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The virus causing the most problems: A particular strain of type A influenza called H3N2 has been the most predominantly reported this year. Luckily, this year’s flu vaccine is very well matched to H3N2, which has been historically associated with more severe illness. And yet, many people still don’t get the flu shot. The CDC recommends everyone who is over the age of 6 months get a flu vaccine.
As the number of seasonal influenza cases continues to rise, reports of vaccine shortages in some locations are beginning to circulate. But vaccine manufacturers say there is plenty of vaccine for those who want to get a flu shot. MedImmune, manufacturer of FluMist, the only flu vaccine that comes in a nasal spray, produced 12 million doses for the current season to fill customer orders. In addition to those orders, they produced extra doses. FluMist is approved for healthy people between the age of 2 and 49. "Right now we currently have 310,000 extra doses that could ship tomorrow," Tor Constantino, MedImmune spokesperson, told CNN. "All of those expire next month. Another 70,000 doses are available that could ship tomorrow, and those expire in March.
Officials began warning of the severity of this season’s flu early in December when Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the CDC, urged people to get a flu shot to minimize the disease’s spread. While publicizing National Influenza Vaccination Week, Frieden said a flu shot was the best tool available to stop the spread of the disease...That advice is still the best, health officials said. And public officials, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, urged their constituents to get vaccinated.
What a business should be doing is offering flu shots...
Doctors urge everyone six months and older to be given a flu shot or vaccine.
TextEach year seems to hit a new level of hype surrounding the seasonal flu. The pharmaceutical-media complex is drooling over the latest "outbreak," which has resulted in Boston declaring a "Health Emergency" as highlighted in the video below. Additionally, nurses are being denied the right to refuse flu vaccinations, even on religious grounds, and are being fired for any resistance.
TextAs even the Associated Press was forced to highlight: Recent studies have shown that the flu vaccine as a whole is only about 59 percent effective at preventing the illness. NRP pointed out that the vaccine appears to be less effective for the elderly, which is a population often highly encouraged to receive the shot in the first place. Perhaps one reason for the ineffectiveness of this year's vaccine is that the most virulent strain of H3N2v is not included in the vaccine.
TextIn the weeks leading up to the Christmas 2012 holidays, some members of Congress got antsy about making certain the push to have everyone vaccinated against the flu would also entitle Uncle Sam to a special tax on each flu shot.
Two bills were introduced into Congress: H.R. 6687 in the House of Representatives and S.3716 in the Senate. The House bill stated it was introduced To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to include vaccines against seasonal influenza within the definition of taxable vaccines.
Even though the House bill died in committee at the end of the 112th Congress, the Senate version was reintroduced January 2, 2013 by Democrat Max Baucus and Republican Orrin Hatch.
The new bill was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and immediately sent to the House for passage. A real fast track piece of legislation, I’d say. A sleeper too, that not many people know about.