You can get the seasonal flu shots around here but no H1N1 yet.

 

[Ilike2Lurk]

I'm so frustrated right now. I totally understand the H1N1 flu vaccines have a back up - but the regular flu now too? And, according to my pediatrician's office, it's because the company(ies?) who are making the H1N1 also make the regular and are putting the regular vaccines on the back burner and not sending them out. This is the second visit to my doctor's office that has been cancelled. And my 20 month old is in daycare and gets EVERYTHING and has problems with ear infections, so the last thing I need is for him to get the flu too! Is anyone as frustrated as I am?

Weird. I think 10% of the H1N1 is already been promised to other countries Google it.

Sad we can't take care of our own, but we are going to take care of others

 

[georgina]

I had a cold for a couple of weeks and was unable to get the seasonal flu shot, now my dr's office is out. The county health dept has it, I may go there if I can't find one at a pharmacy around here.

Ilike2lurk - I'm not sure why you think the US should be the only country to get the vaccine? I did Google it - It says a French drug maker makes 40% of the world's supply of vaccine, and the other companies are all international - only 10% to other countries you say? The US does not have 90% of the world's population.

 

[Disney Doll]

I don't understand why we get all upset about this. It happens every year...we run out of the flu vaccine, we get a million excuses about why we ran out of the flu vaccine, and then in about late January we will hear that the strain of flu that is most common this year was not one included in the flu vaccine.

Hence the reason I think the flu vaccine is a huge waste of time and money. It makes the pharmaceutical companies a lot of $$ though.

 

[Geoff_M]

I don't understand why we get all upset about this. It happens every year...

No, not really. In the last decade I believe it's happened two times for two different (but very valid) reasons.

It makes the pharmaceutical companies a lot of $$ though.

This will come as a shock to you, but Pharma companies aren't tripping all over themselves to get into the seasonal, or specialty flu vaccine market. There's no gold rush in flu vaccines. Unless your company develops a new novel vaccine on its own, it's not likely you're to see a large return.