Oct 18, 2009 3:16 am US/Eastern
Concerns Rise Over Swine Flu Vaccine Delays
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A vile of Panvax H1N1 Vaccine is displayed during the launch of the National pandemic (swine flu) influenza vaccination campaign by the Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon at Swan Park Leisure Centre on September 30, 2009 in Perth, Australia. Four
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Isiah Harris receives an H1N1 influenza vaccine at Rush University Medical Center on Oct. 6, 2009, in Chicago, Ill.
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Nasal spray doses of the H1N1/swine flu vaccine are shown at Montefiore Medical Center on Oct. 6, 2009, in the Bronx borough of New York City.
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Doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine sit in a basket at Rush University Medical Center on Oct. 6, 2009, in Chicago, Ill.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Health officials are worried about the increasingly rapid spread of swine flu. In the last six weeks, 43 children have died from the H1N1 virus, 11 in the last week alone.
Now, delays in producing the vaccine may mean that people won't get vaccinated before they get sick.
New Yorkers seem to have mixed feelings about the swine flu vaccine despite the recommendation to get it.
"Definitely concerned – I want to talk to her doctor about whether or not she can get the vaccination," one mother said.
The virus seems to be hitting earlier, and harder, than expected. The CDC has seen a dramatic increase in H1N1, to epidemic levels. In the second week of October 2008, there were seven cases; in the same week this year, there are 5,000.
"We think the virus is virtually everywhere in the country – quite a bit of illness, hospitalization, and deaths," Dr. Anne Schuchat, from the Centers for Disease Control, said.
It's hitting young people especially hard. 15-year-old Luke Duval got H1N1 that was so severe, he couldn't breathe on his own.
As people across the country line up at clinics, the government is reporting a shortage of swine flu vaccine.
"As the vaccines are starting to roll out, we are seeing logistical bumps in the road, especially with distribution," Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said. "Doctors' offices are being inundated with phone calls."
In Morris County, New Jersey, an early shipment of the vaccine has been set aside, primarily for EMS workers.
If that's not enough, a strain of the flu infected some pigs at a Minnesota state fair, though the food supply is said to be safe.
The H1N1 virus has people searching for the best response, but one congressman is warning about internet scams.
"We found five sites that are selling fake Tamiflu imported from China, sometimes from India, and we try to remind people not only might not these help you, they could harm you because no one knows the ingredients in there," NY State Representative Anthony Weiner said.
Now, fears are surfacing that the flu may be spreading faster than the health system can manage.
"What we really need to get across to the public is [that] this is going to be tough to have a systematic and rapid access to vaccine right now," Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota, said.
"People are kind of in a panic to get it," father Mario Berninzoni said. "I thought we could come out here and try."
Officials say everyone who wants a swine flu vaccination will eventually be able to get one, but they warn that supplies will remain scarce for the next few weeks – meaning more people may become infected while they wait for the vaccine.
by CBS 2HD's John Metaxas
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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