The Coming Epidemic

Influenza—that perennial scourge of the very young, the very old, and the very stressed—is almost here again, but our nation is ill-prepared to defend itself against the viral threat. This fall the supply of vaccine, America’s first line of defense against the flu, has been sliced in half. The consequences of the shortage are having repercussions here at Harvard, as University Health Services (UHS) has revealed significant limitations on who will be eligible for vaccination. Given these circumstances, students are well advised to take it upon themselves to protect themselves and keep the community healthy.

The immediate cause of the disastrous shortage—reportedly the safety failures at an English plant of the Chiron Corporation—are just a symptom of a larger problem that has been allowed to fester for years. Over the last decade, the number of suppliers of the flu vaccine in the U.S. has dwindled to two. Yet outrageous as this dangerous trend is, long term preventative solutions should not be the present focus; there is no use crying over spoiled milk, or, more appropriately, spoiled vaccine.

For Harvard students, the vaccination shortage means that the prospects of catching the flu are unusually high this year. UHS, with its roughly 8,400 doses of the vaccine, announced that it will not vaccinate otherwise healthy students in the foreseeable future. No doubt, healthy Harvardians will survive the flu, and it is perfectly reasonable that no young adult be vaccinated until each elder, infant, and invalid has been protected—groups for whom the flu could be a death sentence.

Be that as it may, it does not mean college students, who are frequently under stress, sleep-deprived, concentrated in tight living arrangements, prone to unhealthy diets, and likely to share beverages, are in any way immune from the virus. On the contrary, these habits make students especially at risk to catch the flu—and although young people are obviously more likely to recover than their elder counterparts, a nasty case of the flu in the middles of a busy semester is surely not consequence-free.

The lack of vaccine is unfortunate, and we hope that somehow the shortage is relieved in the near future. Even so, Harvard students can turn a minor disaster into a minor nuisance by promoting a healthier, more hygienic environment.