Flu vaccine makers ship doses early
Shots to contain all new strains
TRENTON, N.J. - Flu shot makers have begun shipping their vaccines already, earlier than usual, and for the first time every strain included in the shot is new.
The changes are due to a push to vaccinate an extra 30 million Americans - children ages 5 to 18 - and to a significant shift in the influenza strains expected to circulate in the northern hemisphere this year. One is a new Australian strain that sickened many last winter, when the vaccine didn't match the prevalent flu strains well.
All but one of the five manufacturers expected to supply a record 143 million doses to the United States began shipping the vaccine in the past two weeks. Most say they hope to have all or at least the bulk of their supply in the hands of doctors, clinics and other providers by the end of October.
"We're responding to the desires of healthcare providers to set up their immunization clinics early," said Donna Cary, spokeswoman for one of the biggest flu vaccine makers, Sanofi Pasteur of Swiftwater, Pa.
In prior years, some manufacturers didn't start shipping until late August or September, and a couple of years ago, problems delayed some shipments until late fall, so many doses were wasted.
Normally, one or two of the three flu strains targeted by annual shots stays in the vaccine for several years. Public health officials make educated guesses on what strains to include, taking into account the strains then circulating in the southern hemisphere. This is the first year all three are new to vaccines for the northern hemisphere.
Two strains, type A viruses called Brisbane 10 and Brisbane 59, were first isolated in Australia last year. The third is a type B virus first seen in Florida in 2006.
One of the Brisbane strains showed up in this country after the 2007-08 flu season began, too late to be included in vaccines, according to Michael Shaw of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's influenza division.
"That was the one that caused all the problems," Shaw said.
Public health officials took a black eye over the mismatch, and officials later calculated that the vaccine was only about 44 percent effective, compared with 50 to 90 percent in typical years. That was because neither the vaccine nor natural immunity protected anyone from the new strain, according to CDC.
Over the last flu season, 83 deaths among children were reported; figures for adults are not yet available. While many consider the flu benign, it typically kills about 36,000 Americans, mostly the elderly, and hospitalizes more than 200,000 people every flu season.
This year, the CDC is recommending that all children over 6 months get flu shots. 