In attempt to avoid the woes of last year’s “severe” flu outbreak and subsequent vaccine shortages, health care workers are preparing for the flu season earlier this year, with some physicians even administering flu shots several weeks earlier than federal health officials recommend, the Wall Street Journal reports. Although health officials advise that the flu vaccination be given in October and November, they say there is “no danger that [the vaccine] will wear off before the flu season runs its course” if a patient receives it earlier. Meanwhile, the federal government for the first time is “recommending” rather than “encouraging” flu vaccinations for children between the ages of six months and 23 months, prompting some pediatricians to order “extra-large supplies and hire additional nurses” to handle the anticipated heavy patient volume. The Journal notes that despite vaccine production delays over the summer, the United States is slated to receive 100 million doses. While some say the vaccine supply will not be enough to protect the 185 million people labeled by the government as “at risk” for contracting the virus, public health officials say that 70 million to 75 million U.S. residents receive the flu shot in a “typical year” and that while a higher demand for the shot is anticipated this year, the “100 million doses are enough” (McKay, 9/23).
