The U.S. influenza season is starting slowly but it is still too early to tell how severe the outbreak will be as the nation faces a vaccine shortage, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Sunday. Texas and New York have reported some localized outbreaks, and sporadic cases have turned up in some other states, Dr. Julie Gerberding told reporters at the American Public Health Association's annual conference. No states yet have widespread activity, and some states have not reported any flu cases. "We're not getting off to a fast start," Gerberding said, adding, "Flu is so unpredictable. I'm not making any predictions." Officials are closely watching flu activity as they try to direct remaining vaccine supplies to people most at risk of serious complications from the virus. The U.S. government had hoped to have 100 million doses available for the current flu season but lost half that supply when maker Chiron Corp. was barred from shipping its vaccine after some doses were found to be contaminated. The government now expects about 60 million flu shots will be distributed, after rival vaccine makers MedImmune and Aventis-Pasteur, a unit of Sanofi-Aventis , squeezed out some extra doses. --More 0149 Local Time 2249 GMT
