Friday, December 15, 2006
US government seeks comments from public for bird flu vaccine prioritization
In preparation for a possible pandemic, such as one that could be caused by the bird flu virus, The U.S. Government is working toward a goal of being able to supply enough vaccine within 6 months of a bird flu outbreak, to vaccinate the entire U.S. population.
At the beginning of any such bird flu outbreak, the lack of needed vaccines, which could be as much as two doses per infected individual, will require that the limited number of on hand vaccine doses, be prioritized for distribution and administration.
Accordingly, the federal government has initiated a process to provide guidance to assist State and local governments, communities, tribal and territorial governments and the private sector in defining groups that should be considered for priority access to scarce vaccine.
The Department of Health and Human Services is asking for input from the public, on how the limited vaccines should be used, until enough is manufactured to vaccinate the entire U.S. population.
The RFI(request for information), document can be found at this government link. http://www.pandemicflu.gov/vaccine#vprioritization