Mash up of U.S. Flu seasons from Multiple FluView Reports
# 7207
Having watched the United States come off perhaps the worst flu season in a decade – one that particularly impacted the elderly - and with early flu cases already showing up across Australia, and it is no surprise that the demand for the seasonal flu jab has skyrocketed down under.
Australia’s NCIRS (National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance) urges broad based vaccination each year (see below), but the uptake of the vaccine rarely exceeds 20% of the population.
Since vaccines take months to prepare, quantities must be ordered well in advance. This year, based on previous vaccine uptakes, Australia ordered about 4 million doses.
While flu season generally doesn’t get started in earnest in the Southern Hemisphere until June, early flu cases are making headlines, and the demand for flu vaccines has outstripped the supply.
This report from Ninemsn.
Australia suffers flu vaccine shortage
Alys Francis, ninemsn
April 30, 2013
Australia is suffering a nationwide shortage of flu vaccine due to unprecedented demand from people seeking immunisation, the federal health department has warned. A department spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph the shortage could last until June if the high demand continued.
"Demand for seasonal influenza vaccine usually drops off in April but this has not occurred this year and it is difficult to know if the demand will continue through to the end of April and May," the spokesperson said.
They said the department had purchased extra vaccines for the National Immunisation Program, which provides free vaccines to those most vulnerable from flu, including pregnant women, and elderly and indigenous people.
bioCSL, Australia’s vaccine supplier, announced today they will resume production, and hope to have more vaccine available in 4 to 6 weeks.
bioCSL Goes Back into Influenza Vaccine Production for Australia
Melbourne, Australia — 30/04/2013
bioCSL announced today that it has recently restarted production of influenza vaccine for the Australian market in response to higher than expected demand this season.
Additional doses are expected to be ready for delivery by the end of May and will be prioritised for age-appropriate at-risk groups under the National Immunisation Program.
bioCSL General Manager, Dr John Anderson said the demand for influenza vaccine had increased significantly in the first two weeks of April in both the public and private markets.
“All our customers are reporting a much earlier and much higher uptake of influenza vaccine this year, compared to the last few years.”
bioCSL is the only manufacturer of influenza vaccine in the Southern Hemisphere and is a major supplier of seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines to the Australian market. The company also supplies influenza vaccine to overseas markets including the US, UK and New Zealand.
For many people, getting the flu vaccine each year is an impulse decision - based on their perception of the risk during any given flu season - rather than a routine, yearly preventative step.
Which makes trying to figure out what the public’s demand for the vaccine will be – six months in advance – pretty much a crap shoot.
