So how exactly did the flu vaccines get contaminated?

[Norquist Nemesis]

I've seen/heard all of the hype about not having enough, how Bush was warned three years ago about the danger, etc. But how, exactly, did these get contaminated? What is a "major mechanical" error?

Okay...tinfoil here. But when I hear this stuff I'm thinking about the bio-terror scientists that have been dieing off since this administration and...well, how did this happen?

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Bushy flicked a booger into the main processing vat

Probably not, but it's got serious comedic possibilites.

--bkl

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. LOL!!! Thanks for the visual!

*running to bathroom*

[Gore1FL]

3. Maybe they put the vaccine in tanker trucks in Iraq?

:)

[genius]

4. England has higher standards. THey warned the company &

the US said not a problem. Later the British said "We warned you" and closed them down. WE have another vaccine company also making the vaccine but, if our standards are too low for the British, are they okay for us?

[dansolo]

17. The problem is deregulation

This is one detail that has been completely glossed over. This problme is a direct result of deregulation. If the company was forced to comply with stricter inspections and manufacturing standards, they probably wouldn't have even had a contamination problem in the first place.

[Barney Rocks]

5. yeah--I

really would like to know.

[Skittles]

6. strange, isn't it

they don't explain and no one apparently is asking them to explain

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. Yes, I've been waiting for details on it

Nothing like an in-depth review. Instead, we're spending time on more important things like Kerry speaking French and poor Laura being maligned.

[emulatorloo]

7. John Edwards and the Trial Lawyers Did it

at least Bush keeps blaiming them - because somehow trial lawyers, who sue companies for things like contaminated vaccines, caused vaccine manufacturers to go out of business or to be afraid to make vaccines. . . .hence, the vaccine is contaminated because of John Edwards, Trial Laywers, and the Liberal Allies of John Kerry.

I still haven't figured out the logic of this, but that is what GWB seems to be selling.

[Norquist Nemesis]

12. What logic?

As long as he can point the finger at an opponent, he fires away like a machine gun.

[dirtyduck]

18. It's still bull b/c vaccine makers have liability exemptions

Beyond that, who wants contaminated vaccines?

[lectrobyte]

8. The vaccine is grown in chicken eggs, and some of the eggs used

at some point had other bacteria in it, and the whole lot of it gets contaminated. I wouldn't describe it as a mechanical type of error, rather I guess not enough quality control on the raw materials.

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. That's the best explanation

I've seen on it. I mis-spoke with 'mechanical'...when I checked he said "major manufacturing defect". Still, it didn't really explain any details. Thanks. :)

[dirtyduck]

19. and why chicken eggs?

Couldn't we find a better way? I deal with this all the time b/c my daughter is allergic to eggs and thus can't get the vaccine if I wanted her to. It just seems to me we could find a better way to make it!

[Bridget Burke]

20. A better way? Sure! Who'd pay for it?

The pharmacological companies can make more money inventing yet another drug to put lead into pencils.

If the government weren't blowing billions on unnecessary wars & stupid tax cuts, funds could be directed to worthwhile projects like this. Those fact that approximately 30,000 die every year from the flu are unsettling. Even in "good" years, too many people are unprotected.

[greekspeak]

9. Maybe Shrub pissed in it like he pisses on Americans?

?

[leesa]

10. Follow the money, I suspect. If they can now ask $150.00 for a shot,

I would imagine it payed off well for someone. Makes an excellent distraction, don't you think?

[Norquist Nemesis]

14. You may have a point.

It seems Bush is telling us all of the money went to the trial lawyers so it's their fault. *whiplash*

[JVS]

15. Dead baby fell into the vat?

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Chiron found some bacterial contamination in August

claimed it was isolated and the vaccine would be OK; the British agency inspected the plant in late September, and on Oct 5th said the manufacturing process gave them concerns of contamination, and so suspended the licence;

On October 8, the FDA team met with senior leadership of Chiron. Chiron presented the key results of their investigation, including negative retesting of all other lots, and indicated that they believed that the results, which they had planned to submit to the FDA, supported their conclusion that the contamination problem was confined to a limited number of lots identified by their testing.

On October 9, the FDA inspection team traveled from London to Liverpool and met with 2 MHRA inspectors, who joined the team as observers.

On October 10, the team initiated the inspection at the Chiron facility in Liverpool.

On October 15, FDA completed its investigation and presented its list of inspectional observations to Chiron's management as part of the close -out meeting that is held at the end of every FDA inspection. During that meeting, FDA investigators explained and discussed the observations that were documented during the inspection. FDA's inspection found significant deficiencies in quality control and concerns regarding the test results. Although Chiron's retesting of the unaffected lots of vaccine has been negative for contamination, FDA has determined that it cannot adequately assure the sterility of these lots to our safety standards.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/chronology1016.html

and also
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/news/2004/chironfluvaccine.htm

[TahitiNut]

21. "Regulation" - because many business people are too damned ...

... stupid or greedy to do things correctly without them!

This is a prime example. The industry has minimal regulation, mostly to ensure that the corruption of greed and ignorance that leads to faulty processes and products does not result in "unacceptable" harm to the public. One of the major problems with our capitalist culture is that our definition of "unacceptable" is getting weaker and weaker. People, especially on the right, are getting more and more willing to sacrifice innocent lives for the sake of the almighty buck and the greater enrichment of the already-wealthy. In business, it's called "externalization" - shifting the costs of corporatism to the general public. Corporations avoid costs and increasingly damage 'society' (their evil clone of socialism, "corporate socialism," the fraternal twin of national socialism).

[diamond14]

22. the result of the bush* de-regulation pogrom....it KILLS people !

under Clinton....there were sufficient qualified CHEMISTS, who reviewed chemical data submitted by drug companies, chemical companies, and environmental clean-up companies....

today, these CHEMISTS have all been pushed aside, there is NO regulation at all....

in Clinton's regulatory environment, this contamination would have been found and FIXED many many months ago...it's insane to continue to operate a contaminated production operation....50 MILLION doses are contaminated....

50 MILLION contaminated doses....that's crazy...it's like building a car with major defects, and then continuing to build defective cars even after you KNOW the cars are defective....and people DIE...

this is exactly what happens in a TOTALLY de-regulated environment, which is what bush* has created....and it should be of HUGE concern to anyone buying pharmaceutical drugs from THESE SAME DEREGULATED COMPANIES.....(notice that it was a FRENCH company that made a fine vaccine...NO contamination....good French regulatory oversight...that's what we need here).....