Kids, Mommies-to-Be Get Swine Flu Shot First

With city health officials marking their calendars for a possible swine flu resurgence this fall, plans are now being laid to dole out the soon-to-be-ready flu vaccine. The NY Daily News reports today that children, pregnant women, and health care workers are top priority for the vaccine, the supply of which is expected to be "ample." Says Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley: "It's on track. We're told it may be available in mid-October." He explains that the first shots will go to kids, possibly even via "special immunization clinics in schools," since kids tend to be little walking disease vectors, spreading flu among themselves and bringing it back home to their families. Farley also adds that the city will need more than a million doses to avoid vaccine shortages, though his office has since clarified that number "wasn't based on data or calculations" and that "the city has no real idea of how much H1N1 vaccine is coming, or when."

But, even though Dr. Farley's tossing out big numbers like Dr. Evil, don't worry—vaccine supply supervisors at World Health Organization are backing up speculation about flu shot schedules and availability. The WHO announced last week that safety trials are now underway, which could mean the first vaccine shipments will be made as early as September.

If the shots make it into clinics by mid-October as planned, that will still leave those at-risk, priority groups vulnerable to about two months' worth of swine flu exposure. Not to be shortchanged of any free time off, some college students are seizing on this vulnerability window as a reason to cancel school across the country. A group calling itself Students Prep America is organizing students in colleges and high schools to demand that officials "keep America's schools closed this fall until a vaccine is available for H1N1 pandemic flu."

Nice try, kids, but even though the CDC does list children and young adults (ages 6 months to 24 years old) among the groups with vaccination priority, the CDC also reports "the potential benefits of preemptively dismissing students from school are often outweighed by negative consequences." So, shot or not, it looks like it's back to the schoolhouse with you youngins after all.