The “regular” or “seasonal” flu season has NOT started yet and the nation is facing a severe shortage of the “seasonal” flu vaccine. This is in addition to the shortage of the H1N1 flu vaccine. According to federal officials and flu experts this situation was unavoidable. Because of the global H1N1 flu pandemic, the demand for all flu shots is far beyond what manufacturers can make in a year.

Last year, 103 million Americans received the “seasonal” flu vaccine. This year 114 million doses have been manufactured and 90 million doses have been shipped leaving about 24 million doses of the “seasonal” flu vaccine yet to be shipped. There is no way vaccine manufacturers can make more “seasonal” flu vaccine now. The manufacturers have already committed their factories to making nearly 200 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine for the United States and other markets. The problem causing the delay is that the growing of the H1N1vaccine in the eggs is much slower than was predicted.