[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 151 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    INFLUENZA VACCINE REQUIRES SHOTS

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                     HON. C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2005

  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I support the Administration's plans 
for combating an Influenza Pandemic, including measures to increase the 
capacity of the vaccine industry so that we have enough influenza 
vaccine to protect all Americans within 6 months of an outbreak.
  However, you can't drink the Influenza vaccine, it has to be 
delivered with a syringe or other delivery technology, but the 
Administration's plan does not include any strategies for acquiring 
sufficient numbers of appropriate injection devices to deliver the 
vaccine.
  The influenza vaccine will probably require 2 shots, which means that 
we will need 600 million syringes to vaccinate every American.
  Without advance planning and stockpiling of injection devices, 
hospitals and public health agencies will not have sufficient numbers 
of injection devices to deliver the pandemic influenza vaccine. In 
fact, without planning and utilizing devices that are designed to 
ensure the vaccine is used to its full potential, we may waste the very 
vaccine we are working so hard to acquire.
  The Administration has worked diligently with vaccine manufacturers 
to ensure there is additional capacity to produce pandemic influenza 
vaccines. The same planning and cooperation must happen with the 
domestic device industry. I urge the Administration to sit-down with 
the medical device industry to discuss potential medical device needs 
and capacity constraints and develop a plan to ensure we are acquiring 
the appropriate amount and type of syringes necessary to keep all 
Americans safe. It would be a tragedy to waste life saving vaccine 
because of a lack of foresight.

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