Why all the hysteria over flu shot shortage

[GodHelpUsAll2]

Does anyone besides me view this as just another distraction? Has anyone checked out the CDC website and looked at the stats on the flu? It's being reacted to as if there were a plague epidemic in the US and people are falling out dead all over the place because there is no medicine.

[GOPNotForMe]

1. Yeah, I don't really get it either

[GodHelpUsAll2]

4. All it takes

is about 2 minutes and a visit to the CDC and the census bureau websites to see that there is a "shortage" EVERY year. The number of shots that were suppose to be available were approx 110 million. That's enough to cover roughly 1/3 of the population. And there have only been 4 states as of October 2004 that even reported having cases of the flu. I hold to my belief this is a distraction put out there because of the predictability of the public to overreact and panic.

[UNIXcock]

35. True, it's all BS anyway

... I have never gone for a flu vaccine. It pays to wash hands often and live well I suppose.

Wanna really do something to improve your odds for a good life?

- Quit smoking today
- Always wear your seat belts
- Eat well balanced, small portion meals often
- Drink more water than you think you need each day
- Get a puppy, grow a garden
- Hide your TV remote control and start exercising

... Save your flu shot for someone that is "at risk"

[Warpy]

8. I do. Yuppies feel so damned entitled to everything

that when something they don't really need is in short supply and they are asked to forego it, they blow a gasket.

[Joy Anne]

34. Yuppies?

The people who are upset are way too old to be yuppies!

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. another distraction?

no. its just another glaring example of the chimp's ability to turn any and everything into an unmitigated disaster. The reason it seems like a distraction is because, well, we are all used to unmitigated disasters.

[FloridaPat]

3. I find it interesting that this is happening just after they've revivied

the Spanish fly of 1918 that killed 40 million people world wide. Another thing is maybe there's a few dollars left over somewhere that haven't gone to the drug comapnies and this is a way to raise the prices. Normally the government is trying to get people to take the shots. Smells really funny.

[Roon]

24. That must have been a hell of an orgy eom

[Joy Anne]

36. <snort>

Let's not make jokes about typos, please. I'm trying to be serious here, and you made me spill my coffee.

[freetobegay]

5. If you were HIV positive or elderly

You would probably understand a little bit better. It can be life threating for some.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

9. I understand completely

I am relatively healthy, I don't get flu shots. I belive those at risk should. But, I do believe that by putting this "shortage" information out there and pounding it home as it has been has caused a LOT of the population, that otherwise would not be in such a hurry to rush out ane get a flu shot to run in stampedes to try and get one now before they are all gone. Which in turn causes those who NEED it to have to wait in line or not get it at all. A classic example of the "Me first" attitude in this country.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Or diabetic

there are groups that do need it and are not getting it

[Lorien]

48. Or have another condition that compromises your immune

system. I have Fibromyalgia, and I'm very susceptible to the flu. Almost killed me seven years ago. I'm also self employed, and simply can't afford to get sick.

There are millions out there with similar conditions.

[meganmonkey]

6. Fear = Distraction

No question about it. I've said it before - the flu vaccine is at best a gimmick and at worst a public health threat. here are a couple of pre-emptive links - please don't attack me about that statement. i have a very slow connection to the internets, so i'm only offering these 2:

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/01/15/Worldandnation/Study__Latest_flu_vac.shtml
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/15/flu.vaccine/

these are about last year's vaccine.
if you want more, just do a google search for 'flu vaccine ineffective' and you'll see what i mean.

[liberalmuse]

7. I've never gotten a flu shot in my life...

and seem to fare better than co-workers who do. However, the elderly are put at risk when irresponsible shit like this happens. Shame on Bush, and I do blame him.

[CindyDale]

16. I was only joking . . .

I was only joking when I said that this is what happens when you get everyone in England but Tony Blair to hate us and then outsource the vaccine over there. It's something to think about though--privatizing and outsourcing everything and then having a president who doesn't want to be too "popular" might not be such a great idea.

[aeolian]

10. I'm recovering from flu right now

No big deal. I never get shots, but then, I'm a young, healthy guy with an immune system. This year I got hit. Whatever. Chicken soup and orange juice, two days off work, and a few boxes of kleenex. I'll live.

It seems to me that too many people get the shots anyway. Babies, the elderly, the otherwise infirm, yeah, they should get the shots. Healthy adults? Never saw the point.

But, that's just me, and I ain't no epidemiologist.

[Lars39]

18. Doesn't sound like you had the flu then.

The flu will put you in the bed for a good week and take weeks more to truly get over.

[aeolian]

29. Like I said,

I have a good immune system. I know flu, I've had it before. I'm on my fourth day of it right now, but am on the upswing. It'll be with me for a while, yet, sure. I didn't mean to imply that I'm gonna go rock climbing tonight or anything. *sniff* :)

[splat]

12. Granny will die

Old people fear getting sick, fear pneumonia, fear what they'll pick up in hospitals.

When there's not enough for the old people, when they feel exposed and endangered, they blame the government.

To the elderly, a flu shot is like a talisman, warding off evil, life-threateneing germs.

And the anxiety over not getting one is a Chicken Little moment for this administration. Whether the sky falls or not, the elderly population that blames them.

[crazylikafox]

32. Yes, your Granny may die, and Grandpa too

Folks, this IS serious. People really do die from the flue. Unless the strain is particularily virulent, almost all healthy people survive. But the elderly and chronically ill often do do. I know, my Grandfather and father both died of the flu. And there is not enough vaccine this year, even for the high risk.

My 86 year old mother is visiting me. I called my Dr's office onThursday, where I've always gotten my flue shot in past years, to see if they could take my mother. I was told they had gotten no vaccine this year, and would be getting none. There was only one place left in the city where they knew I could get vaccine. I got the number, called ahead to verify, and headed into the city with my mother. When we arrived, they said they had just given the last of their supply to a nursing home. There was a line of old people on walkers and oxygen that were turned away. We were told they had only a handful of shots left, and would give them only to those over 65 with heart disease or cancer.

My mother who is 86 and still in relatively good health, was turned away. Yes, folks, this could be a disaster this winter!!

[newyawker99]

45. Hi crazylikeafox!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[CBHagman]

49. Thank you, crazylikeafox.

Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. do die of the flu each year. That may not sound like much to the people straining their arms to pat themselves on the back for their great immune systems, but it's very different for the people who are going to go to the funerals this season. Would you rather see someone have a $25 flu shot in October or November, or see them wind up in the hospital or a coffin come winter?

[Lefty48197]

13. Why aren't you hysterical?

I mean, do you know where to get some vaccine?

[GodHelpUsAll2]

15. My Dr's office has it

Where it is a short supply I am relieved to find that most of the patients that think they can ride out a case of the flu gave up getting shots so as to have it for the ones who need it.

[supernova]

14. There's a rural community hospital

near here that is being priced out of the market trying to get shots for their in-patients.

The buying nurse said that over the course of the day right after the annoucement, their suppliers went from charging about 10$/vial to over $900/vial. Absolutely criminal.

One of the leading causes of hospital deaths is passing around secondary infections, like the flu, between patients, not the original illness that put you in the hospital. :crazy:

[GodHelpUsAll2]

17. I heard about

the price gouging on the news.

[Jade Fox]

19. All I know is that if I don't get a shot, I ALWAYS get the flu....

and last time I screwed around and didn't get a shot I was sick for about
a month. And I'm not even in a high-risk catagory.

I managed to get a flu shot last weekend, and I'm damn grateful.

[jrthin]

20. You don't get it.

This is very serious. Influenza kill thousands each year. On a personal level, the flu nearly killed my Mom five years ago, and in the end, three months ago, the residual effects of the virus killed her.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

22. I do get it

I am very aware that flu related illness kills thousands each year. About 36,000 according to the CDC. What I am saying that I think you don't get is 56 million shots available. Those of us that are not in the "Risk" catagory should back off stop panicing and let the shots go to those who are in NEED. Again, 56 MILLION shots available. But that would mean possibly getting sick and being inconvenienced. Again, the ME FIRST attitude in this country.

[Lars39]

25. The shots aren't even getting to clinics

so that doctors can decide who gets them, though.

I live in a county of approx 45,000 people. None of the clinics have them. The health dept only recieved 300.

The county my father lives in has recieved 0 at the clinics and the health dept hasn't recieved any. The next county over, where he goes to the doctor, the clinics aren't recieving any either.

That is a hell of a lot of people that need them and aren't even given a fair shake at getting one, let alone healthy people being given the option to turn the vaccine down.

[jrthin]

42. You're correct. I just

want to make sure those in the vunerable category know that getting the shot is important; the shot saves lives.

[meganmonkey]

27. the flu is serious

and the vaccine may help some people, but please see my post #6 for links showing that vaccine, as it is now developed/used, is pretty ineffective. the fact that people really believe that the vaccine helps them may be putting themselves at greater risk. if they think it is truly protecting them, they won't do other things that can help them like wash their hands obsessively and take supplements to boost their immune systems. this hysteria over the vaccine shortage is misleading and keeps us from seeing the real issue here.

[wishlist]

21. One news show predicted possibly 18,000 more deaths from flu this year

I had on one of the mainstream TV news channels a couple of days ago where some expert cited how many thousands of deaths occurred from the flu last year including over 600 in Ohio I believe and that there could possibly be be many thousands more deaths this year. They mentioned people being especially frantic in Ohio at places that have run out of vaccine because of the large outbreak last year.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

23. My point exactly

One news show predicted possibly 18,000 more deaths from flu this year.

A little over a year and a half ago all we heard on the news was

Iraq was dangerous, had WMD"S and they PREDICTED that POSSIBLY they could nuke us.


See any similarities?

[mockmonkey]

26. They scare people

and then every A-hole in the country wants a shot NOW. Then they create an even worse shortage instead allowing doctors and nursing homes to get the meds to those who need it most.

[MS68]

28. I've never trusted flu shots...

I'm not sure why..I've always been convinced it will give me the flu :) I haven't had the flu in 7 years. I think people who are generally in good health will be fine. Yeah, they might catch it and have to spend a few days in bed, but it's not going to kill the majority of us. Give the vaccine to people with low immunity--the elderly, HIV + and little kids. The rest of us will be just fine. It's not the end of the world if you have to call in sick.

[NewHampshireDem]

30. The point is that the flu is a preventable disease ...

You want to talk about healthcare costs spiraling out of control? How many people will end up in the hospital, costing us thousands of dollars each, because of this snafu? Furthermore, some experts postulate that the flu could be eradicated completely if everyone got a flu shot. How much money would that save?

[meganmonkey]

31. but the vaccine is not the best preventer

please see my post #6 w/links.

what experts say the vaccine can eradicate flu? i've never seen any research like that. please provide links

[Bridget Burke]

38. The link in post #6 has to do with last year.

The vaccine's purpose has never been to eradicate the flu. It's to give certain people a chance at not catching it. If you're very young, old, or have health problems, the flu can be very serious and even fatal. Thousands die each year; obviously, even in a "normal" year, not enough people are protected.

I'm healthy but get the shot in "normal" years. Being really sick for two weeks is no fun--that cold that goes around every year is not influenza. And I'd rather not give the flu to others; contagion begins before symptoms appear.

[meganmonkey]

40. my point is the vaccine is hit-or-miss

as the articles point out, the vaccine is based on a particular strain that the experts are guessing on, and which, in most years, isn't the most widespread variety. i am not saying that the elderly or low-immune-system folks shouldn't get shots. i'm just saying that the general view is that these shots protect people and they really don't. the bigger issue is that all this hysteria is totally misleading and a distraction from the real threat of the flu.
and of course the statistics are from last year - this year's flu season barely has legs yet.

[Joy Anne]

33. why flu shots?

People who are aged, sick, or immunocompromised ought to have them. Our frontpage this morning has "A Vigil for Their Vaccines" with a picture of hundreds of elderly people sitting in lawn chairs with blankets over them in line at 9:45 a.m. outside a supermarket that was to distribute 200 shots at 3 p.m. (http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/109791847528400.xml). One woman in her 40s had a doctor's note; she didn't think she looked old and frail enough, but she'd just had a kidney transplant and was immunosuppressed. Stores around here traditionally do this as a public service for people's convenience. But this year only some stores and a few doctors' offices have them.

I was at an assisted living facility the other day for a candidate debate, and the first question asked was about flu vaccine. The admininstrator then said they hadn't received any and were frantically looking; the local hospital didn't have any either.

My mother's family doctor and her lung specialist didn't get any vaccine. She's 80 and healthy except for asthmatic bronchitis (she says from working where people smoked); she'll be in big trouble if she has the flu. She and my father left today for a Navy vets' convention; she says maybe shots will be available in Missouri.

While canvassing this morning, we were told the Republicans don't care about old people. This is an issue with momentum.

And of course I don't get flu shots when there's a shortage.

[Ezlivin]

37. How much money can you stand to lose?

When I was a young man, I could shrug off stuff like the flu. Now that I'm a 47 year-old paraplegic, the flu is a monster. I run my own business and if the flu puts me down, not only am I not well, I'm not making money.

There are probably a lot of wage earners who cannot afford to miss work. Flu can put you down long enough to seriously hurt your income. And if you are in the "expendable" class of workers, your job may not survive your flu.

I get my flu shot every year, but this week when I was at the VA hospital, the doctor told me I was not a high enough risk. Now I'm hoping that my good hygiene, healthy eating habits and exercise continue to act as a prophylactic against the virus.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

44. I am deeply

saddened that it's all come down to the money. I may sound a little harsh but geez it's the flu not the black plague. People who have health problems to begin with should get a flu shot, people who do not have health problems and are not truly "at risk" patients should be flogged in public for the "I need the vaccine because I may lose a few dollrs because I have to be off work, or, I need the shot because if I get sick it will just be too big of an inconveinience for me" attitude. Has anyone entertained the idea that those who are in what you refer to as the "expendable" class probably don't get flu shots in the first place because they can't afford them? I don't recall in past years EVER seeing anyone panicing as much because there were droves of citizens out there that didn't get flu shots because they can't even afford the 10 bucks the local clinics charge for it! This whole situation makes me physically ill. More so than if I caught something such as the flu.

[Cleita]

39. For a fundie freeper moment.

I was watching the local telly news and they were interviewing people standing in line for flu shots. The reporter was asking everyone in line if they were high risk. So they asked this one woman the question.

She replied,"I deserve a flu shot because I pray for everyone who gets the flu to get better."

The reporter, taken aback, asked, "But why would that make you at risk?"

The woman replied, "Because those people I pray for could give me the flu."

She didn't get a flu shot.

[fishnfla]

41. Elementary my dear Watson:Follow the money!

Why is there a flu shot shortage? Because only 2 companies make the vaccine, and one of them got shut down.

why do only 2 companies make the vaccine? Because it is costly and the payback is minimal, not profitable

what happens when demand is greater than supply? The price goes up!

why the hysteria? to hype the demand, which justifies the higher prices

Kinda like what Enron did with energy in California.......

[GodHelpUsAll2]

43. Exactly

[LizW]

50. That's why there's a different "emergency" hype every year

Many times it's a "new" strain. Last year it was the "early" onset of the flu season, plus the claim that children were being particularly hard hit. (I'll admit, that one got even me, and I took my kids for a flu shot for the first time ever.)

Like clockwork, there's always something to get people started running out to get the shots. The targets are not the vulnerable population who get the shot every year, but those of us who don't. The aim is to create a panic based on scarcity, and to pump the price.

And the of course, there's this:

http://www4.fosters.com/October_2004/10.09.04/news/ap_bu1009a.asp

Flu Mist doubles supply to meet demand

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The maker of FluMist, a relatively new nasal flu vaccine, said Friday it would nearly double the number of doses it makes to help meet demand caused by a shortage of flu shots.

(snip)

In two weeks, Giant Food will offer FluMist at around $30 per dose at pharmacies in 34 of its Virginia stores, according to spokesman Barry Scher. Last fall, Giant sold FluMist for $59.95 per dose. Giant charges $20 for a flu shot, although the cost for shots can vary widely depending on where it’s offered.

Also Friday, some health insurance companies, including Aetna and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield of New York, said they would cover FluMist during the upcoming flu season.

(snip)

Gaithersburg, Md.-based MedImmune had only made 1.1 million doses for this flu season, following disappointing sales last year. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked MedImmune to step up production to help cover this year’s flu shot shortage.

MedImmune made 4 million doses of FluMist in 2003, predicting strong demand for the needle-free vaccine. But the limits on those who can use it, difficult storage requirements and a high price led to dismal sales.

(end quote from article)

Hmmm, low demand last year. What could possibly happen to increase demand this year, I wonder? :tinfoilhat:

[NC_Nurse]

46. Every year the media gets more hysterical about the flu or SARS

or whatever. Last year, less children died here in NC from the flu than in a typical year. Because the flu hit early, they whipped everyone into a frenzy about it; hence the "shortage". There was no shortage of the nasal mist doses, but people didn't seem to want to pay extra for it.
We usually get vaccinated at the hospital, but this year only the ED and ICU nurses are getting it. I see 50 patients a day, many of whom have hepatitis c or HIV or cancer and are immunosuppressed in some way, but we won't get it. My concern is for them, not me. The problem is, everyone in America thinks they are entitled to it, never mind the people who might actually DIE from it.
For most people between 2 and 65 it's a nasty week in bed, nothing more. I agree that it's a fuck up that they don't have more vaccine, especially since they play up the danger so much. But I also think it's another paper tiger for the media to exploit.
People die, it's not something that can be changed. It's not anyone's fault. It's life.

[Kimber Scott]

47. Last year, or two, they came out with the nasal vaccine.

They tried create a flu epidemic out of thin air so they could sell the spray. It worked pretty good. The media ran with it for weeks and weeks, but then (after mass hysteria had set in) the media realized the mortality rates from the flu had not changed in years. They did a few stories on that, but the nasal flu vaccine (and the traditional shots) had already skyrocketed in sales. Seems like this year, they thought they'd try something else to sell the nasal spray to give people time to forget the scam from last year. MHOP.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

51. People are so damn dramatic and selfish

and greedy is makes me sick. Titles such as, Granny WILL die. How much money can you afford to loose? And all you people straining to pat yourselves on the back because of your good immune system. You won't have to go to funerals this winter. Too all of them I say
GET A GRIP! This I have a better pitty case and am more deserving that you shit is just that, a huge steaming pile of shit. We all have an elderly family member or are elderly, a lot of us either have ourselves or have a family member that is "at risk" so spare me the gloom and doom. approx. 36,000 people die every year to "flu RELATED illness and pneumonia combined. That number HAS NOT changed since 1990.

To all of you impending doom and certain death spreaders, my question is this: Did you get all hysterical and in in such a frenzy when it became apparent to the WORLD that the people with HIV couldn't get the medication they needed to fight this deadly disease or do you contain your outrage and pitty to things that only directly effect you? It's times like this that I am completely ashamed and embarrassed at the way people in this country act. And then everyone wonders why we are in the mes that we are.

[Kimber Scott]

52. Are you talking to me? nt