[Brian Nelson, Cnn Anchor:] Health officials in the U.S. are trying to ease the fears of people seeking flu vaccines. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at the vaccine shortage and what's being done about it.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Medical Correspondent:] In Israel, flu-shot clinics have been in full swing for weeks.
[Unidentified Female:] This year, we received half a million of units of vaccination. There is for everyone.
[Cohen:] And the same in Germany and throughout Europe. But in the United States, it's a different story. Most clinics aren't expected to start giving out flu vaccines until sometime in November. The vaccine's the same in the United States, Europe and Israel, so what happened? One reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shut down vaccine manufacturing at Parkdale Pharmaceutical for safety violations. Parkdale was one of four companies making vaccine in the United States. And the FDA issued citations against another manufacturer, Wyatt Bearse. A company spokesman said they got a late start in production while they corrected the problems. Another reason, manufacturers all over the world say this year's strain of flu grew very slowly. According to one U.S. manufacturer, Europeans set space in their factories to compensate for the slow- growing strain, but American producers did not.
[Jim Robinson, Aventis Pasteur:] The only way we can increase the number of doses is to increase the number of days in our program. When we do that, it means the doses come out later in the year.
[Cohen:] So what does this delay mean? Partly it depends on when the flu season hits this year. Once it's given, it takes about two weeks for the shot to work.
[Dr. Walt Orenstein, Cdc:] This year, we will need to be vaccinating into December and maybe even into January.
[Cohen:] Experts acknowledge that if the flu season peaks in December, that could be a problem. But most years it peaks between January and March.
[Orenstein:] For most flu seasons, getting vaccinated in December should be adequate to protect.
[Cohen:] The Centers for Disease Control urges everyone over age 65, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions to get flu shots. Those who are young and healthy can get flu shots, too, if they want, but because of the delay this year they might be told to come back at the end of the vaccine season to let others get shots first. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.