Flu Shot Shortage

The nation's supply of flu shots was cut roughly in half yesterday when a major manufacturer of the flu vaccine -- Chiron Corp. of Liverpool, England -- lost its manufacturing license, leaving a single American firm as the only source of flu shots for the United States. The flu vaccine shortage will affect several popular Pittsburgh area flu shot providers including the Visiting Nurse Foundation's Flight the Flu program which was planning to supply 400 clinics at area Giant Eagle and Shop 'n Save stores, National City Bank locations, shopping malls, libraries, churches and synagogues and the Pittsburgh International Airport. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was also hit extremely hard by the announcement, as they had ordered most of their 150,000 flu shot doses from Chiron

Other Pittsburgh area flu shot providers, such as the Allegheny County Health Department and Maxim Healthcare Services, don't expect any supply problems because they ordered vaccine from the other maker of flu shots for the United States, Aventis Pasteur. Most Pittsburgh area flu shot clinics are planning to follow the CDC recommendations and only immunize those in the high risk categories. Many planned area flu clinics will probably be cancelled as well, due to the flu vaccine shortage, so be sure to call ahead.

Pittsburgh Area Flu Shot Locations 2004