Yesterday my pediatrician informed my husband that our 11-month old son probably will not be able to get the two vaccines that would protect him the most this winter–a flu shot and Prevnar–due to shortages. I can try to get a flu shot at our local supermarket, but to do so I’ll probably need to stand in line all day.

The shortage of the flu vaccine may lead to more deaths than the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. What makes me angry is that this didn’t have to happen. The technology exists to manufacture an abundant supply of vaccines at a reasonable cost. But it sometimes doesn’t work that way because penny-pinching public officials have set up a government-run vaccine purchasing system that pays ridiculously low prices. As a result, scores of companies have stopped making vaccines.

My ears perked up when Bob Schieffer asked the presidential candidates to explain the flu shot shortage in last night’s debate. Here was Bush’s chance to speak out in favor of market-oriented vaccine reforms that would entice more manufacturers to resume vaccine production.

It was not to be. Bush blamed California-based Chiron (which he erroneously implied is a British firm) and litigation (even though the risk of lawsuits has largely receded due to the establishment of The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program). He did not mention the main underlying problem–the low-price bulk purchase of vaccines by the CDC–that has driven so many vaccine makers from the industry.

If you can believe it, Kerry’s answer was even worse. As I mentioned a few days ago, Kerry wants Medicare to purchase prescription drugs the same way the CDC purchases vaccines. Apparently, he thinks the vaccine system works just swell. But he didn’t say a word about this. Instead he droned on about his plan to reform health insurance, avoiding Schieffer’s question altogether.

Update: Apparently, I will not be able to get a flu shot for my son at a local supermarket, as I suggested above. Silly me. According to this web site, the supermarket pharmacies in my county “are not geared to treat young children.” Instead, “It is recommended that children under the age of 9 who are at high risk, especially those between the age of 6 and 23 months, see their physicians or local public health department.” As I said, our pediatrician told us she probably would not be able to give my son a flu shot. She is giving flu shots only to immuno-compromised infants, not healthy infants like our son. In other words, it’s not enough to be a member of a high-risk group. Now you have to be a member of a high-risk subgroup within a high-risk group.

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