Stuck

How can some chickens lay 157 million eggs and produce one fat turkey? Easy, when each egg is used to produce a dose of vaccine for the federal swine-flu immunization program.

In December, after 40 million Americans had received the vaccine, the Government halted the shots when it was confirmed that the paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome was a possible, if rare, side effect. Since February, when the program was resumed, only 11,000 people have rolled up their sleeves. Today, storerooms are stacked with 85 million doses of swine-flu vaccine, plus 27 million doses good for both that strain and the A/Victoria variety. Public health experts have urged that the vaccines be stored indefinitely: there may some day be a swine-flu outbreak.

Besides paying $100 million for the vaccine, the Government assumed the burden of liability from the manufacturers; the 391 claims brought against the program to date total $117.5 million, including $89.2 million for 85 Guillain-Barre cases. Stuck, if not vaccinated, are the taxpayers.

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