Will there be an H1N1 Vaccine Shortage?

Posted by Lorren on August 18, 2009

A representative from the Department of Health and Human Services believes that there might not be enough H1N1 vaccine to go around if the virus breaks out in September or October. They were hoping to have 120 million doses ready in time for an early outbreak, but they only expect to have 45 million ready at this point.

I’ve already had an early version of H1N1 this time around, but the flu is capable of mutating. H1N1 was first introduced to this country in 1918, and in the spring, it was very mild (which was what I experienced). According to The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (very good book), many of the people who had the flu in the spring were immune when the big, deadly wave hit again this fall. However, some people ended up getting variations of the flu more than once. One person in government had it three times.

My great-grandma had this flu in 1918, and it was the end of her. There were a lot of people that got it and survived, but were never the same afterwards. The flu affected their brain cells or something.

For more information about the H1N1 flu, feel free to visit the page I created on H1N1