Not that I was getting a flu shot, but I'd be boycotting them if I was...

When I have an income, I think I will "tithe" some to NPR.

So listening to WPLN, Nashville Public Radio, this afternoon, I was increasingly disgusted by the H1N1 vaccine situation.

Setting aside that I'm not sure so many people should be getting flu/H1N1 vaccines (that's a whole other dialog); there is a shortage of the H1N1 vaccine because not enough vaccine was produced.

Hmm, wonder I, how is the vaccine produced?

As usual, All Things Considered reads my mind and tells me. They use scientific words, but in laymen's terms:

baby chick abortions that have been infected with the flu.

Not only does this have moral implications for the mistreatment of animals, but this outdated process (approved by the FDA 60 years ago) is slow and strength of the virus (and therefore vaccine) varies. The process takes about 2 months and one or two eggs is a single dose of vaccine.

No wonder we're always running out.

Better, more predictable in strength and numbers, vaccine can be made from canine kidney tissue cells. The cells of a single kidney can be (theoretically) multiplied indefinitely. No need to kill dogs (or even abort chickens) to save human lives here. This method takes only a few days, not months, and can't spoil like the egg vaccines.

But why isn't this method being used? I'll give you a hint: it makes the world go 'round. And it isn't love.

Yes, because "the egg-based production of flu vaccines is well established and cost -effective."

Thank you NPR and Robert Belshe, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at St. Louis University, who was enlightening me today.

Here is the actual article from NPR. Read it. Or listen via Podcast.

Hmm, maybe he can use Peanut's kidney when he dies?