To the Point

The Flu Vaccine Shortage and the Epidemic of Fear

Tens of thousands of Americans are standing in long lines or going to Canada, where hundreds of people are getting flu shots every day. Meantime, the Bush administration has stockpiled massive amounts of vaccines for anthrax and smallpox, making the country better prepared for emergencies that might never happen than it is for a predictable outbreak that kills 36,000 people a year. The administration and Congress are blaming each other, and the flu vaccine shortage has become an issue in the presidential campaign. Are America's public health priorities confused by politics? What are the right things to be worried about? We hear from medical doctors, experts in science and health, and a California Congressman about the shortage and what it tells us about America's public health priorities. Making News: Soldier Sentenced for Abusing Abu Ghraib Detainees In Baghdad, a military court martial has handed out the longest sentence so far in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal--eight years in prison for 38 year-old Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, who's also the highest-ranking soldier yet to be charged. Nancy Youssef, who reports from Baghdad for Knight-Ridder Newspapers, says the verdict cannot undo the irreversible damage already done to the relationship between US troops and Iraqis. Reporter's Notebook: Can Red Sox Reverse the Curse after an Improbable Comeback? At 12:01 this morning, the Boston Red Sox made the greatest post-season comeback in baseball history. No other team has ever recovered after losing the first three of a seven-game series. They did it in Yankee Stadium, the house that Babe Ruth built, after being sold by the Sox themselves. John Thorn, editor of the Total Baseball series of encyclopedias, relives the moment and talk about what's next for the "Red Sox Nation."