Vaccine shortfall

Vaccine shortfall

Supplies of swine flu vaccine will be tight when the government’s vaccination program begins in mid-October, federal officials warned. The Centers for Disease Control said it would have 45 million doses of H1N1 vaccine on hand when it begins inoculating those most at risk from the disease, which has killed nearly 500 people in the U.S. since last year. The CDC originally expected to have 120 million doses.

Some 160 million Americans, about half the U.S. population, are at elevated risk from swine flu. The first recipients of the vaccine—the most at-risk individuals—will include pregnant women, some health-care workers, and children ages 5 to 18 with underlying health issues.

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