It is difficult enough to find H1N1 swine flu booster shots. However, even if you find shots, and qualify, your child may note be protected: children under 10 years of age need two doses of the vaccine to gain immunity.
Not only are supplies short, but the requirements to qualify are varied and numerous. While some are being scofflaws, lying to get the H1N1 swine flu shot, many are not, though those following the rules wonder how many are not doing so.
However, children under 10 who get an initial shot are told to come back for a second. How, in fact, can they do that when they can't find a shot in the first place?
Google recently announced an H1N1 Swine Flu and Seasonal Flu Shot finder. Seasonal flu shots, if you don't know, are in short supply as well, as people gravitate toward those shots if they can't get the H1N1 swine flu shot.
At any rate, Google readily admits the flu shot tool is in its infancy. An example: last weekend the Alameda County Public Health Department was giving out free swine flu shots around the county. None of the locations, and there were several, were listed on the Google tool. In fact, for now the Google tool seems to focus only on major pharmacies.
Kaiser Permanente, the California HMO, has told its patients that if they get one H1N1 swine flu shot for their children, they might have to live with that. Last weekend, the message from advice nurses was that parents may not be able to get a second swine flu shot for their kids.
According to federal health officials, fewer than 42 million doses have been delivered nationwide out of at least 120 million expected by now. The shortage is a result of a manufacturing delay.
Kaiser Permanente advice nurses gave the lowdown on the shortage as well. H1N1 swine flu doesn't like to grow outside of lung tissue. Since chicken eggs are used in the archaic methodology of growing flu vaccine, there's an obvious problem.
Officials report that given a single dose of H1N1 swine flu vaccine, only 55 percent of children ages 3 to 9 developed enough immune response within 21 days to protect them fully against the H1N1 flu. Of those aged 6 months to 35 months, only 25 percent showed a strong enough immunity after just one dose. After a second dose, 94 percent were protected.
An excellent question has been posed: should some children, given the opportunity, be able to get a booster shot when others haven't even gotten one dose? It's a question health providers and parents will be weighing until, and unless, the H1N1 swine flu vaccine shortage is resolved.
Written by Michael Santo
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