News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The price-tag for federal investments in new flu vaccine technology has been difficult to get a handle on, but yesterday in a review for Congress the Government Accountability Office (GAO) put the number at $2.1 billion since fiscal year 2005.

Editor's note: This story was revised Sep 1 to reflect a recent change in the Infectious Diseases Society of America's position on mandatory flu vaccination for healthcare workers.

(CIDRAP News) – Over the next few months, the nation's healthcare providers will shift from giving the pandemic H1N1 vaccine to a seasonal flu vaccine that contains the new virus, which has federal officials grappling with how to transition from a massive vaccine monitoring effort to a likely more routine system for the seasonal version.

(CIDRAP News) – While the pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine seems to be just as safe as seasonal flu vaccines, the federal government has been getting some letters from people saying they plan to seek compensation for injuries caused by the injection, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

(CIDRAP News) – Nearly 5 months after its launch, the pandemic H1N1 vaccine still appears to have a safety profile similar to that of seasonal flu vaccines, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update yesterday.

(CIDRAP News) – Vaccination against the pandemic H1N1 influenza will be required for all uniformed US military personnel, with the immunizations starting in early October, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced yesterday.

In a news release, Army Lt. Col. Wayne Hachey, the department's director of preventive medicine, said vaccination will be mandatory for uniformed personnel and will be available to all military family members who want it.