Americans Blaming Drug Companies for Swine Flu Vaccine Shortage
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The USA Today and Gallup conducted a poll to learn more about who American citizens believed was to blame for the H1N1 vaccine shortage. They gathered information over the phone from about 1,500 adults who were of at least 18 years of age. They found that the Americans who were polled placed a majority of the blame on drug companies as well as the federal government.
While both drug companies and the federal government received a substantial amount of blame from those who were polled, drug companies proved to be the main target of Americans’ frustration. An overwhelming 62 percent of those who were polled believed that drug companies deserved to accept a significant portion or a moderate amount of the blame for the current swine flu vaccine shortage.
Although Americans predominantly placed blame on drug companies, they also clearly believed that the federal government has played a significant factor in the H1N1 vaccine shortage. 58 percent of the approximately 1,500 Americans who were polled by The USA Today and Gallup expressed their opinion that the federal government played a substantial or moderate role in the swine flu vaccine shortage.
Kristine Sheedy, a representative for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, said in response to the poll, "We know we need to do some things better, like improving vaccine production technology so that we can get more vaccine out."
