Speed up delivery of flu vaccine

THE OBAMA administration is taking necessary steps to control the swine flu pandemic, but public fear of the virus could overwhelm the health care system if federal authorities don't find a way to speed the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine.

Over the weekend, President Obama declared the H1N1 flu a national emergency. The declaration allows hospitals more flexibility in dealing with the flu outbreak.

Medical providers generally welcomed the president's action, which allows hospitals to set up off-site facilities to handle the rising number of patients.

But it may have the unintended and potentially troublesome effect of making Americans even more fearful of the swine flu.

A shortage of the swine flu vaccine is feeding public anxiety. Federal officials initially said 40 million doses would be available by late October, but as of last Friday only 11 million doses had been distributed. The Centers for Disease Control said Tuesday 8 million additional doses had become available.

As of Oct. 22, Alabama health care providers had received just 103,000 doses of vaccine. The shortage is likely to delay vaccination programs in the state's schools until the end of November.

In a story published Monday, The New York Times described how "federal projections (for vaccine production) have been consistently and wildly overoptimistic and have had to be ratcheted down several times."

Vaccine production apparently has been slowed by technical difficulties. Perhaps that was unavoidable, but the government's role in raising expectations has made matters worse. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been left feeling frustrated and vulnerable when they have tried — unsuccessfully — to get the vaccine for themselves or their children.

Federal health officials need to devote more attention to problems with the production and distribution of the vaccine. Congress is ready to help: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has pledged bipartisan congressional support for the Obama administration's efforts to fight the flu pandemic.

Perhaps the president and Congress can develop a plan that will ensure the vaccine is widely available before the mid-winter peak of the flu season.