More flu vaccine expected for next season

More than 90 million doses of influenza vaccine will be manufactured for the 2004-2005 flu season, and that number could go as high as 100 million, according to the March Influenza Vaccine Bulletin issued by the National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control.

Public health officials are urging physicians to place orders now, before the entire supply becomes booked.

More than 86 million doses were manufactured last season with little left over because of a rush on the vaccine -- the result of an early, hard flu season that attracted a great deal of media attention.

Meanwhile, there are changes ahead.

Physicians will be paid more for vaccine administration. According to the bulletin, the average Medicare payment for administration has increased from $7.72 to $8.21 per dose. The reimbursement that a physician receives for the vaccine as well as the price physicians pay for it is expected to remain the same.

The number of people who should receive the vaccine has been expanded as well.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in February confirmed that flu shots should be recommended for all infants ages six to 23 months and for women who will be pregnant during flu season.

ACIP also clarified eligibility for the nasal version of the vaccine. Health care workers and other contacts of high-risk people can receive the nasal vaccine unless they have close contact with severely immunosuppressed people.

Those who receive the nasal version should avoid those with extreme suppression of the immune system for at least a week. Last year's recommendation was to avoid contact for three weeks.

Also in February, the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration announced the influenza strains included in this year's vaccine. A/New Caledonia/20/99-like (H1N1) virus will remain, but A/Panama/2007/99 (H3N2) and B/Hong Kong/330/2001-like virus will be replaced with A/Fujian/411/2002-like (H3N2) virus and B/Shanghai/361/2002-like virus.