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Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/health/30flu.html
Government Panel Prioritizes Swine Flu Vaccinations for Certain People
By DENISE GRADY
Published: July 29, 2009
ATLANTA ? Anticipating that not enough swine flu vaccine will be available to immunize every American in time for the expected surge of cases this fall and winter, health experts recommended on Wednesday that only certain people should be vaccinated first.
The top priority group, 150 million Americans in all, or about half the population, would include health care workers and emergency medical responders, because their jobs are critical. It would also include people with the highest risk of complications and severe illness from the new H1N1 virus: pregnant women; people caring for infants under 6 months; children and young adults from 6 months to 24 years; and people aged 25 to 64 with medical problems like asthma, diabetes or heart disease.
The recommendations were issued at a meeting on Wednesday of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of medical experts from around the country that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The group has 14 members who voted on the recommendations, and the disease centers usually takes its advice in issuing guidelines for state and local health officials.
But once the panel made its initial recommendation, members struggled and argued about what to do if there was an even more severe shortfall of the vaccine and the eligibility requirements had to be drawn even tighter. In that case, healthy children over 4 would not be vaccinated, nor would any adults except pregnant women, health and emergency workers and people caring for infants. Those cuts would reduce the number of vaccinations needed in the first round to about 40 million.
Some argued that any efforts to restrict vaccination, based on fears of a shortage, inevitably discourage people from being immunized and result in vaccine going to waste.
Government Panel Prioritizes Swine Flu Vaccinations for Certain People
By DENISE GRADY
Published: July 29, 2009
ATLANTA ? Anticipating that not enough swine flu vaccine will be available to immunize every American in time for the expected surge of cases this fall and winter, health experts recommended on Wednesday that only certain people should be vaccinated first.
The top priority group, 150 million Americans in all, or about half the population, would include health care workers and emergency medical responders, because their jobs are critical. It would also include people with the highest risk of complications and severe illness from the new H1N1 virus: pregnant women; people caring for infants under 6 months; children and young adults from 6 months to 24 years; and people aged 25 to 64 with medical problems like asthma, diabetes or heart disease.
The recommendations were issued at a meeting on Wednesday of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of medical experts from around the country that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The group has 14 members who voted on the recommendations, and the disease centers usually takes its advice in issuing guidelines for state and local health officials.
But once the panel made its initial recommendation, members struggled and argued about what to do if there was an even more severe shortfall of the vaccine and the eligibility requirements had to be drawn even tighter. In that case, healthy children over 4 would not be vaccinated, nor would any adults except pregnant women, health and emergency workers and people caring for infants. Those cuts would reduce the number of vaccinations needed in the first round to about 40 million.
Some argued that any efforts to restrict vaccination, based on fears of a shortage, inevitably discourage people from being immunized and result in vaccine going to waste.