| U.S. Government Launches Most Ambitious Vaccination
Campaign in U.S. History
Doctors, nurses and other health-care workers in Indiana and
Tennessee will receive the first doses of swine flu vaccine Monday
as the federal government launches the most ambitious vaccination
campaign in U.S. history.
Health-care providers and emergency workers at the Wishard Health
Services and other hospitals in Indianapolis and at the Le Bonheur
Children's Medical Center in Memphis will receive the Flu Mist
nasal spray vaccine at events attended by local, state and federal
health officials.
The vaccinations mark the beginning of a nationwide campaign
to inoculate at least half the U.S. population -- and perhaps
the entire country -- against the new H1N1 virus that has caused
the first influenza pandemic in 41 years.
The federal government has spent $2 billion to purchase about
250 million doses of vaccine and has pledged to buy enough to
immunize every American if there is enough demand.
Public opinion surveys, however, indicate that Americans are
undecided about the vaccine. A nationally representative survey
of more than 1,000 adults released Friday by the Harvard School
of Public Health, for example, found that only 40 percent were
sure they would get the vaccine and only about half were sure
they would get it for their children.
Most people who get the virus suffer mild illness. But because
most people have no immunity against the virus, many more people
than usual are expected to become infected, sick or hospitalized
or possibly die than during a typical flu season. Children, young
adults and pregnant women are especially at risk.
Being given top priority for the vaccine are those caring for
babies younger than 6 months, health-care workers, pregnant women,
adults with health problems such as obesity, asthma and diabetes
and everyone 6 months to 24 years old.
States began ordering vaccine last week, and about 7 million
doses are expected to be available by the end of this week. About
40 million doses of nasal spray and injectable vaccine will be
available by the middle of the month, with another 10 million
to 20 million to become available every week after that.
Reference Sources: 122
October 5, 2009
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