Provinces unsure what to do with extra H1N1 vaccines

From the National Post:
As H1N1 flu clinics continue to close across the country and with decrease demand for the shot, governments and health officials are dealing with an unexpected surplus of vaccine -- although few provinces have determined what they will do with the millions of leftover doses.

The federal government has distributed a total of 24.6 million adjuvanted and unadjuvanted doses of vaccine to the provinces. Fewer than 13.8 million doses have been administered. Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, said the federal government and World Health Organization are talking about what to do with surplus vaccine doses. There is no national plan in place yet to deal with the extra vaccines, he said.

The federal government recently announced declines in demand for the vaccine and most of the provinces have noted a decrease in the severity and impact of the virus, including fewer positive tests for H1N1. The number of deaths and hospitalizations related to the flu are dropping across the country, said Dr. Butler-Jones. These numbers have declined steadily for weeks. ...more