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Fears of vaccine shortage as flu rages across country

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    Supply already starting to run low

  • Duration 6:07
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And -- time now for Sunday house call joining us as always this morning is doctor mark single.

He's associate professor of medicine at NYU's land on medical center and he's got a Ph.D.

in the flu.

Israel until bucks Swine Flu the new pandemic and bird flu everything you want to know -- need to know about the next pandemic.

And today -- -- talk about the -- Exactly so I was pretty good -- this kind of thing to be here is the vice chair of the department of urology cheaper products at the Mount Sinai Medical Center if only there was a surgical solutions for the flow -- ego we're all suffering.

Doctor Siegel you've got your Ph.D.

just been taking care of everybody here and by the way thank you very much.

We're doing better.

We want to talk about the levels at which we are now with the flu with the very latest -- these reports are a little disturbing that we may be short on vaccine.

Short on Tamiflu.

-- have looked a -- a couple of minutes on the focus I've been watching all the media coverage and outside of David David they're great job on the floor yesterday.

There's a few things that people are getting misconceptions about first of all calling this an epidemic and people -- packed what's an epidemic.

Did you know that flu is an epidemic every single year for certain period of time.

Couple weeks usually maybe we have a more severe year this year we probably do but we're not gonna know that for sure till the end of the year so let's first thing it's an epidemic.

But epidemic flow is always an epidemic and if we can just use the time -- -- to share the spotlight on the -- how it is a dangerous virus -- -- can kill.

How can cause other infections to march in like pneumonia like bronchitis that we're doing a service.

Second thing vaccine.

I've been talking for ten years about get -- better flu vaccine we can't afford it yet it's about a billion dollars to get the research going.

The problem with the flu vaccine is you -- a different one every year.

We we've both been talking about how the Centers for Disease Control says it's 62% effective.

They should get a hats -- for that cause we're the only country.

In the world that -- a test of the flu vaccine in the middle of the flu season to see how effective it is to go around asking people.

You know -- did you go to a doctor for flu symptoms it's 62%.

Less likely.

That you'll go to the doctor with flu like symptoms meaning it decreases how severe you get the flu.

And they're now working now on next year right.

Right -- -- hit another one more thing -- that is David was saying yesterday we're not really gonna know how effective this vaccine is until April when we look back.

In the rearview mirror and we say how many people -- this really help we need a better vaccine.

We knew it who -- -- they're already working on the one for next year but that's because they have to do it this way it's a crazy situation we need one flu vaccine that last ten years.

The third -- I -- -- say quickly there's people you may have the flu you may not have the -- you may have something else and think you have before you are saying your before we came on you were coughing.

You know.

David has had a cold this week everybody thinks they have the flu this week it may not actually beautiful or you may have the flu and something else you may have the flu and bronchitis or the flu and.

So sure that -- it's gonna come near me.

So much no I stayed home all week folks and really if you can rest it seems like Rask was the only thing that really helped I hope you're feeling better doctors -- I -- but.

The thing is why wouldn't drug companies over produce a product like Tamiflu or the flu vaccine.

Knowing that they may have epidemic levels.

Which we preached people are not listening so they're producing about a 135 million.

We already have given -- 128.

But despite everything that's said they're not going to get vaccinated -- -- reason maybe they think it causes.

Autism and other things there's a lot of myth out there.

This is a dead virus obviously cannot cause flu after you get bit.

Vaccine but my I have a different perspective obviously.

This is what mark does for living but I think that we should do a better job.

And FDA and other companies many factors.

Should do better than 62% and we'll find that in April it was only great at 50% of the time look the bottom line is.

This flu virus is a very fluid and it's a very Smart point and every year it seems that we're chasing it -- sort of getting it ahead of time.

What it does it has something but you know.

-- and shift or antigen drift in the middle of the season all the so that you can change this style event.

And now you have almost like either a completely new strain that you do you want.

Or a little bit different than other virus the vaccine is I'm gonna work against it.

The vaccine only has influenza a H1N1.

H three N two which is -- -- one ended -- and it doesn't have a lot of other things so.

Starting early this season having his.

OK -- good vaccine but not a great one and only good is 62% plus the fact that a lot of them are not doing it now.

I think that if you're even a compromise if you're diabetic.

If you have it a try if you are the things you should Wear a mask and you should avoid public scenes don't go to the emergency room because that's when you give more attention to other people or get some more from the ones that are there that's an -- -- one awakens -- don't go to.

-- with a lots of people.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- One more thing on the vaccine which I actually agree with David on there in the works in the pipeline that we can talk about this on a -- -- there's a vaccine.

That targets the -- two protein in the middle of the flu virus.

All flu viruses have this this is a great vaccine that this comes down the pipeline -- be about ninety in the 95% effective and you'll be able to take it once every ten.

They're gonna tell you Tamiflu.

It helped me it I need to get immediately back to -- within the first one to four hours.

And you know there's some risk that they too because over the issue where there's common cold which is usually from neck up.

Or they're real flu which is a -- -- 3104 so I admit I took it.

I gotta get back to work I took a lot of fluid now I have access who suggested it.

The professor and this -- was operating within intravenous he's -- a little your suggestion your suggestion is if you -- if you think you have the symptoms.

Of the flu take Tami -- talk to your doctor first -- that if you have common cold or flu.

And stay away from that -- because they're being flooded and it's really want to learn more about how I -- we come back we'll talk to.

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