US Department of Health proposes priorities for flu vaccine distribution

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Draft guidelines issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services in November have established a series of tiers and categories for distribution of scarce vaccine in the event of pandemic flu. These guidelines give strong preference for emergency responders, military and national security personnel, and socially important occupations, such as top politicians, energy sector and communications personnel, bankers, and newborn infants. Distribution of vaccine to the elderly occupies a low priority, especially in the event of a severe pandemic with a case-fatality rate of 2% or more causing more than 1.8 million deaths. The scheme differs significantly from that proposed in Britain in 2005, which gave high priority to the elderly, noting that most of the deaths in recent years - ranging from 12,000 to 29,000 annually - were in elderly patients.

U.S. 2007	Britain 2005
Tier 1. Deployed/mission critical national security, health care providers, police, fire, vaccine manufacturers, top politicians	Priority 1. Health care workers, nursing home staff
*Tier 1.** Pregnant women, infants (*Sub-tier plan places at lower priority than other Tier 1)	Priority 2. Fire, police, security, communications, utilities, undertakers, armed forces
Tier 2. Intelligence, border, national guard, other domestic national security, community support, electricity, natural gas, communications, water, critical government personnel, children, household contacts of infants	Priority 3. High medical risk (e.g. diabetes, immunosuppressed)
	Priority 4. All over 65 years of age
Tier 3. Other active duty military, important health care, transport, food, banking, pharmaceutical, chemical, oil sector personnel, postal and other government, children	Priority 5. Selected industries, e.g. pharmaceuticals
Tier 4. High risk conditions, all over 65 years of age	Priority 6. Children
Tier 5. General public	Priority 7. General public

The plan is open to public comment under U.S. Federal Register guidelines until December 31.

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Related news

"Britain unveils flu pandemic preparedness plan, buys 14m courses of treatment drug". Wikinews, March 1, 2005

Sources

Alex Witze. "When the pandemic hits you, are you in luck?" — Nature News, November 7, 2007
"UK Health Departments Influenza pandemic Contingency Plan" — NHS, March 1, 2005
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Draft Guidance on Allocating and Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine" — PandemicFlu.gov,

External links

Request for Comments on Draft Guidance on Allocating and Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine official page by the United States Department of Health and Human Services - accessed on December 20, 2007

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