University Health Services announced yesterday that it has run out of flu vaccinations due to shortages from its supplying company. Only students who made prior appointments will receive the treatment.
Dr. Thomas Nary, director of University Health Services, encouraged students to seek the vaccine from their local physicians during Thanksgiving break. He added that area CVS drug stores and other pharmacies periodically hold flu vaccine clinics.
Area colleges such as Bentley College and Boston University were also affected by the shortage, and only those organizations who ordered the vaccine "very, very early" received the allotted amount, Nary said. "Most people got half of what they ordered at best," he added.
Nary remains optimistic about having the vaccinations before the flu season ends. "Last year there was a furor about a nationwide shortage, but by the end of the flu season there was an excess," he said. "My guess is that's going to happen again."
The shortages are unrelated to the recent public concern over the avian flu, Nary said. "The flu scare is probably overdone," he said. "It is true that an animal virus can mutate, and it certainly may, but the chance of a pandemic in a very short period of time is really slim to none."
Since 1997, 115 people have contracted the avian strand of the flu worldwide. Most, Nary said, were people that have been close to the poultry industry, or ate poultry that wasn't well screened.
An e-mail sent to students yesterday initially said that the Nov. 11 vaccine clinic was cancelled, and students could obtain the preventative treatment on a first come, first serve basis. Later in the day, a second e-mail said the vaccine was gone.
About 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population contracts influenza each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC statistics show that, in an average year in the United States, influenza causes 114,000 hospitalizations and kills 36,000 people, primarily those who are 65 and older.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!