If you want to see what a billion dollars can buy, come to Holly Springs, North Carolina. It’s home to the nation’s first Cell Based Flu Vaccine Manufacturing facility. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services footed part of the bill, paying 40 percent of the billion plus it cost to build the plant.  Swiss drug maker Novartis paid for the rest. So what is cell-based flu vaccine?

It’s a faster way of making vaccines that’s been around since 2000, and is currently used in many European countries. The method uses replicated animal cells instead of chicken eggs which is the fifty-year old traditional method of making flu vaccines. As shown with the current pandemic, sometimes it takes the virus a long time to grow in eggs, which leads to vaccine shortages.

Cell based technology has yet to receive FDA approval here in the U.S.  Why?

Federal Health Officials say when it comes to vaccines, they exercise an abundance of caution. In order for the FDA to approve a vaccine of any kind, it usually involves extensive testing and clinical trials. Those trials take time, but we are dealing with a pandemic right now. Many people are still waiting in long lines all over the country to get the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine. For them, the threat is real, and they want to know that something is being done to prevent flu vaccine shortages in the future. The facility here in Holly Springs is slated to be fully operational in 2012, but plant officials say they could get emergency approval to produce cell based vaccines as early as 2011, in the event of another pandemic threat. Once it gains FDA approval, the plant can make up to 150 Milllion doses of Flu Vaccine within six months of a declared pandemic. That’s four times the amount of vaccine federal officials had hoped to have by now, seven months after swine flu first emerged.

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Health officials have told us all along to get the H1N1 vaccine, it’s our best defense against the deadly virus. At the same time, we’ve been reminded not to forget about getting our seasonal flu shots. That’s why it’s frustrating for people waiting in long lines all over the country, only to be turned away. Vaccine supplies are running low because of production delays, but adding to the problem is an increased demand for the seasonal vaccine. Concerns over H1N1, have led many people to get vaccinated who normally wouldn’t. So far, 85 million people have gotten seasonal vaccine. That’s 25 million more than this time last year.

Now reports that some large employers, including Wall Street banks, have received H1N1 vaccine even while hospitals and clinics are trying to accommodate those in high risk groups.  In a story that first broke in a BusinessWeek article, some financial companies like Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup have received shipments: Goldman got 200, Citigroup received 1200 doses. Goldman confirms the order, but says it’s up to the CDC to make decisions on distributing vaccines, and the shots will go to high risk employees.

During a House Sub Committee meeting in Washington yesterday, Federal Health Officials were questioned at length about Flu vaccine shortages and production delays. CDC Director, Dr.Thomas Frieden, said the shortages are very frustrating, but said they can’t do anything about them. So far, there have been almost no cases of seasonal flu, it’s all H1N1. Then again, seasonal flu usually doesn’t show up until late winter. Manufacturing companies are focusing their efforts on making more H1N1 Flu vaccine, because health officials expect it to peak before vaccine supplies can catch up.

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I often wonder, “If I was pregnant, would I get the Swine flu vaccine?” So far, 28 women have died from H1N1. Another 100 have been sent to Intensive Care Units. Not many when compared to the population of the U.S., and the number of women who are pregnant at any given time, but even one death is too many. I wouldn’t want to put myself, or anyone I love in danger of getting a deadly virus that could have been prevented.

Pregnant women, and thousands of others in high risk groups, are waiting in long lines around the country to get the H1N1 vaccine, only to find supplies have run out. In Des Moines, Iowa, there’s now a waiting list for pregnant women so they bypass the lines, and get their shots faster. CDC officials say egg-based vaccine production has been slower than expected, so with demand up, many clinics and health departments are simply running out of supplies.

Health officials continue to warn expectant mothers of the risks of not getting the vaccine, but there are still some women who are skeptical. Many have heard about Thimerosol. It’s a component of some vaccines that contains mercury, blamed by vaccine opponents for causing Autism in children. That’s a claim health professionals say has not been proven through research. In any case, mercury-free seasonal flu vaccine is out there, and CDC officials say it will be available in limited supply for H1N1 Shots, too.

I have a good friend who is six months pregnant, and married to a doctor. Her husband advised her a few weeks ago, to head to her mom’s house in the mountains for a while. A sort of self-inflicted quarantine which she hoped would keep herself and her toddler from becoming infected until vaccines arrived. Now that the shots are here, doctors are being advised to counsel their patients about the potential dangers of foregoing the vaccine. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released a statement last week urging doctors to talk with pregnant women about the risks not just to themselves, but for unborn children as well. Still, one in four women says they don’t plan on getting vaccinated despite warnings from health officials. Pregnant women are naturally at higher risk of catching all sorts of illnesses due to changes in their immune systems. The risks are higher later in pregnancy as the fetus pushes against the lungs making it more difficult to breathe. Several doctors have told me that deep breaths are necessary to fight off lung infections. So, my answer to the question I posed earlier? Would I get vaccinated? Yes. I will get vaccinated, as soon as H1N1 vaccine supplies are opened up to those of us lucky enough not to be in a high risk group.

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It’s been one week since Kristi Cornwell was snatched while walking along a rural road near her family’s home, and still no sign of her. The 38 year old often took walks alone, after all …  Blairsville, Georgia is a small community where people don’t bother to lock doors. Kristi’s brother, Richard Cornwell, came by our LIVE  shot location this morning, and was so emotional, he had a hard time answering our questions. He brought us a homemade DVD with video of his sister during happier times. His hope is that providing more than still photographs will bring someone forward with new information. The family also set up a fund in Kristi’s name to establish a reward, and help with search costs for those who want to help.

The FBI has joined state and local officers in the investigation. FBI resources include a criminal profiler, forensics experts and facilities, and aerial surveillance. The profiler will now come up with characteristics of the person who might have taken Kristi. I spoke to her ex mother-in-law earlier who is also her son’s grandmother. She said Kristi had no enemies, not even in her past when she was a probation officer. None that they can think of anyway. Investigators continue to go through old case files anyway. The hardest part of covering a “story” like this is trying to report the facts without getting too emotionally attached. That is difficult for me.
The first time I came to Blairsville, it was to cover the story of a hiker who was missing near Vogel State Park in January of 2008. Meredith Emerson was a beautiful, highly intelligent woman who had dreams. She also had a huge group of good friends who would not give up hope.

I spent three days with these wonderful, determined people who were Meredith’s friends. She was found murdered, and her killer, Gary Hilton, sits in prison. I still think about the day state agents told us she wouldn’t be found alive. Nothing can describe watching others go through the pain of hearing that someone they love was never coming back. We are journalists, and report the facts, but we are human.

I hope the Cornwell family gets Kristi back. I hope her teenage son gets to hug his mother again. And I hope that something we send out over people’s tv sets, some small tidbit of information helps and brings someone forward with a tip that brings Kristi Cornwell home.

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When I first came to Gaffney, North Carolina to cover a serial killer on the loose, my first thought was,”what if he shoots me?” It’s the sort of fear we can all relate to. For a week now, folks here have kept doors locked, and their eyes open. Many are tormented by thoughts that they could be next. With good reason.

Five of their own were shot and killed over a period of days. Three were at the one place many of us feel most comfortable and safe … home. It started last Saturday near this small town of about 12, 000, where neighbors know neighbors. A 63 year old peach farmer was gunned down after his wife had answered the door to a stranger inquiring about hay. She left the house and returned to find her beloved husband of many years dead. The victim advocate for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office said,”The worst part is, she can’t even go back home, where all her memories are.” Lives changed forever.

On Wednesday, terror struck the town again. 83 year old Hazel Linder was visiting with her 50 year old daughter Gena Linder Parks before they were both found bound and shot to death. I imagine what that must have been like. Knowing you’re about to die, and being powerless to stop it. My words may seem shocking, but so was seeing the picture of the killer’s latest victim. A beautiful 15 year old named Abby Tyler ruthlessly gunned down. She and her dad were closing up shop at the family’s furniture store on Thursday afternoon before the July fourth holiday. I wonder, did they see him coming? Did he look scary to them, or like any other customer who didn’t know it was closing time. Stephen Tyler died at the store, and his little girl clung to life for two days before she passed.

Now comes word that a suspect has been killed in Gastonia, South Carolina during a shootout with police. His vehicle fits the description of the one driven by the killer. South Carolina state investigators are at the scene determining if there’s a connection to the Gaffney killer. An eerie sketch of him is tacked to almost every pole, street lamp, and drive-thru window in town. Everyone is wondering,”Is it him?” and hoping and praying it is … so the town can breathe a collective sigh of relief together.

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When I met 2 year old Brittan Allison, he was a little shy, but immediately warmed up to our crew. Then I noticed something: his right arm didn’t move and he was walking along slowly dragging his right leg. Yet, he just smiled and laughed and played with his big brother just like any little kid. Only Brittan has endured more in his young life than most adults probably will in a lifetime.

Brittan was born with a heart condition and a rare blood condition that has led to three strokes which paralyzed his right side. So his pediatrician prescribed Plavix which is a blood thinner usually given to adult heart attack patients and the elderly. Brittan’s mom, Paige Allison, says so far the drug is working. She says she doesn’t worry about the fact that most of these adult drugs have not been tested in clinical trials on children. Brittan’s pediatrician at Duke Medical Center in Durham says drug companies need to do more research into developing pediatric versions of adult medications.

CLICK OVER TO READ BLANTON BROOKS’ COVERAGE OF THIS STORY >>

Right now, doctors are guessing the appropriate dosages based on a child’s body weight. As far as Brittan’s parents are concerned, the drug is easy to administer and is much better than the alternative which is the danger of Brittan suffering another damaging or perhaps fatal stroke. The day we were there, Brittan showed us how he’s learned to get up the staircase at his house pretty fast even without full use of his right arm and leg.

A FAMILY’S STRENGTH

There is something I would like to add to this. The Allisons told us they don’t feel like they have it so bad. After all, they said, there are plenty of people out there having a tougher time with life’s struggles. I was so impressed with how loving and patient they were with Brittan, especially when it came time to take his meds. He cried and protested, but right after he took them, he was back up and running.

He walked over to me, grabbed the bracelets on my wrist, and just looked up at me and laughed like any toddler would.

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