It may be another month before majority of public swine flu vaccine is available

Talk about it

Milwaukee health officials now say it might be late November or early December before the majority of swine flu vaccine becomes available for the general public.

Production delays have caused slow-downs in the vaccine’s distribution nationally.

Milwaukee has given out 5,400 doses, and it has 1,500 left over from public clinics last week.

They’ll be given out Friday to health care workers, healthy 2-4-year-olds, and healthy adults who live with babies or care for them.

The state has asked health agencies around the state to give their vaccines only to high-risk people for at least a couple weeks, when more is expected to become available.

In Waukesha County, the second day of a public clinic was canceled after 1,000 available doses were given out Wednesday.

Fourteen people in Wisconsin have died from the H1N1 swine flu this year.

Four deaths occurred in the last eight days. Milwaukee had two of those deaths, and Eau Claire and Oconto counties had one each.

State officials have confirmed 1,862 swine flu cases since Aug. 31, and 70 people have been hospitalized for it.

Tags: h1n1 vaccine, wisconsin