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US health officials today scaled back the number of swine flu vaccine doses that they expect to roll out this month, even as the numbers of H1N1-associated hospitalizations and deaths, particularly among children, continue to rise.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now expects to have 28-30 million doses of swine flu vaccine by the end of October — down from the 45 million doses predicted in August and previous estimates of 120 million forecast earlier in the summer.

The problem, it appears, is insufficient quantities of antigen — the part of the virus included in the vaccine that prompts the body to generate antibodies and mount an immune response.

Coverage can be found at the NY Times, AFP, Reuters, and Bloomberg, among others.

There may be fewer shots to go around, but the three nurses who sued New York state to stop mandatory immunization of health workers won’t be clamouring to get the available stock. Today, a New York judge upheld the nurses’ appeal and issued a temporary restraining order. State health officials vowed to fight the move. (NY Times)

Swine flu is also finally living up to its name, in the US at least. Pigs at the Minnesota state fair may have tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the first potential cases of the disease among American domestic livestock. The US Department of Agriculture is conducting further tests. (USDA statement)