Inhalable swine flu vaccine to be ready soon

[steven johnson]

The first vaccine available will be MedImmune's FluMist inhalable vaccine for the H1N1 flu will probably go mainly to healthcare workers, as it is not approved for children under 2, adults over 49 or pregnant women. It is expected to be available at the beginning of October.

At least 3.4 million doses of vaccine against the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus will be available at the beginning of October, and about 20 million doses per week should become available soon after that, federal officials said Friday.

The first vaccine available will be MedImmune's FluMist inhalable vaccine, but injectable vaccines should be distributed soon after that, Dr. Jay Butler, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2009 H1N1 vaccine task force, said at a morning news conference. The inhalable vaccine has not been approved for children younger than 2, adults older than 49 or pregnant women, so it may go primarily to healthcare providers.

All five swine flu vaccine manufacturers will ship their product directly to McKesson (of San Francisco which also handles distribution of vaccines for the government's Vaccines for Children program). Each morning, the company will receive a list of orders from the CDC. Within three days, those orders will be processed and shipped overnight to the local providers, Butler said. No shipments will be made on Fridays and Saturdays to avoid having the vaccine arrive and sit unattended.

Inhalable swine flu vaccine to be ready soon

[elocs]

1. Well, line up the sheeple and let us all be saved. n/t

[Control-Z]

4. Just don't you cut in that line

when doses run short.

[elocs]

5. No problemo. n/t

[Control-Z]

6. And I sincerely hope

you don't come down with it. If you do, I hope it's mild.

[HuckleB]

2. Good.

[emilyg]

3. ty

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

7. Good.

It targets the groups that have proven the most likely to die from novel H1N1.