Swine flu vaccine shortage likely in the USA

There is a lag time between allocation, ordering, and shipment of doses H1N1 influenza (Swine fly) vaccine in the USA, as project areas place orders and those orders are processed and shipped, reports the USA's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), predicting a shortfall in the supply of swine flu vaccine, as the numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths grow to levels unprecedented for this time of year.

The delays will have 'a substantial impact' on state schedules for inoculation as deaths including 11 children in the past week rise above epidemic levels, Anne Schuchat, head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said during a conference call reported by Bloomberg. Testing the vaccines for strength and purity was cited as one reason for a delay in their delivery. However, Ms Schuchat stressed, 'we are not cutting any corners in the safety of the production of this vaccine or the testing and oversight of the vaccine."

There were 11.4 million doses available as of October 14, while previous estimates from the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Service called for as many as 50 million vaccines available for shipping by the end of this week. Swine flu is now widespread in 41 states compared with 37 reported last week, and for the first

MedImmune, a US unit of Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca, makes a nasal spray that is approved for "healthy" people ages two to 49. It is not approved for use by pregnant women, who have also been hit hard by the H1N1 flu.

Other companies, including a unit of France's Sanofi -Aventis, Switzerland's Novartis (which has the biggest contract with the US government for supplies), Australia's CSL and UK giant GlaxoSmithKline are making H1N1 flu shots for the US market, although GSK's vaccine is still pending Food and Drug Administration approval.