Flu vaccine crisis calls for a national state of emergency
Published October 26, 2004
We, the chiefs of infectious diseases at the University of Florida, the University of Miami and the University of South Florida, wish to express our grave concern over the unavailability of the influenza vaccine in Florida.
Our state has an extraordinarily large number of very vulnerable elderly patients with underlying chronic diseases. Our hospitals also care for many patients with impaired immunity. The supply of influenza vaccine in our hospitals is far below the 50 percent allotment expected, and we are unable to meet the needs of our patients. Although it is claimed there is no crisis, we disagree.
As experts in the field of infectious diseases, we know that if our high-risk patients are not vaccinated, the consequences could be grave. We ask the administration to declare a national state of emergency and recall all available supplies of vaccine so that they can be redistributed immediately to those most in need of protection - especially the elderly in Florida. We recommend recall from all commercial vendors not affiliated with established health care delivery systems.
If vaccine is not made available to our elderly and at-risk patients, an influenza epidemic could result in the unnecessary loss of lives. We call upon our national leadership to immediately address this urgent matter.
-- - Frederick S. Southwick, M.D., University of Florida College of Medicine; Gordon Dickinson, M.D., University of Miami School of Medicine; John T. Sinnott, M.D., University of South Florida School of Medicine
Why should Congress get shots?
I recently read and watched on the news that there were flu shots available for members of Congress regardless of whether or not they were in a high-risk category. Why is this so? It is disgusting and downright disrespectful to the people they serve that members of Congress are treated any differently than the rest of America. How can they justify a young and healthy member of Congress getting a flu shot over any of the elderly I have seen sitting in line in front of local stores in an attempt to get a vaccine that may save their life? They can't!
The Times needs to publish a list of Florida's members of Congress who have received the flu shot and aren't in an at-risk category so we can make sure that they are voted out.
-- - John F. Marretta, Port Richey
Look who's changing course
Who's the flip-flopper now? President Bush is trying to get flu medicines from Canada. Didn't he just say no to prescription drugs from there ... that he didn't think they were safe?
-- - Frances English, Clearwater
We need higher quality candidates
Re: Scaring up votes, Oct. 23.
Thank you for your editorial. The negativity of many campaigns this political season, replete with lies and vitriol, is of great concern. It is extremely disturbing that candidates do not have a positive record on which to run so they must resort to politics of the basest form, making their opponents look bad, rather than making themselves look good. And it doesn't seem to matter that some of the accusations are not true at all, or are gross exaggerations.
It is too late for this campaign, but we should require that candidates in future elections keep their politicking to a higher standard, requiring that they run on their own record and/or their party's platform rather than slugging it out in the mud. Two candidates running for the highest office in our land should not diminish themselves or the office for which they are running by engaging in dirty politics. Surely we can find two statesmen (or stateswomen) to run for president in the 2008 election.
-- - Nancy E. Fleming, St. Petersburg
Anticipating the end of campaign ads
On Nov. 2 something wonderful is going to happen. No, not the election, but an end to the inundation of political ads that have been forced on us each and every day on our TVs.
It's a shame that four out of six ads between the hours of 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. are political. It's so bad that I am actually looking forward to the return of the lawyers' ads.
What a shame that there aren't limits to how much TV time each candidate, political party or special interest group can buy in an election. I think if there were, we would see a real change in the caliber of ads. Wouldn't it be refreshing?
-- - Jeanne Humphrey, Largo
Election confusion likely
The 245 votes that went missing for 13 days before Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson was informed may only be a preview of what is to come on Nov. 2.
So hold onto your hats. We may be in for a bumpy ride.
-- - JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater
[Last modified October 26, 2004, 00:39:23]
