Flu vaccine abundant, but doctors still report glitches

Physicians are frustrated by distribution challenges but plan to vaccinate until doses are exhausted.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Jan. 1/8, 2007.

This season, Matthew Johnson, MD, a family physician in Park Forest, Ill., received his stock of flu vaccine. The 350 ordered doses arrived in early November 2006, a bit later than expected -- but at least they made it. He could not always say that.

"This year the start was slow, but we did get our supply," he said. "Last year I gave them an F. This year, they get a C-."

Manufacturers produced more flu vaccine in 2006 than ever before, though distribution has still not been seamless. Because the vaccine is made continuously throughout the season, not everyone who ordered it -- including some physicians -- had all of their supplies early on. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 97 million doses were distributed by the end of November. Another 10 million to 15 million are expected before the season ends.

Despite some unevenness in the distribution, the abundant supply has meant that public health officials have been able to focus attention on using as much of the available supply as possible and extending the vaccination season. This effort has been the pursuit of those working on vaccination issues, because many feel that expanding the number of people who receive shots will require this extra calendar time. Officials decided early on that, unlike previous seasons, no prioritization of patients was necessary, and the CDC declared the week after Thanksgiving National Influenza Vaccination Week.

This push was endorsed by numerous medical organizations, including the American Medical Association. Many physicians support the concept of vaccinating into December and beyond -- when demand has traditionally been minimal -- if they have vaccine available.