For the last few year the City of Dearborn’s Health Department has offered flu shots for $10. This year they say they can’t because of a vacine shortage.
What’s up with that? I had flu shots the last two years. Now what?
Flu shots are overrated…
Chiron f’ed up their manufacturing in the UK, so the supply was roughly cut in half. Unless you have a chronic illness, are old, or are an infant, you should not get the shot. This pretty much rules out everyone on this forum.
Currently there is not enough vaccine to cover everyone in the above group, so if you are healthy and still opt for a shot, you are a d!ck…
I go back in forth from year to year as to whether having some mass produced mystery fluid injected in me is a good idea. My fears have been confimred now that one of the manufactures has been shut down for making contaminated vaccine (yuk!!!). This plus the fact that this year I would be taking a dose from some old guy who might die if he didn’t get a shot, it’s pretty easy to go without this year.
I’m sure I could use a week off so I’ll take it in stride if I get sick.
Are you campaigning for Kerry? Should this thread be on the lavender room??? 
there’s no flu vaccine because the stupid amercian government switched most of its flu shot contract to a an unproven british company who had never made the junk before…we used to buy the stuff from a french company…but our iraq policy takes precedent over making sure at risk people in the health care industry, with hiv, etc. are vaccinated. you can guarantee that of the available shots none will be going to strongly democrat states…better hope you live in a battleground or strongly republican state tom.
The Tom man gets put in his place…
And no, I am not campaigning for Kerry. Eh gad man.
I’m wondering if my asthma will entitle me to one.
Otherwise I’m stocking up on this gel hand sanitizer.
Currently there is not enough vaccine to cover everyone in the above group, so if you are healthy and still opt for a shot, you are a d!ck…<,
Yeah, like the 50-something couple in the Bay Area who when interviewed as to why they were getting the shots, replied, “We are going to a foreign country where we might need them.”
LIKE FREAKING ITALY! Total dicks.
clm, who will be visiting a foreign country in about 6 weeks so I’d better get one too. NOT.
“there’s no flu vaccine because the stupid amercian government switched most of its flu shot contract to a an unproven british company who had never made the junk before”
You have to be kidding…
I’m wondering if my asthma will entitle me to one.
Otherwise I’m stocking up on this gel hand sanitizer.
http://www.purell.com/products_original.htm Maybe. My wife and son have asthma and both got their shots last week. I would contact you doctor ASAP because there is a major run going on the flu shots that are available.
there’s no flu vaccine because the stupid amercian government switched most of its flu shot contract to a an unproven british company who had never made the junk before…we used to buy the stuff from a french company…but our iraq policy takes precedent over making sure at risk people in the health care industry, with hiv, etc. are vaccinated. you can guarantee that of the available shots none will be going to strongly democrat states…better hope you live in a battleground or strongly republican state tom.
I’ve never responded to a political post before, here or anywhere, but this since you have posted something that is EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of what is really happening, I can’t let it go.
This year, the US planned on purchasing flu vaccine from 2 companies: Aventis, A FRENCH COMPANY (54 million doses) and Chiron a US company (48 million doses). Chiron was manufacturing its vaccine at its plant in England which it had recently aquired.
So, all along we planned on getting most of our vaccine from a French company, and now, unless they can find alterative supplies, all of it will be coming from France.
Stick to the facts man, they are good enough, no need to go making stuff up.
"there’s no flu vaccine because the stupid amercian government switched most of its flu shot contract to a an unproven british company who had never made the junk before…we used to buy the stuff from a french company…but our iraq policy takes precedent over making sure at risk people in the health care industry, with hiv, etc. are vaccinated. you can guarantee that of the available shots none will be going to strongly democrat states…better hope you live in a battleground or strongly republican state tom. "
Warning: Rant ahead
What’s really stupid is not the American government. It is Slowtwitch posters not having their facts straight before making irrational comments like yours.
Chiron, the company in question, is an American company headquartered in NorCal. Trades on NADAQ - CHIR. Their manufacturing plant for the flu vaccine is in the UK. Chiron is one of the most experienced vaccine developer/manufacturers in the world - of which there are few. The reason there are few is because the margins in vaccines is lower than ethical drugs and therefore, there is a lower level of investment. So, if the liberals had their way and pharmas were not “allowed” to make profits on their investments in research, there would also be a lower level of investment in pharmaceutical research, like there is in the vaccine space. This would result in fewer new drugs, lower quality of life and shorter lifespans in which to compete in multisport. We are crying about a shortage of vaccines now, we would really be crying about a lack of chemo treatments, statins, cox2 inhibitors, etc… say goodbye to the dream of personalized medicine. Rant over…
No i do not work for CHIR but i do know their space well.
Chiron/Evans has been making vaccine for years, but Evans did have a pretty bad rep when it came to GMP compliance, which is why some people in the QC department at my company refused the flu vaccine last year when they found out it came from Evans. Many people saw the shutdown coming, including Chiron…
“there’s no flu vaccine because the stupid amercian government switched most of its flu shot contract to a an unproven british company who had never made the junk before”
You have to be kidding…
Actually, it is an American company that has a plant in the UK.
Secondly, politics and the war in Iraq have nothing to do with this…and if it did this shortage and company would not be affected. Flu vaccines for this year were mapped and began production well before the war in Iraq began.
Flu vaccine for this year were designed in the late winter to early spring of this year i.e. at the end of last flu season (IIRC). At that time the CDC and others make a guess, although an informed one still a guess, at what flu strains will be a problem next season.
and over 85% of doses used to come from the french company. if you are switching to an unknown supplier don’t you think it makes sense to switch say ten percent to the new firm? no your government switched 45% to an unproven supplier. the french have delivered…the brits have not. the french have afine multi-year record of delivering. in fact the british government doesn’t even buy from this unproven provider. you are the one that is wrong and it’s a shame that your narrow understanding of public health policy allows you to tow the president’s political line.
Before there were flu shots everyone had the flue AND WE LIKED IT! We were all one mucus-covered, cough like a broken muffler, disgusting site of pathogenic illness … and WE WERE BETTER FOR IT! Part of becoming a man was having the flue for 3 straight years … and YOU LOVED IT!
Everyone should read Tibbs post again.
Chiron f’ed up their manufacturing in the UK, so the supply was roughly cut in half. Unless you have a chronic illness, are old, or are an infant, you should not get the shot. This pretty much rules out everyone on this forum.
Or if you are a health care worker… doctor, nurse, etc. You don’t want to get infected and then spread it to the patients.
and now we tried to buy almost half of our needs from an unproven buyer because we didn’t want to buy all of it from the hated french…it came back to bite us in the ass and now at risk people will not be able to get flu vaccines…fro folks with hiv/aids this is a question of life and death…for health care workers this is a potential national emergency. all because our oldest ally thought didn’t believe our presidents lies about weapons of mass destruction. if you wanted to try a new supplier it would have made sense to order a far smaller amount just to hedge your bets…this is what is ALWAYS done when the cdc/feds/gov’t picks new folks for contracts.