Worth knowing

[Guest guest]

> Take the time to read this . . . it's very interesting.

>

>

> How Flu Vaccine works:

> Influenza vaccine is produced by growing the virus in eggs. The

virus is

> killed and processed to create the vaccine, which is given by

injection

> under the skin. The body then produces antibodies to the virus

over the

> next two to four weeks. If the immunized person then comes into

contact

> with the influenza virus, the antibodies attack and kill the virus

> before it has a chance to cause infection. The vaccine contains

the 3

> most likely strains to be active during the "flu season"

>

> Why the shortage:

> Almost half of the nation's flu vaccine will not be delivered this

year.

> Chiron, a major manufacturer of flu vaccine, will not be

distributing

> any influenza vac! cine this flu season. Chiron was to make 46-48

> million doses vaccine for the United States. Chiron is a British

> company. Recently British health officials stopped Chiron from

> distributing and making the vaccine when inspectors found

unsanitary

> conditions in the labs. Some lots of the vaccine were recalled and

> destroyed.

>

> Why is our vaccine made in the UK and not the US?

> The major pharmaceutical companies in the US provided almost 90%

of the

> nations flu vaccine at one time. They did this despite a very low

profit

> margin for the product. Basically, they were doing us a favor. In

the

> late 80's a man from North Carolina who had received the vaccine

got the

> flu. The strain he caught was one of the strains in that years

vaccine

> made by a US company. What did he do? He sued and he won. He was

awarded

> almost $5 million! After that case was appealed and lost, most US

> pharmaceutical companies stopped making the vaccine. The liability

out

> w! eighed the profit margin. Since UK and Canadian laws prohibit

such

> frivolous law suits UK and Canadian companies began selling the

vaccine

> in the US.

>

> By the way...the lawyer that represented the man in the flu shot

law

> suit was a young ambulance chaser by the name of John Edwards.