WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A shortage of seasonal flu vaccine has the potential to cause big problems for the United States' elderly population, caregivers say.
Janice Zalen, director of special programs for the American Health Care Association, which represents 11,000 nursing homes and assisted living facilities, said the seasonal flu vaccine shortage is "a very big problem," The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Zalen told the newspaper that of 1,000 nursing home managers she contacted in a survey, 800 reported they could not get enough vaccine. The Times noted of the 36,000 Americans who die of seasonal flu in the average year, more than 90 percent are 65 or older, with some of the deadliest outbreaks coming in nursing homes.
U.S. health officials reportedly are trying to shift supplies of the flu vaccine to counter the shortages. Dr. Carol Friedman, head of adult immunization at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said worries about swine flue and vaccine production problems have caused the situation.
The newspaper said some 118 million doses of vaccine were planned, but production problems caused GlaxoSmithKline to cut its run by half and Novartis shrank its output 10 percent.
