CDC claims success in fighting flu shot shortfall

Seniors, toddlers and others at high risk from the flu received almost two-thirds of the vaccine available in the United States during the 2004-2005 season, indicating that federal efforts to cope with an unexpected shortfall succeeded, officials said Thursday.

The U.S. government urged millions of Americans last fall to forego a flu shot after a U.S. vaccine manufacturer announced that it would be unable to deliver about half of the 100 million doses needed in the nation.

Many people apparently heeded the government’s advice.

Vaccination rates for adults not at high risk for flu complications were about half historic levels, but those for high-risk groups were fairly similar to previous years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report.

People at highest risk from the flu, including those 65 years and older, pregnant women, children between the ages of 6 months and 23 months and people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes — accounted for about 40 million of the 61 million doses distributed, the Atlanta-based federal agency said.

'Efforts paid off'
“We know this was a challenging year for many patients and clinicians who patiently waited for influenza vaccine,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, the director of the CDC, “but overall our extensive efforts paid off.”

Influenza, which is marked by respiratory inflammation, fever, muscular pain and intestinal tract irritation, is believed to kill about 36,000 people and hospitalize 114,000 in the United States every year.

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Exact figures on flu-related deaths are difficult to get because U.S. doctors are not required to report such deaths.

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Fears that the death toll could be higher this year surfaced in October, the outset of the flu season, when Chiron Corp. said it could not deliver any vaccine due to a contamination problem at its British plant.

The shortfall forced the CDC to scramble to find more vaccine and develop a plan for prioritizing existing supplies based on likely risk of health complications.

The agency said Thursday that it has been working with vaccine manufacturers to improve distribution for the 2005-2006 flu season, adding that projected supplies appeared adequate to meet historical demand from people in high-risk groups.

The CDC also wants a system that would have those who administer vaccine order supplies based on a prioritized scale of high-risk groups.