Responding to a local and national shortage of flu vaccinations,
University Health Service has started restricting who can receive
the preventative treatment.

With 520 doses left as of yesterday morning, UHS will only
administer vaccines to high-risk individuals, primarily those with
asthma, diabetes, heart disease or an immunodeficiency. That
includes adults over 65 and, in some cases, adults over 50.

Nationally, flu shot manufacturers have reported a declining
supply of vaccine doses. Companies manufactured 80 million doses of
the vaccine this year, but recent outbreaks have increased demand
and lowered the available supply. On average, 70 to 75 million
Americans take the vaccine each year.

The shortage is not restricted to the University. UHS Director
Robert Winfield said that the Washtenaw County Health Department is
also restricting its flu shot administration to high-risk
individuals.

“Most health services that I’m aware of have run out
of vaccine,” Winfield said. The universities of Indiana and
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have also announced shortages.

But alternatives to the traditional method do exist. FluMist, a
flu vaccine introduced into the nose, may see increased sales
resulting from the vaccine shortage. The nasal spray was developed
by epidemiology Prof. Hunein Maassab and approved by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration in January.

“The FluMist vaccine is still available. It’s an
inhaled vaccine, which is new this year,” Winfield said.

But UHS has chosen not to carry the alternative, because it is
“too new and untried,” Winfield said.

Certain health agencies, including the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment, have recommended that people ages
five to 49 use FluMist to reserve the traditional vaccine for the
elderly and children, for whom the alternative has not yet been
approved.

In addition to potential health risks, hospitals are also
reluctant to carry FluMist because of its price. At $46, the
vaccine is significantly more expensive than the traditional
injection carried by most health services. Before the shortage, UHS
charged $17 for the flu shot.

“I don’t have 46 bucks to spend on a flu
vaccine,” LSA sophomore Patrick Meehan said. Meehan received
the traditional vaccine a few weeks ago, after an unfortunate bout
with the flu last year that he said “was pretty
crippling.”

But even those who opt for a flu shot are not fully protected
from a new strain of the illness. Health officials are particularly
concerned with the Fujian strain, which is not fully covered by the
traditional vaccine. In Michigan, many isolated, influenza-A cases
have also been reported.

Despite this concern, LSA junior Dan King, who received the flu
shot three weeks ago, said he was lucky enough to get
treatment.

“I’m glad that I was able to get it in time, before
they had to impose these restrictions,” King said.

For students who within a 24-hour period begin to exhibit
symptoms, UHS provides other preventive measures that can lessen
the flu’s intensity.

“Individuals who get the flu, if seen within the first 48
hours, can take anti-viral drugs, which can shorten the duration of
the disease,” Winfield said. These anti-virals include
amantidine, rimantadine and Tamiflu.