FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
October 6, 2004
Contact:  Lindsay Law
(202) 225-3772
 

Lack of Flu Shots Example of Need for Government Vaccine Production Facility at Arsenal
 
(Washington, D.C.) Fourth Congressional Representative Mike Ross (D-4) today responded to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) announcement that the nation’s flu vaccine supply will be cut in half after learning one of only two companies making flu shots for the United States would not be able to sell 48 million doses because of contamination. 

The CDC’s announcement comes on the heels of their recent expansion of the target populations for flu shots where the agency had begun urging more people than ever to get them this flu season.  The CDC is now urging healthy adults to forego their flu shot in an attempt to vaccinate children and the elderly, who are at higher risk to complications as a result of the illness.  Influenza kills about 36,000 people in the United States each year.  

“During my first term in office, I began meeting with officials at the Pentagon to work toward the creation of a Government Owned, Contractor Operated (GOCO) Vaccine Production Facility, to be located in the Bioplex, a proposed high tech industrial park near the Pine Bluff Arsenal and the National Center for Toxicological Research, a FDA facility.” said Ross. “The consistent inability of independent companies to provide not only flu vaccines to the citizens of our country, but also numerous bio-terrorism vaccines to our men and women in uniform is unacceptable.” 

A 1994 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study entitled “Economic Analysis for the Department of Defense Biological Warfare Defense Vaccine Production Facility” suggested the United States Government needs to be responsible for vaccine production for military personnel, and that the facility should be placed at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. 

In 1998, a contract for producing vaccines for military personnel was awarded to BioPoint, a private company based in East Lansing, Michigan.  The military later had to suspend vaccinations after BioPoint was unable to deliver bio-terrorism vaccines, resulting in a shortage of vaccines needed to adequately protect our soldiers from bio-terrorism threats.   

“As you can see, this is not the first time our current system has failed,” said Ross.  “Unfortunately, this is a good example of the private sectors’ failure or inability to provide vaccines.  If the private sector cannot even provide something as simple as an adequate supply of flu shots for the citizens of America, we should not count on them to provide bio-terrorism vaccines for our soldiers in uniform who put themselves in harms way.  They deserve better.  

“I believe the creation of a GOCO Vaccine Production Facility in the Bioplex at Pine Bluff Arsenal is the first step to ensuring our soldiers have the vaccines they need. It will also bolster the economy in Southeast Arkansas by creating jobs to provide the military with bio-terrorism and other vaccines they need and deserve.” 


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