Community Blogs
Flu vaccine shortages five years ago...
Amy: During a time of when we were being denied the opportunity of purchasing medicines from countries other than the US, we learn that one of the suppliers of the flu vaccine is a British company, not a US company, and they failed to produce. Long lines at vaccination sites are the result of the failure of the producers of the vaccine not the government. This is a failure of capitalism not the government.
referee33: I disagree. The warning sounded in April re: Swine flu. Last I looked, Obama was president in April.
Read: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/business/economy/29vaccine.html?_r=1
for some of the real reasons we have a swine flu vaccine shortage. Poor planning seems to be part of the blame.....
But we know that Obama will fall back on his old cliche: "It's Bush's fault!!!" when he has no answer or solution.
Amy: After reading several articles about the production of vaccines, I believe both of us are incorrect in our finger pointing. This article was especially interesting -
www.aei.org/outlook/100033
The production process takes at least 6 months due to the need for eggs to grow the vaccine, as well as the time needed to isolate the particular strain of virus you want to attack. The April to October timeline is consistent with normal production, so it appears neither planning nor production is to blame for a shortage. It seems the 50 year old technique for producing vaccines is more to blame than anything. Although it does sound like there are efforts being made to greatly improve the process.
referee33: Yes, the production process takes about 4 to 6 months for a vaccine. Swine flu appeared in April....6 months ago.
Also, many pharmacutical companies had been busy for years working on the so-called bird flu virus -thinking that would prevail at flu season. Wrong.
And yes, the production of vaccines is outdated. It was during Bush's time and is now.
However, when Bush was president, there were only two companies that were producing flu vaccines in our country. Obama has five domestic companies willing to produce the vaccine. Yet, Obama has had the same shortages as Bush - and where, oh where, is the criticism from the media? That is the entire point of my blog. Why was Bush deemed so evil and incompetent - by the press and Dems in office, yet we hear nothing about the incompetence of Obama? And when IS that decision on Afghanistan EVER going to come? I can imagine the headlines if Bush were prez and waffling for weeks: "Troops die as Bush flounders!" "Bush responsible for killing our soldiers - refuses to send more troops to help!"
Got the picture?
Are we talking about the seasonal flu shot or the H1N1 flu shot. It appears there is plenty of the "normal" seasonal flu shot to go around.
Which flu shot was not available when Bush was president?
Compridious: Doesn't matter. Flu vaccines change every year because the strains mutate. Check out: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-10-19-flu-leinwand-questions_x.htm
for more info. The article also offers good explanations of the problems faced developing vaccines.
And be sure to click on the "Hillary Clinton blasts Bush on flu vaccine shortage" link in my blog. That article specifically points out what Hillary and her fellow Dems did to cause vaccine shortages during Bush's term.
Amy: Got the picture! No matter what Pres. Obama does it's wrong. GW Bush can do no wrong and BH Obama can do no right. Your hierarchy of hate starts with liberals to Democrats through Rhinos to Republicans and ending with conservatives. Be sure to click on another off the wall right wing opinion blog site for factual information on the 2004 vaccine shortage. The facts are that in 2004 there were two manufacturers of flu vaccine, the normal stuff not a specific strain like H1N1. During this time there was a disagreement over the availability of drugs manufactured outside of the US. It was startling to say the least that that 50% of the flu vaccine for the US was manufactured in a foreign country with the approval of the administration. According to experts in the field 6 months is the minimum for production, not 4 as you state. It does matter what vaccine you are talking about. If the shortage is on the generic flu side then it is a problem. If it is on the mutated strain we know that it takes time to produce a vaccine specific to that strain and shortages will be present due to production restrictions.
referee33: No, you haven't "got the picture." The whole point of my blog is to show how the mainstream media refuses to report anything negative on "The One" versus how they ripped President Bush for everything and anything. And "The One" and the media STILL continue to blame Bush for everything, even though Obama has had his turn and time to screw things up big time. Prime example: Afghanistan. Obama changed the strategy months ago. Yet, we have seen our deadliest month since the war began - under Obama's so-called "leadership." And now The One is taking his own sweet time pondering what to do (entirely political - he doesn't want to offend his ultra-lib base by sending more troops and risk losing votes on the health care debate...). And troops are dying while "The One" ponders...yet, what do we hear from the media? Nada. Imagine if Bush had done the same. He would have been ripped to shreds, as usual.
"Hillary Clinton blasts Bush on Vaccine Shortage"
Imagine that! Hillary and Kerry saying negative things about the president one month prior to an election. How dare the press report such things!
"yet, what do we hear from the media?"
You obviously haven't been paying attention. Everyone in the media has offered their opinion on this one way or another over the course of the last few weeks.
Go ahead, continue to play the "we are victims of the media" card. It only serves to show just how desperately pathetic the conservative party has become.
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Remember a few short years ago how President Bush was just ripped apart by the mainstream media and blamed for flu vaccine shortages? Most Democrat representatives acted outraged at the President and his inability to have enough flu vaccines available for the American people during flu season. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are two excellent examples:
From: Hillary Clinton blasts Bush on Vaccine Shortage: (October 18, 2004)
"They're more interested in tax cuts for the rich than for flu shots for everyone who needs them," Clinton railed Monday afternoon at a press conference at New York's Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton Community Health Center.
Found this on "The Daily Kos" - so lefties will believe it:
Remember this from October of 2004:
Democrats have seized on the vaccine shortage to accuse the administration of being unable to protect Americans - from either illness or terrorism. "If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans, how are you going to protect them against bioterrorism?'' Senator John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, asked in an interview with National Public Radio. "If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans, what kind of health care program are you running?"..." (WOW!!!! Imagine if ANYONE would ask Obama this same question?)
Isn't it amazing how words can come back to bite those who uttered them? Yet, we hear very little of how Dems and the media went after Bush for flu vaccine shortages. Story after story. Headline after headline. They lambasted Bush for failing to have enough flu vaccines for the public during flu season! (And at that time the flu wasn't even a declared "National Emergency.") Yet, where are ANY complaints from the mainstream media about Obama and how he and his Administration are handling this created crisis? Aside from setting a tone of panic for the general public, Obama and Co. had months to prepare for this. Didn't the swine flu first start to appear in April? Yet, what happened? And why aren't the same reporters who were so quick to blame Bush for flu vaccine shortages five years ago not pointing fingers at Obama? Guess it's because Bush is Bush and The One is The One. Bush is a Republican and Obama is a liberal/socialist, so the liberal media seems to be giving him a free pass on this. Republicans never are allowed that same benefit from our "unbiased" media...
Just remember, folks, what we are seeing RIGHT NOW - shortages of vaccines, long lines, long waits, with only select people allowed to get vaccinated, etc. is a perfect picture of what the future will look like with government-run health care. Is that REALLY what you want?