Does Kerry really blame Bush for shortage of flu vaccines?

[question everything]

I don't think that such blame is valid. Growing vaccines is a very delicate process, subject to contamination. I don't know how the government can control this process... unless one wants the government to be in the vaccine making business.

What am I missing?

[sugargoose]

1. I saw Nader on CSPAN this afternoon

and he was thinking something fishy about the administration allowing over half of our flu vaccine supply to be manufactured somewhere else.

[aquart]

3. BushCo lets EVERYTHING be manufactured somewhere else.

Or hadn't you noticed?

Why don't you ask where the parts for our war materiel comes from? That's a truly fun question.

[troublemaker]

2. HHS was notified 9/13, yet claims they only found out this week

[aquart]

6. They knew one month ago? And did nothing?

How many will die?

Or doesn't that matter because no one who would be saved (the very young the very old) would vote for George anyway?

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. It's the outsourcing. Critical needs should be produced at home

if at all possible, and I can't see why it wouldn't be possible.

[gmoney]

5. The vaccination situation IS a scandal

nobody in the US makes it because they can make more money with boner pills... we had a giant wake-up call with the bird-flu last time around, and we just hit the snooze button.

[aquart]

7. Boner pills are made in Ireland, aren't they?

[girl gone mad]

11. You hit the nail on the head.

Our vaccination troubles aren't new, it's been going on for years.

There was a shortage of tetnus vaccine a few years ago, and a shortage of chicken pox vaccine as well. A lot of companies have just stopped manufacturing vaccines because they don't think the profit margins are high enough.

[question everything]

14. It is not the profit; it is the - yes - threat of lawsuits

Vaccines often include live, though weaken viruses; they are often produced inside eggs - notorious for being susceptible to salmonella infection.

Vaccines cannot be 100% safe and I think that some, for kids, resulted in enormous damages to U.S. companies and that's why they stopped making them. Not necessarily the flu ones. Perhaps someone knows more facts

Perhaps we do need the protection and the authority of the U.S. Government to promote public health and safety and to protect the manufacturers from lawsuits, AS LONG AS they follow standard manufacturing and quality control guidelines.

[seabeyond]

8. i hear if they would pay more for it

then companies would be more likely to make it. more than just the few. i hear there isnt a large profitablity on it

[clover]

9. check out the flu-mist

which is being used this year instead of the rejected injectable, and follow the money trail to and from the manufacturers of this alternate delivery device, which endured serious questions re: safety and effectiveness last year, and is not under scrutiny this year, as its use will triple since the recall of the shots.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. You're missing that it is indeed FratBoy's fault.

[RamboLiberal]

12. Why do Brits have more suppliers than U.S.?

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-da...

Over the last three years, the United States government has spent several billion dollars preparing for a biological attack by terrorists. Yet it now seems likely that starting in the next couple of weeks, tens of millions of Americans will be defenseless and thousands will die because we have botched preparations for a natural biological attack everyone knew was coming: the flu.

This week, British health authorities halted production at a Liverpool factory operated by California's Chiron Corp. that supplies half of the flu vaccine for the U.S., about 48 million doses.

U.S. officials claim to have been surprised at the shutdown despite widely publicized problems at the plant, which in August caused the contamination of more than a million doses of vaccine.

Americans are right to fear that a system that cannot properly prepare for a regular flu season would be easily overwhelmed in the event of a pandemic. Our government authorities put Americans at risk by stubbornly and stupidly depending on just two facilities, one located outside the U.S. and far removed from federal regulators, to provide all of our flu vaccine.

Meanwhile, Britain had at least the minimal foresight to spread its vaccine purchases among several suppliers.

[Erika]

13. What a Blanking Farce!

Bushco can't even guarantee flu vaccine from his corporatists world drug firms. The vaccine is a low-profit drug, so his friends have no real interest in its production.

[demokatgurrl]

15. I don't think KERRY has done so. Others, maybe. n/t