Just so you know the truth when Kerry-Edwards blame Bush for the flu shot shortage!


> Be sure and read the last line.
>
> Subject: Flu Shot Info
> How the 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 vaccine 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
> weighed 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.
>
> ---

Not True

www.snopes.com/politics/business/flushot.asp

Quoted: The virus is killed and processed to create the vaccine, which is given by injection under the skin.

It's given intramuscularly, not subcutaneously.  

I'd call BS on the Edwards part.  Too good to be true.

Wow, that is some real creative writing... too bad Chiron is a US company listed on NASDAQ. It is probably hard to call them a US company any longer due to global acquistions, mergers, and alliances.

The problems with the flu vaccine business in the US are:

4- thin profit margins,
3- high cost of liability insurance,
2- new emerging technology obsoleting the egg process which stiffles capital investment,
1- the F-D-fucking-A's regulations drives businesses out.

Hey, I got it in an email so it must be true!