Government health officials are mobilizing to launch a massive swine flu vaccination campaign this fall that is unprecedented in its scope — and in the potential for complications.
The government has stressed that they are proceeding with caution but their words to not appear to match their actions. The government has already spent over $2B to buy 195 million doses and is prepared to by over 600 million doses altogether – enough to vaccinate every person in the United States. 2800 local health departments have begun preparing for “potentially the largest mass-vaccination program in human history,” according to Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who is advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it spearheads the effort. The CDC is preparing to spend $4.8M to encourage people to get the vaccine.
There are currently 5 companies racing to produce the vaccine. However, the first batches will not be available for a couple of months. This is where my concerns come in. One of the reasons stated for the delay is that the virus “grew at half the expected rate” This variance in the growth rate of the virus seems like a red flag to me that the companies, and the government do not know enough about the virus to produce a safe vaccine against it. Furthermore, results from clinical testing is not complete. Official sources stress that “a final decision to move forward will not be made until they get the results of clinical trials — testing to determine safety and dosing — and assess the virus’s threat.” But officials are confident the vaccine will pass muster.
This seems to contradict said Anthony S. Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is leading the government’s testing of the vaccine. “There’s little doubt we’re going to vaccinate people,” “Who and when and exactly how — we have to figure out.”
I am not trying to play the role of conspiracy theorist here but as for and my family, we need to know a little more before I start pumping them with drugs.
Did I mention it that authorities are adamant that vaccination will be voluntary? And they say there is no reason to think the vaccine will be any less safe than the usual flu vaccine?
Read more at the Washington Post.
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