Flu shots set for servicemembers, high-risk people
by Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
10/15/2004 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Deployed and deploying servicemembers are among the priority groups to receive the flu vaccine, Defense Department officials said here Oct. 13.
Chiron, the main supplier of flu vaccine has a plant in Britain. Recently British regulators halted production there. While DOD is affected by the British rejection of Chiron’s flu vaccine, all high-risk beneficiaries and all operationally deployed servicemembers will be vaccinated on time this flu season.
Officials said there are about 2.2 million servicemembers and high-risk beneficiaries. The immunization program is underway.
Troops deployed to the U.S. Central Command theater of operations and to South Korea are DOD's highest priority, and the department already has shipped vaccine to those theaters, officials said. High-risk beneficiaries who will receive priority on the flu shots are: children ages 6 to 23 months, adults older than 65, all pregnant women, women caring for children younger than 6 months old, health-care workers and anyone with underlying health conditions.
DOD has another source of the vaccine. The department has 1.3 million doses coming from a company unaffected by the British action. It has delivered 680,000 doses already, with the rest coming in the next eight weeks. The department also is pursuing a contract with the makers of the nasal flu vaccine Flumist. This can be used only by healthy persons between the ages of 2 and 49.
Healthy servicemembers who are not scheduled for deployment will be deferred from receiving the vaccination until the more critical categories receive their shots, officials said.
Flu vaccinations are normally mandatory for all servicemembers. The flu is contagious, and depending on the strain, can cause illness or even death. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, between 5 and 20 percent of Americans get the flu each year.
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