WHITE PLAINS, NY – Days after the announcement that less than half the projected number of doses of the flu vaccine will be available to the public, Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) called on the Bush Administration to be frank with the public about plans for dealing with the shortage.

“This week, we learned that we will fall short in protecting Americans against the flu.  The only response we’ve heard from the Administration about this problem is that some people should go without,” said Lowey.  “Well, that is not enough.  We need real answers on how the limited vaccine doses are being distributed and what the Administration is doing to increase the supply.”

In a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, Lowey listed questions that she has heard from health care specialists and constituents that have not been addressed by the Administration.  Lowey asked Thompson to respond to concerns about the late notice of the shortage, the effort to import doses from countries that have adequate supplies, the possibility that some doses may have to be recalled and redistributed to high-risk groups, and the desperate need to establish a wider domestic supply from which the vaccine can be bought.

She noted that in a typical year, thirty-six thousand Americans die from the flu and another 200,000 are hospitalized.  Given the impact of this illness, the government needs to act immediately – not only to boost supplies this year, but to prevent this from ever happening again.

“People are concerned – I am concerned.  We are not prepared for this flu season and it didn’t have to happen this way,” said Lowey.  “The Administration should have been more involved in tracking the problems with the vaccine production facility and they should have pushed for higher production at other facilities.  They need to level with the American people and provide real guidance – not leave this mess for local doctors and health clinics.”

When Congress returns from the district work period, Lowey plans to introduce as well as co-sponsor legislation to help alleviate this crisis.  Lowey will introduce a bill to allow the importation of flu vaccine from other countries, including Canada.  She will also co-sponsor the Flu Protection Act of 2004, which calls for the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) to develop a contingency plan in case of a future shortage; offers incentives to encourage vaccine production; sets aside funds to encourage the creation of more vaccine companies with faster production times; and demands greater cooperation between the government and vaccine manufacturers to provide a more accurate estimate on the number of vaccines needed each year.

More information on the flu vaccine shortage can be obtained at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccineshortage.htm