TUESDAY, Nov. 9, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- State health officials will now be allocating flu vaccines as high-risk individuals seek out the remaining supply of shots, federal health officials said Tuesday.
Over the next two weeks, 7.2 million doses of vaccine will be apportioned among the states, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at briefing on the status of the national vaccination picture.
The vaccine "will be apportioned using the formula that state and local health officials developed with the CDC," based on estimates of the number of high-priority individuals in each state, she said.
When states receive their vaccine supply, they will allocate it by rules they set, Gerberding said.
There are "a variety of local strategies for who gets the vaccine," she said. "State and local health officials are very capable of making that kind of decision."
The CDC "will make no formal recommendations for prioritization," Gerberding added.
A total of 61 million doses of vaccine will be available this season, far shy of the anticipated 100 million doses; bacterial contamination at a British plant run by one of the two vaccine suppliers to the United States led to the shortfall. Approximately 90 million people are in the high-risk category, according to an estimate based on Census data that used criteria such as age and chronic illness, Gerberding said.
High-risk individuals include children aged 6 to 23 months, adults 65 and older, and people with chronic health problems, health experts said.
Such individuals who have not been vaccinated should start by calling their health provider or checking with the local health department, advised Patrick Libbey, executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, who took part in the briefing.
"If they can't find information, they should call the CDC hot line," Gerberding said. The number is 1-800-232-4636 (CDC INFO).
A total of 11.1 million flu doses were available as of Nov. 1, she said. Some have already been shipped and the "CDC is holding back 1.3 million doses to allow some flexibility," she added.
One bit of good news is that "at this point in time, no state is reporting widespread [flu] activity," Gerberding said. Influenza outbreaks have been reported in 29 states, which is "well within normal for this time of year" and at a lower level than the same time last year, she added.
In past years when there was no vaccine shortage, less than half the people in the high-priority categories got shots, Gerberding said.
Typically, 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu each year, resulting in more than 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths, according to the CDC.
More information
The latest flu and vaccine information is available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
