# 3987
A month into the national pandemic vaccination program the government is still finding a fair amount of resistance to the vaccine in some quarters, and some of that is coming from doctors and healthcare providers.
Today the head of the FDA released a letter to physicians to try to ease their concerns over how the H1N1 vaccine was manufactured, and its safety.
I’ve reproduced the press release, and the opening paragraphs of the letter below.
Follow the link to read the entire letter.
FDA Commissioner Addresses Nation’s Doctors on H1N1 Vaccine
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, today sent a letter to America’s doctors thanking them for their efforts during the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak and providing information on the safety of the 2009 H1N1 vaccines.
"Some of your patients may be asking how the FDA, the manufacturers and the scientific community can have confidence in vaccines that were available just six months after the 2009 H1N1 virus emerged," Dr. Hamburg wrote. "Understanding more about the manufacturing and approval process for these vaccines should help you to answer their questions."
Letter from the Commissioner to Nation’s Doctors on H1N1 Vaccine
November 10, 2009
Dear Healthcare Professional,
I am writing first to thank you for your extraordinary efforts during the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak.
As this new infectious disease sweeps through communities across the country, you must juggle your usual patient care responsibilities with a special role in influenza response. Delays in vaccine delivery and the persistence of myths about vaccination have not made your job any easier. Thank you for rising to this public health challenge.
I am also writing to provide information that can be helpful as you talk to patients about the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines -- the best tools we have to prevent severe illness and death caused by the virus.
As the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), I am pleased to have this opportunity to communicate with you directly at this key moment in time.
The Department of Health and Human Services is working with influenza vaccine manufacturers and state and local public health officials to make these vaccines widely available. So far, more than 41 million doses of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine have been allocated to the states for distribution across the country, and more is becoming available every day.
Some of your patients may be asking how the FDA, the manufacturers, and the scientific community can have confidence in vaccines that were available just six months after the 2009 H1N1 virus emerged. Understanding more about the manufacturing and approval process for these vaccines should help you to answer their questions.
Related Post:
- CDC HAN Update On Fungal Meningitis Outbreak
- FDA: Ameridose Announces Voluntary Recall Of All Products
- FDA Statement On Conditions Reported At NECC Facility
- The Narrow Margin
- FDA: Exserohilum Found In Unopened Vials Of NECC Methylprednisolone
- CDC/FDA: Multistate Fungal Meningitis Outbreak – Oct 15th
- CDC Update: Multi State Meningitis Outbreak – Oct 11th
- FDA Advice On Safe Use Of Neti Pots
- FDA Warning On Fake Adderall
- FDA Statement On Azithromycin & Cardiovascular Risks
- FDA Releases 2nd Edition Of the `Bad Bug Book’
- Kids, Colds, And OTC Meds
- FDA Approves 2011-2012 Seasonal Influenza Vaccines
- Because Everyday Is Fry Day
- Poll: Despite FDA Warning Parents Use OTC Cold Remedies For Kids Under 2
- FDA: Fluzone Vaccine Safety
- Salmonella-Related Egg Recall Expands
- Study: MLV Found In CFS Patients
- CDC Investigating Food-Related Typhoid Outbreak
- FDA Approves 2010-2011 Flu Vaccines
- FDA Farm Antibiotic Guidance Meets Resistance
- FDA Warns On Fake Tamiflu
- FDA Calls For Temporary Halt To Using Rotarix Vaccine
- FDA Warning On Extortion Scam
- Flu Email Scams
- Hong Kong: H5N1 Vaccine Recommended For Certain Lab Workers
- Study: Adverse Events Associated With Oseltamivir Outpatient Treatment
- MMWR: Carbon Monoxide Exposures Related To Hurricane Sandy
- Canada & Switzerland Clear Novartis Flu Vaccine For Use
- Preparing For After The Storm Passes
- NPM12: A Whole Lotta Shakeouts Going On
- NPM12: Preparedness For Kids
- NIOSH: 9/5 Is N95 Day
- H3N2v: CDC Offers Advice To Fair Goers
- MMWR: Tornado Fatalities During April 2011 Outbreak
- WHO: Safety & Importance Of Thiomersal In Vaccines
- Study: Safety Of Drive-Thru Vaccination Clinics
- The Biggest Weather-Related Killer
- At The End Of My Rope
- CSL: Report On Febrile Reactions To FluVax
- CDC Statement On OIG Report On Vaccine Program For Children
- CDC Statement On Helmets & Tornadoes
- Reminder: Great Central U.S. Shakeout Today
- Branswell: PLoS One Study On Adverse Reactions To MMR Vaccine
- E. Coli: In the Raw (cookie dough)
- NIVW: Dec 4th – 10th, 2011
- Lancet: Guillain-Barré Syndrome & H1N1 Vaccine In Children
- IDSA: Flu Vaccines In Pregnancy
- BMJ: Another Pandemrix Study To Ponder
- Pediatrics: Effectiveness Of A Single Adjuvanted Pandemic Flu Shot In Children
- Anticipating The Flu Season Down Under
- ACP Calls For Health Care Worker Immunizations
- Branswell On Flu Vaccine Matches
- Flu Vaccine Still Available, But Spot Shortages Exist
- Study: Self-Administered Vaccines In Adults
- Egypt: A Paltry Poultry Vaccine
- Lancet: Low Flu Vaccine Effectiveness
- Hong Kong: H5N1 Vaccine Recommended For Certain Lab Workers
- AAP Endorses SAGE Recommendations Keeping Thimerosal In Vaccines
- NIVW 2012
- Study Supports Safety Of Tdap Vaccine In Older Patients
- JAMA: Waning Pertussis Vaccine Effectiveness Over Time
- Revisiting The Numbers Racket
- Of Pregnancy, Flu & Autism
- Canada & Switzerland Clear Novartis Flu Vaccine For Use
- CMAJ On Mandatory Flu Shot For HCWs
- Novartis Fluad And Agriflu Vaccines Suspended In Canada
- The UK’s Whooping Cough Outbreak
- Peter Sandman On the CCIVI Vaccine Report
- CIDRAP: The Need For `Game Changing’ Flu Vaccines
- Rhode Island Adopts New Flu Vaccination Requirements For HCPs
- Vietnam Reports Progress On New Bird Flu Vaccine
- WHO: Southern Hemisphere 2013 Flu Vaccine Composition
- NPM12: Giving Preparedness A Shot In The Arm
- Yes, We Have No Pandemic . . .
Widget by [ Iptek-4u ]