Swine flu still spreading through U.S. as concerns grow about school restarting

Schuchat said the CDC's vaccine advisory committee will meet next week to set this country's priorities. The Obama administration, however, has already said that it will make the vaccine available to schoolchildren at no charge, budgeting as much as $7.5 billion for the effort beyond the $2 billion already committed for vaccine ingredients.

Dr. Jesse Goodman, acting deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said at the same news conference that an H1N1 vaccine will not be available until well after school has begun. Companies and the National Institutes of Health are still planning clinical trials for the pandemic vaccine, and it will be at least two months into such trials before any data are available, he said.

There have also been fears that a vaccine might not be available. The handful of companies that produce influenza vaccines have been inundated with orders, and some, such as Baxter International Inc., have said they are unable to accept any further orders.

Because the vast majority of vaccine production is done overseas, some experts have speculated that a shortage will lead the countries where it is produced to limit exports so that their own populations will have full access.

Schuchat, however, said health authorities are not worried about such a possibility. "We are not concerned about meeting expectations for the vaccine. We haven't gotten any information that makes us question the supply."

--

thomas.maugh@latimes.com