Washington – Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that supplies of vaccine should be ample this flu season and urged people at risk to get themselves vaccinated.
The country will have more than 100 million doses this year, the most ever. CDC Director Julie Gerberding said significant quantities of vaccine are expected to be available in doctors’ offices and clinics by the end of this month.
Seasonal influenza epidemics – which are not the same as the feared “pandemic flu” for which the government is spending billions of dollars in preparation – typically hospitalize more than 200,000 Americans and kill 36,000.
“We need people who can benefit from this vaccine to get it,” Gerberding said.
CDC this year recommends that the following groups receive the vaccine:
- Children from 6 months to 5 years old.
- People 50 and older.
- Anyone over 6 months old who has a chronic medical condition such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or weakened immune systems.
- All people with certain muscle or nerve disorders such as seizure disorders and severe cerebral palsy.
- Pregnant women.
- Health care workers.
- Residents of nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities.
- Household contacts and caregivers of anyone in high risk categories.
- Anyone else who wants to be immunized.
Gerberding said four drug companies are producing vaccine for Americans this year: Sanofi Pasteur; Medimmune Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; and Novartis, which last year purchased vaccine manufacturer Chiron Inc.
