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Medical Scientists have faced many problems in developing the H1N1 vaccine since June 2009 when its need was first made known. First, they had to research and test and understand exactly what kind of vaccine was needed; second, they had to overcome the negative publicity concerning vaccines in general, and then how to proceed. Once these obstacles were out of the way, they needed to know how much was needed, who were the most vulnerable should a full blown pandemic arrive with the fall flu season and how to get the vaccine to where it could be dispensed.

You would think with a mammoth task such as this, there would be a lessening of the criticism and the bad publicity. Not so. A few minutes ago while researching I ran across more negative publicity than I thought possible. Surely, thought I, the world now knows the magnitude of the problem and is cooperating. Bypassing that as static and of no consequence, where are we now in this battle to save as many lives as possible?

Right where the WHO and the CDC predicted they would be. It the first week in November and long lines are forming to get the vaccination for those most vulnerable, the young, pregnant women, and ages form two up to the twenties. Even those beyond with compromising conditions. There is a shortage of vaccine but they knew from the first there possibly would be. Vaccines take time and they cannot be produced by simply giving manufacturers the go ahead.

The first criticism came because of the timing of the pandemic. It was necessary according to the WHO so that they could commence the process of producing the vaccine. They understood the long procedure of growing of preparing the vaccine and wanted to get started so that they could begin the vaccinations come fall. They decided it was better to err on the side of caution than to do nothing and have a repeat of the 1918 pandemic where over fifty million people died. Yes they proceeded even though they were blamed for declaring a pandemic and creating panic when obviously the flu was mild and would probably amount to not much more than a week of regular flu likes symptoms.

The wiser among us, the medical scientists responsible for protecting us, sometimes an unappreciative public, often against our worst selves, went ahead. They had learned from the behavior of the 1918 flue pandemic and recognizing that the H1N1 virus that started in Mexico in March was similar. It is their job to learn and to compare and to research and to make assessments and

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