H1N1 Vaccine in Short Supply in DC Area

WASHINGTON, D.C. - There's lots of swine flu out there, but not enough vaccine to go around. Flu activity is widespread in 41 states, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control.

But health officials in our region are adjusting their vaccination plans to make sure those who need it most can get it. D.C.'s health department held a clinic Tuesday at Cardozo High School.

All over the region, the free vaccine is now being made available to high-risk groups. At Cardozo, the vaccine was for only for pregnant women and young people aged 6 months to 24 years.

The basic message going out in D.C, Maryland and Virginia is that if you're a healthy adult, step to the back of the line to get the swine flu vaccine. You can blame it on production delays.

In Fairfax County, the health department called a news conference to announce it has scaled its swine flu distribution plans way back.

"We have chosen to distribute limited quantities of what we currently have, knowing it would create some challenges and frustrations for our residents, but also knowing it would allow us to start protecting our most vulnerable," said Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu.

So instead of giving 50,000 flu shots to school kids next weekend at 10 public middle schools, they are now targeting infants, toddlers and pregnant women at a clinic at the County Government Center on Saturday.

But last week, hundreds of people turned out in Silver Spring to get free vaccinations, the nasal mist form as well as the shot. It all comes as the flu season is beginning to peak in some parts of the country.

Cindi Edwards, a nurse administrator in Montgomery County's Health Department, says in their clinic Wednesday morning they are also focusing on people who really need the vaccine, but, "we have plenty of flu mist, the nasal spray version of the H1N1 vaccine. We don't have very much of the injectable."

And that is typical nationwide. At the annual Conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. David Tayloe says it's because the manufacturers of the seasonal vaccine usually start producing next year's vaccine as one flu season is beginning, and this time they had to switch over from making the seasonal to the swine flu.

"There was probably a five or six month lag of H1N1 production behind seasonal flu vaccine production," Tayloe says.

There is a new study out of Purdue University that suggests that because of the slow production, the swine flu vaccine will arrive too late to help most Americans who will be infected during this flu season. Not all of the medical experts we spoke to agreed with that. Most said if you can, when enough is available, you should get vaccinated.

Wednesday's clinic in Montgomery County is at 1335 Piccard Street in Rockville from 9 a.m. to noon.