Vaccination for influenza A (H1N1) expected to begin next week

The influenza A (H1N1) vaccine has been ordered by the health departments of 25 cities and states; administration of the vaccine is expected to begin on Tuesday, according to CDC officials who spoke at a press briefing today.

Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the Center of Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said orders for the vaccine were expected from more than 60 state, city and territory public health departments. “Nearly half have their orders in and more are placing them this week, Schuchat said.

State public health departments that have ordered the vaccine include those in Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The city public health departments in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., have also ordered the vaccine.

Schuchat said CDC officials expect 6 to 7 million doses of the vaccine will be out by next week. The first 600,000 doses will be available by Tuesday.

The first vaccines that will be available will be the nasal spray, according to Schuchat; the injection form of the vaccine will be available by later next week. Schuchat also said that officials at the Department of Health and Human Services have authorized the release of about 300,000 pediatric, liquid doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu from a national medicine stockpile.