OF3-11/02/09 8:25 AM
TRACKING THE H1N1 FLU VACCINE AND ITS CONCERNS.
The Osgood File. I'm Charles Osgood.
The H1N1 flu is now widespread in 48 states, and children are dying --- 19 children died of it in the week between October 17th to the 24th.
As for vaccine, reports Hari Sreenivasan of CBS News...
SOT - Hari Sreenivasan, CBS News Correspondent
"Demand for the H1N1 vaccine continues to exceed supply, but the CDC is closing the gap. As of Friday, 26.6 million doses were available --- that's 10.5 million more doses than the week before." (:13)
Even where it is available, the lines are long.
SOT - Karen Dubicke
"Five hours --- it's worth it for me..." (:02)
But some parents are in no hurry, it seems.
SOT - Michelle O'Brien
"I don't see it as a big beast. I'm not flippant about it. I don't want my kids or anybody else's kids to be a statistic, but it isn't something that's making me run for the shot." (:09)
Michelle O'Brien is a registered nurse, and says she's being vigilant for any sign of flu in her three kids.
SOT - Michelle O'Brien
"We watch 'em like hawks --- they're probably very annoyed with their parents." (:03)
Health officials are saying...
SOT - Dr. Martin Makary, Johns Hopkins Hospital
"Have your kid take the vaccine, get vaccinated yourself --- and recognize that 114 deaths compared to zero deaths from the vaccine tells us that this is a safe and effective vaccine." (:13)
SOT - Michelle O'Brien
"If the spike in deaths and severe illnesses goes up, then we revisit." (:04)
Says Dr. Thomas Freiden of the CDC...
SOT - Dr. Thomas Freiden, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
"This is a younger people's flu. In a usual flu season, 90% of the deaths are among people over the age of 65. In H1N1, 90% of the deaths are in people under the age of 65." (:14)
The Osgood File. Transcripts, podcasts and MP3s of these programs can be found at theosgoodfile.com. I'm Charles Osgood on the CBS Radio Network.
The Osgood File. November 2nd, 2009. |
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