|
Flu Vaccine Shortage-John Edwards
|
Posted By:
Ed
Oct 25, 2004
|
I received this as email, is there any validity to it?
The Flu Vaccine
How the vaccine works: Influenza vaccine is produced by growing the
virus
in eggs. The virus is killed and processed to create the vaccine, which
is
given by injection under the skin. The body then produces antibodies to
the
virus over the next two to four weeks. If the immunized person then
comes
into contact with the influenza virus, the antibodies attack and kill
the
virus before it has a chance to cause infection. The vaccine contains
the 3
most likely strains to be active during the "flu season".
Why the shortage? Almost half of the nation's flu vaccine will not be
delivered this year. Chiron, a major manufacturer of flu vaccine, will
not
be distributing any nfluenza vaccine this flu season. Chiron was to make
46-48 million doses vaccine for the United States. Chiron is a British
company. Recently British health officials stopped Chiron from
distributing
and making the vaccine when inspectors found unsanitary conditions in
the
labs. Some lots of the vaccine were recalled and destroyed.
Why is our vaccine made in the UK and not the US? The major
pharmaceutical
companies in the US provided almost 90% of the nations flu vaccine at
one
time. They did this despite a very low profit margin for the product.
Basically, they were doing us a favor. In the late 80's a man from
North
Carolina who had received the vaccine got the flu. The strain he caught
was
one of the strains in that years vaccine made by a US company. What did
he
do? He sued and he won. He was awarded almost $5 million! After that
case
was appealed and lost, most US pharmaceutical companies stopped making
the
vaccine. The liability out weighed the profit margin.
Since UK and Canadian laws prohibit such frivolous law suits UK and
Canadian
companies began selling the vaccine in the US.
By the way...the lawyer that represented the man in the flu shot law
suit
was a young ambulance chaser by the name of John Edwards.
|
Comments
The Curator
in San Diego
Member
|
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 | 05:01 PM
The line that flags it as a hoax without having to read any further:
pharmaceutical companies in the US provided almost 90% of the nations flu vaccine at one time. They did this despite a very low profit margin for the product. Basically, they were doing us a favor.
Pharmaceutical companies never, ever do anything just as 'a favor'. |
Lothar Ignatius
|
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 | 06:09 PM
It's been snopesed:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/flushot.asp
|
Maegan
|
Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 | 09:00 AM
I heard from family in London that there's no problem with anyone getting a shot there. No long lines...it's been business as usual. That's the part that I can't figure out. If they're supplying it there & there's not a problem...why is there a problem here? |
Charybdis
|
Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 | 09:42 AM
I believe that their vaccine come from a different supplier. The problem was with only one company which happened to supply half of the US market. |
Lothar Ignatius
|
Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 | 10:19 AM
Not to mention the fact that the size of the population in need of a flu shot is certainly much smaller in the UK. |
Hairy Houdini
|
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 | 09:41 AM
I miss the good old days of the swine flu vaccine scare, when nobody wanted it but they had plenty to give out. 1976? sounds right (oink) |
Big Gary C
|
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 | 05:59 PM
There is absolutely no truth whatever to this absurd attack on Edwards.
It's deviously clever, though, because it starts out with a fairly accurate description of flu vaccines, then sneaks up on you with the wild rumor.
I'd be willing to bet the farm that this canard is being spread by Karl Rove or one of Bush's other spin doctors to take the heat off of W's administration for screwing up the flu vaccine supply. |
mhardy
|
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 | 02:22 PM
From snopes.com (see Lothar above)
"Claim: The current flu vaccine shortage is attributable to a lawsuit handled by Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards.
Status: False."
This reminds me of "The 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: The growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy." - Alex Carey, Australian social scientist, 1995. Big-Biz would love to sink Edwards (who's on to them) while protecting their boy Dubya. |
Social Marketplace
|
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 | 11:10 PM
It's a shame to see a flu vaccine shortage in such a developed country. |
|
Note: This thread is located in the Old Forum of the Museum of Hoaxes.
|
