title: Influenza vaccine supply, 2005-2006: did we come up short?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although total influenza vaccine doses available in the 2005/2006 influenza season were over 80 million, CDC received many reports of delayed and diminished vaccine shipments in October to November of 2005. To better understand the supply problems, CDC and partners surveyed several health care professional groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surveys were sent to representative samples of influenza vaccine providers including pediatricians, internists, federally qualified health centers, visiting nurse organizations, and all 64 state and other health departments receiving federal immunization funds directly. In November and December, 2005, providers were asked questions about their experience in ordering influenza vaccine, sources where orders were placed, proportion of orders received, and referral of patients to other vaccination sites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of providers surveyed (median: 154; range: 64-308) and response rates (median: 62%; range: 51%-77%) varied among groups. Less than half of the providers in most groups placed a single order that was accepted (median: 31%; range: 8%-53%), and most placed multiple orders. Only 57% of federally qualified health centers and 60% of internists reported they received at least 40% of their orders by the middle of December; the other provider groups received a greater proportion of their orders. Most internists (80%) and federally qualified health centers (54%) reported that they had referred priority group patients to other locations to receive the influenza vaccine due to inadequate supplies. Vaccine providers who ordered only from Chiron received a lower proportion of their orders than providers that ordered from another source or ordered from multiple sources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the providers surveyed received only part of their orders by the middle of December. Disruptions in receipt of influenza vaccine during the fall of 2005 were due primarily to shortfalls in vaccine from Chiron and also due to delays and partial shipments from other distributors.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. bfb7@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Barbara H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Bardenheier
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Strikas
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kempe
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stokley
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D004345:Drug Industry; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D040361:Healthy People Programs; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines