Facing a shortage of flu vaccine, Department of Health and Human Services
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are asking many
healthy Americans to forgo getting a flu shot this year. In the Defense
Department, this means service members who are not deploying, and healthy
family members not in the high-risk groups, will not get the shot. Dr.
William Winkenwerder, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, said
“This is a very manageable problem, a very manageable situation..” He added,
“there’s some chance we could have a low influenza season” because of the
efforts to target the vaccine for higher-risk individuals. He also mentioned
preventive practices of washing hands and covering mouths when coughing or
sneezing. If people get sick, he said, they should “stay away from other
people. In fact, if you really feel bad, don’t come into work. Don’t spread
an illness.”
