this is a great vaccine. if it comes down the pipeline it will be 90-95 percent effective. >> tamiflu helped me. took it immediately. i took it westbouithin the firs 24-hours. there are some risks i took i wasn't sure if it was a common cold which is usually neck up or the real flu which is 103-104. i took it i got to get back to work. i took a lot of fluids. >> who suggested it? >> the professor. >> this guy was operating with intravenous. >> your suggestion is if you think you have the symptoms of the flu take tamiflu? >> talk to your doctor first fund out if you have common cold or flu stay away from the er's. >> i want to learn more about tamiflu when we come back. how you can prevent from getting the flu unless you already have it. excuse me, sir i'm gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty

getting vaccinated. older people less so than younger people. host: i know you need to run, but one last question for you. can you eradicate the flu? guest: i don't think we will ever be able to eradicate it from this planet for the simple reason that it is a disease, is a virus that infects many animals, particularly waterfall, birds, etc. and there's that continuing jumping from species where adapts itself to the humans. although you never say never or never say always, i would say with some degree of confidence that we will never be able to eradicate influence from the planet. host: thank you very much for setting up a conversation with our viewers this morning. guest: you're welcome. host: you heard from dr. anthony fauci, the role of the program at in tracking and preventing. his agency working on the vaccinations in coordination with pharmaceutical companies. so we turn to all of you. should there be a mandatory flu vaccination for health care professionals? that is what is making the headlines lat

to get vaccinated? i mean, what should folks be doing? >> it's never too late to be vaccinated. in fact, being vaccinated is the best way to prevent influnza. if you haven't gotten the influenza and influenza is in your community, you should seek out the vaccine immediately. >> yeah, but the problem, sometimes i -- sometimes, i mean, personally, i feel like i get the flu shot and feel like i get the flu, feel like i get sick right after i get the shot and that's why i stopped getting the shot. >> that's really a myth. the vaccine cannot get the flu. >> you feel sick and you get the symptoms after you get the shot. >> don't get flu symptoms after you get the shot. the shot does take one to two weeks to allow you to generate appropriate antibodies and during that time period you might be at risk for getting the flu. >> you want to get the flu shot when you're strong and healthy. >> that's correct. >> and that's why we actually designed one of our new vaccine, high-dose vaccine for those 65-plus. those who

looking for the flu vaccine we have a flu vaccine finder on our website at wusa9.com. now it's very simple. just put in your zip code and a list of stores reporting they have the vaccine will pop up. you can even specify the type of flu vaccine you're looking for. while the vaccine finder is a great tool keep in mind a lot of people are doing the same thing. they're searching for the same vaccine you are so you definitely want to call ahead to see how much supply the store has. you might want to call while you're sitting in your car or on the cell phone outside the providers the make sure you get in before the other guys is doing the same thing you are. >> it's a good plan. >>> now this morning defense attorneys are going to ask a judge to reconsider the case of yonathan melaku. he's the 25-year-old former marine who has pleaded guilty to shooting at the pentagon and other buildings in northern virginia. no one was hurt in these shootings but his legal team says that after he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, government doctors diagnosed him with a mental illness. a

polio will be eradicate bide the polio vaccine. some day we'll have a malaria vaccine. inventing and delivering vaccines, that's the biggest impact we've had so far. >> rose: i'm interested in the culture thing, too, because there are people who kill vacinators. >> recently in the middle of december in pakistan, those going out to do the vaccination campaign were attending some were killed if you want north of pakistan, some down in karachi, and that is horrific. it's hard to understand why that's happening. no one's claimed credit. we've gone a month now without much violence. we only have 250 cases last year in these three countries, and so the reason that we're doubling down erasing a big budget making sure everybody is committed to this because it's hard. once you get to zero, you dent you don't have to buy more polio vaccines. all those resources get freed up to work on the next big challenge. >> rose: there are three countries left, afghanistan nigeria, pakistan. >> exactly. >> rose: and what's the percentage of polio casesem year now? >> the-- we had last year th

now, a rush to get the vaccine is causing issues. what local hospitals are doing to keep you out of the er in a live report. >> i. >> plus a push for new gun control laws. what is next? fox 5 morning news continues right now. ght no . >>> we start with a live look outside right now over washington, d.c. the washington monument off in the distance right there on this january 11th, 2013. good morning to you. i'm wisdom martin. >> i'm sarah simmons. let's say good morning to tucker barnes and get the latest on the forecast. >> still a great looking weekend temperaturewise. the morning commute, kids going to the bus stop, everything will be good. we are not expecting any rain until about 3:00 this afternoon. >> let's do some radar. and get started with a look at what is happening. we have an area of low pressure out to the west. you can see it there out towards chicago. that is dragging a lot of rain to the great lakes. we'll have a warm front that will start to press through the area and that will likely bring us some shower activity. y

and one of the first things to do get vaccinated. if you don't have the vaccine, now is the time.re not at the peak and there's enough time to do this. the second thing, we want to make sure that you wash your hands on a regular basis. because of the cough and droplets, washing your hands regularly, clean up the viruses that might get into your system and the certain message that's important, cover your mouth. now, there's news that came out of mount sinai and i'm sure a lot of other hospitals, it's not mandatory for health care and doctors to get the vaccine, they encourage that. if you're not getting it you need to wear a mask and cover your mouth is exactly important. what happened with sars, in hong kong and don't rub your eyes, how you're going to get the virus in your system. obviously, talk to your doctor and if the symptoms are early on, you may need to get tamiflu and please, if you're sick, stay home. your boss, everyone is going to understand because you're going to spread the virus to everybody else, if you're really sick stay home. >> kelly: if you go to work, that ma

we need a strain of the vaccine, we need a strain of the vaccine that actually works . if we discourages researchers from finding that strain, we are putting ourselves in a tough spot. >> hold oi want to bring in john layfid and he looks healthy with the sun behind him. >> he's in ber mud a. >> i am healthy because i didn't take that stupid flu vaccine is why i am healthy. hill billy's episode granny comes up with a cure for the common cold and in seven days you get better. that's about the time you have a common cold anyway. this is a medical lobby saying let's stick our kid and adults with a needle and when a lott of research has shown vitamin d is aetter measure than the flu vaccine. do real research. a lot of people don't want that and i don't think it workings. >> in the end of the day, what is interesting, 75 percent of the u.s. companies offer the flu shots for free. only 30 percent of them get the flu shot. don't understand it but that is what is going on. >> to johnn's point. individuals have to make that decisionful what type of medication preventative or othe

in regard to the vaccine, the vaccine contains an h 3 n 2 that matches pretty well with what the circulatingirus is. >> the doctor says being vaccinated is never an absolute guarantee against getting the flu and we've seen that. but people who get vaccinated have a much less serious bout with it even if they become infected. >>> during the flu season we all know the virus spreads very quickly but how exactly does it spread? >> so ken molestina did some dirty work for us and he shows us e

polio will be eradicate bide the polio vaccine. some day we'll have a malaria vaccine. inventing and delivering vaccines, that's the biggest impact we've had so far. >> rose: i'm interested in the culture thing, too, because there are people who kill vacinators. >> recently in the middle of december in pakistan, those going out to do the vaccination campaign were attending some were killed if you want north of pakistan, some down in karachi, and that is horrific. it's hard to understand why that's happening. no one's claimed credit. we've gone a month now without much violence. we only have 250 cases last year in these three countries, and so the reason that we're doubling down, erasing a big budget, making sure everybody is committed to this because it's hard. once you get to zero, you dent you don't have to buy more polio vaccines. all those resources get freed up to work on the next big challenge. >> rose: there are three countries left, afghanistan, nigeria, pakistan. >> exactly. >> rose: and what's the percentage of polio casesem year now? >> the-- we had last year

it is going to work but, remember influenza vaccine is a good vaccine but not a perfect vaccine and usuallynts completely about 60 to 70% of infections. those it doesn't prevent completely usually it makes it milder. it prevents the complications pneumonia, hospitalization and of course death. that is all to the good. it is not perfect yet but we don't want to wait for perfection and get that in the way of doing good now by using the vaccine. martha: you know, you used to be on the committee, as i said that helped to determine what the mix should be for the vaccine. how well do you think they did this year based on what we're seeing in terms of an epidemic in some places? >> yeah. actually, we have hit it right on target. now, remember, the vaccine, once again can't prevent each and every infection. there are some, there's a strain out there that's not included in the vaccine. we protect against three strains, but there's an additional strain. and, beyond that, there are also lots of respiratory infections of other kinds out there which of course the vaccine can't prevent. martha: yeah. in

it's a good vaccine but not a perfect vaccine. it's able to prevent, over, 60% to 70% of all infections. those it doesn't prevent it often, however, makes milder. that's harder to measure. if you haven't had pneumonia, you haven't been hospitalized, and, hello, you haven't died, that's also an effect of the flu vaccine. >> doctor, i actually went into a pharmacy last night and they said they had only two doses left. is this a concern about the shortage of doses left? >> it's bad news and good news. those who haven't been vaccinated will have to shop around a little bit more to get vaccine. the good news is every dose of vaccine is being used. if it's in the refrigerator, it can't prevent influenza. >> dock, to why is it so hard to have vaccines and vaccine supplies? >> well, it's difficult how often it is to anticipate how it will be accepted, so the vaccine manufacturers have maded over 130 million doses. of course, the recommendations are that everyone in the united states older than six months should be vaccinated every year. h

the influenza vaccine is a good vaccine but it'ssnot aaperfect vaccine.t works better in younn hhalthy peoolee han it there re casss of influenza thht occur despite benefit becauss they can prevent some of the serious infection somewhat milder." and health officials say this year'' ffu accine is p good match.."the eeact -form will change from year tooyear &pdepending upon what's circulating in other parts of picked the best combination of &pthe three inffuenzz viruses put them into thhs year's and paccine." that's the eason why people are told to get snow, cnn, new york. -----end-----cnn.script----- 3&the ffu outbreak is costing employers billions of dollars. dollarr.according tt the centers for diiease ccntrol &pand prevention... the seasooal almost 10-and-a-half billion dollars in direct costs or hospitalizations and outpatient vissts for adults. and that number does not pay, work elays and lost productivity. the c-d-- recommenns everyone six months ood and older get vaccinated.. straight ahead... connected car. cars.the apps that are helping to get dri

the vaccine is quickly running out. brianne? >> dejon, a sudden closure of local campuses at a popular school has some students wondering, what do we do next? >> at 6:00 a.m., we are getting ready for the opening of the inaugural souvenir store. this is where you can find all the official memorabilia for the inauguration happening later this month. good morning to you, washington. i'm cynne simpson. >> i'm scott thuman. we will have to check on the forecast. but could jacqui jeras at a very good look at the weekend. >> today, not fantastic, but not terrible. we have some rain in the forecast. cloudy skies moving in for today. showers will hold off until mid to late afternoon. on that for your commute. expect foggy conditions on saturday morning. keep that in mind if you have plans to get out and about. it will be allowed weekend, with temperatures into the '60s. let's take a look at temperatures where we are right now. 35 at dulles. 37 in winchester. we will move into the upper 40's and middle 50s today. mostly cloudy skies and

just in time federal health officials approving a new one of a kind vaccine. of the maker of that drug joins us. >> the printing press around the world running at full speed with no signs of stopping any time soon. david: they seem like they are all doing it. some say all this money printing is manipulating the currency markets. are we on the brink of a currency war? we will talk about what that means. joining us now is capital partners senior managing director. and also joining us is bank of new york melon's senior currency strategist. gentlemen, great to see you both. james, first to you, let's pull back and before we look at specific currencies to gold, is there any currency these days that can hold value as well as gold can? >> sure, there are a few. i would say the australian dollar, canadian dollar, singapore dollar and the euro will be the strongest currencies going forward. the reason is -- david: as good as gold though? >> gold will be the best every time. no question about that because even the australian reserve bank which i would say australia is a

time to get a vaccination and not get sick?s. >> reporter: other cities hit hard have seen widespread vaccine shortages, california had 16 million doses of flu and 16 million doses of anti virals. california is not sharing any of its supply to states running out they are saving it for weeks ahead. a cvs spokesperson did not explain why the company did not see the rush company. we are making every effort to resupply. >> they need to stock up more. >> delay means they will have to roll the dice and wait, go to a competitor or make an appointment. >> what if you get sick in that time? >> you are out of luck. you get sick. you lose work and money. pgh >>> >> president obama says raising the debt limit can't be tied to spending cuts in a news conference he said congress needs to act fast to avoid hurting the economy. tim geithner says the nation could run out of money as soon as mid-february. >>> different budget situation for california legislature's nonpartisan budget analysts agrees with the governor after years of multi billion

those who haven't been vaccinated will have to shop around a little more to get vaccine.t's in the refrigerator, it can't prevent influenza. >> why is it so hard to have vaccine and vaccine supplies? >> well it's difficult often to anticipate how much the vaccine will be accepted. so the vaccine manufacturers have made over 130 million doses. of course, the recommendations are that everyone in the united states older than six months should be vaccinated every year. how much it will be accepted is difficult to anticipate. >> what do you say, doctor to people who are still reluctant to get the vaccine? and when you can the mist against the regular vaccine, what's your take on that? >> the mist is used more often in children, but it's available for everyone age 2-50 who doesn't have an underlying illness. children seem to like it better than the inoculation. in adults they're comparably effective. >> should we get it? >> oh for sure. everyone should get vaccinated. there isn't any doubt about that. that's the best prevention against influenza. >> are you going to follow his

and 112 million vaccinated. those are actually pretty good numbers in terms of those that have been vaccinated. if you do the math, 16 million doses are in pharmacies across the country. another seven million ready to go and there's a few hundred thousand doses of the flu mist in pharmacies as well. that expires at the end of next month. that's something that can be utilized if people are having a hard time finding the shots. sg. >> if they can't find a flu shot, what can they do to help preventing getting the flu? >> there's two components to this answer. one, if you -- almost sounds silly and simple to say this, but just washing your hands as frequently as possible really mak mak makes a difference. this germ can live in the air but it can also live on surfaces for eight hours, almost an entire workday. so if you get it on your hands and inadvertently touch your hands to your nose or mouth, that's how people get sick. we touch our nose and mouth several times a day without even thinking about it. the other par

pneumonia and death. >> pelley: so get the vaccine. jon, this is clearly a worst season than last year. but how does it compare, historically? >> reporter: a lot of people don't realize the flu varies in intensity from year to year. some years, it's mild, it could be moderate or severe. the c.d.c. told me today this is a moderate to severe season but well within what's historically a normal range of normal. >> pelley: thanks very much, doctor. we saw evidence today that james holmes spent weeks planning his attack on that movie theater in aurora, colorado, last july. 12 people were killed and 70 injured. in a hearing this week prosecutors have been trying to show that there is enough evidence to try holmes for murder. manuel bojorquez was in the courtroom. >> reporter: prosecutors presented cell phone photos james holmes took of himself hours before the movie theater attack. one photograph showed him holding a pistol, his hair dyed orange, a grin on his face. another showed him sticking his tongue out. holmes smiled when it was display

i believe in it the vaccine is perishable. it's been difficult for pharmacies and pro individualers to know how much to order. this wall greens took down banners out front and left a small one by the road. safeway believes it's prepared with 200,000 dose autos there has been a concern but there they're working hard to get more supply. >> safeway is charging $30 for the shots. if you don't have insurance, you can lower the price if you do have insurance you get a 20% discount on groceries. and there is a clinic continuing again tomorrow morning. to get directions to the hospital and more detail goes to our web site. abc 7 news.com. >> thank you. >> a flu vaccine is about to hit the market. fda has given approval to flu block for people 18-49 and not made with a live flu virus or grown insifd a chicken egg. thing that's exclude some patients from vaccinations and scare others. fda says it could be available twon weeks, and unlike traditional vaccines this drug can be rapidly produced. >> the state of dozens of norin hostages tak

this early onset of the flu has caused a run on the vaccine at d.c. area doctors' offices and pharmacies including the pediatric village on massachusetts avenue. the office manager says they won't have any until monday. that is why little nima and his mom wound up at the minute clinic inside the cvs pharmacy in tenleytown. >> we told the pediatrician and they ran out of the vaccine owe we came here. >> reporter: the cvs pharmacy itself is out of vaccine but the minute clinic tucked inside the store still have vaccine available. >> i'm exposed every day. >> reporter: this was the fourth stop for rosa lee dulin trying to get a shot before heading back to vermont for school. >> we waited in takoma park and then i went to my neighborhood and they said wear out. we won't have them until 2:00 tomorrow. so he came over here. >> reporter: with virginia, d.c. and maryland reporting unusually high levels of the flu already, the vaccine shortage could get worse. more than 128 million doses of the vaccine have already been distributed nationwide. that is 95% of w

but for the vaccine to have the greatest benefit, the cdc recommends vaccinating both boys and girls beginning at ages 11 and 12. why so early? the vaccine needs to be given before a young person becomes sexually active to give the body a chance to build antibodies to fight hpv once a person is exposed. >> the belief is that the vaccine is an investment in the young person's future. and if we start to vaccinate people, and we only have 32% of girls vaccinated at this point, we'll see those rates drop over the next ten years or so. >> and perhaps keep the good news on cancer coming. nancy, thank you, as always. >>> we'll take a break. we're back in a moment with the big homecoming tonight on the jersey shore. >>> as you listen to congress fight over the funding for victims of hurricane sandy, remember this, and remember the story you're about to see. it's been 70 days since the storm, and today was move-in day for a lot of folks who were forced out of their houses, along the jersey shore when the storm hit. and they still need a lot of help. nbc's rehema ellis is in brick township, ne

vaccination rate last year at just 32%. in montgomery county, maryland, just outside of d.c., fire department ambulances are often rerouted to different e.r.s since so many hospitals are already full with flu patients, especially the elderly. >> our paramedics, firefighters, emts have seen a tripling of flu-like cases this month, as well as over 200 more transports this month. >> reporter: just 15 days. >> as compared to last year. >> reporter: doctors continue to urge everyone to get vaccinated, even this far into the season. >> it's not too late to get a flu shot, but it does take about two weeks for the immunity to kick in. >> reporter: back at leah's home -- >> i have to say this feels worse than any other sickness i've had in years. >> reporter: a lot of people are asking, if i get the vaccine, how long am i protected? well, the experts are saying that at least through this season and maybe a little bit longer than that, brian? >> we learned last night it lessens the severity of it. if you do get the shot. tom costello

and the cost for each vaccination is $10. thank you very much. at 6:47. the countdown is on for sunday 49er playoff game, being a faithful is all in the family for this family from san ramon, they got right on the 50-yard line at candlestick. the proud grandmother sent in this picture of the youngest 49er fans in the family. love to see your pictures and you can mail them to ureport@kgo-tv.com and we will post them at abc7news.com. our sports reporter is in atlanta to cover the game with the first reports airing later today right here. >> former 49er super bowl wide receiver. >> he has the ring to proven -- prove it. >> and san francisco is picked to roll out the new menu offering. >> and a new fuel efficient s.u.v. on the market. jane king? 700 mile on a tank? is that right? >> that is amazing. chrysler says the new jeep will get a grown makeover and the 2014 model can ride 700 miles between fill ups getting 30 miles per hour on the highway and has come a long way since 2009 when it was the most traded in vehicle during the "cash for clunkers" program. t

>> the influenza vaccine is a good vaccine but it is no the a perfect vac ze perfect vaccine.works better in young, healthy people than older persons. it is the best vaccine we have but there are cases that occur despite immunization. they are often of benefit because they can prevent some of the complications. it makes a more serious infection somewhat milder but it's not a perfect vaccine but it is the best that we have and if you haven't been vaccinated, quick, run out and get vaccinated. take advantage of whatever protection there is available. >> i just want to, you know, blow up some myths, because i hear people say them all the time. one, the flu vaccine, it makes me sick. i got the flu vaccine and, geez, i came down with the flu. >> that is a myth. you can get a bit of a sore arm if you get the injection. if you get the nasal spray variety, you can have a sore throat and a runny nose but you can't get flu from the flu vaccine. >> if i have already had it, am i inoculated. if i gel it it again? >> you don't know if you have had the flu, because it hasn't been specifical

is there still time to get a vaccination and not get sick? >> yes. there's still time. >> reporter: nationwide, other cities hit hard with the flu have seen widespread vaccine shortages. california has 16 million doses of flu vaccine and 3.7 million doses of antiviral drugs such as tamiflu. while there is no shortage here, california is not sharing any of its supply to states that are running out. they are saving it for the weeks ahead. a cvs spokesman did not explain why the company didn't see the rush coming saying, the current high demand is unprecedented for this time of year. we're making every effort to presupply our pharmacies and clinics with vaccine as needed. >> they need to stock up more. >> reporter: the delay means customers will have to roll the dice and wait, go to a competitor or make an appointment with doctors. what if you get something in that time? >> you're out of luck -- what if you get sick in that time? >> you're out of luck. you get sick, losing work and money. >> that was kiet do reporting. >>> today city leaders in san fran

>> clearly the vaccination is our number one recommendation for patients. get the vaccination. it still takes about two weeks after you are vaccinated before you will have immunity. the vaccination this year is around 62%, 63% accurate, in preventing influenza for those that receive it. that's our main recommendation. getting rest, avoiding co-workers. it's spread by droplets, obviously anything you can do to avoid coughing, sneezing. so frequent hand washing, and for individuals, you know, that do come down with influenza, rest at home, spare your co-workers, take time off. and let yourself recover. >> all right, dr. jeffrey oyler, a lot of common sense and then your expertise, we thank you for joining the conversation. >> thank you. >> good advice there. >> yeah. >> see, stay home. that's the thing, everyone wants to come to work to come to work. >> want to be a team player. we need this part of the team to stay in bed. >> exactly. >> much more ahead this hour. >> you want me to do it? >> no. >>> here's what's coming up. >>> forgetting where you put things? waking up in stran

and today said this vaccine is 62% effective. the number may sound low, but it really means that in 62% of cases, you're less likely to get the flu and if you do get a strain, brian, it's less likely to be severe. >> i am worried about this. i woke up to reports of this number. it can de-incentivize people to get the flu shot which all of you are saying is so important. >> and i have the same concern when you see 62%, because i'm afraid people will say well, it's half and half. but remember, if you have a 62% chance -- less chance of getting the flu, it means less chance of being on antibiotics, less chance of ending up in an intensive care unit, and as we have seen from these uptick in numbers, 62% less chance of dying. this isn't over. i don't think we're at the 50 yard line yet. we still have a long time until march and april so i would urge people, disregard that, and remember, two out of three times, you're ahead of the game. >> we're trying to be very cautious here in our tight spaces. nancy snyderman, thank you, as always.

one of them happens to be because the flu vaccine tends to be less effective than other vaccines and that's due to the fact that the flu virus changes so much year to year. it's really difficult for the folks making the vaccines to keep up with those changes. so this year's vaccine is about 62% effective, meaning that it lowers the rate of death from flu by about 62%. but you know, some people will take up the vaccine and still get the flu and they might say, you know what, this might not be worth it. >> number of people getting vaccinated does rise over the course of the flu season by 10%. it's still under 50%. the cdc says the annual death toll from the flu ranges from 4,000 to 40,000. is there any sense of what's evide effective or how they can convince more americans to get immunizes? >> one thing that we do know is if you reduce the cost of the flu vaccine, if you make it free or if you make it really easy to get. some other research, which might be a little less heartening, shows that people get the flu vaccine more when they notice people around them getting the flu. you might

had the vaccine. >> neil: if you do get a flu protected by the vaccine whatever flu you don't get won't be as severe as if it had been the case. >> if it is the bad strain. it is 80% of the flus out there. if you got that bad strain or if the strain you do get is those that ite vaccine, even if doesn't work for, you will get less is sick. it is a really smart thing to do and it will help treat the fears here. >> neil: what about the strength and -- more strains and typically in severe contagions. we are no where near that now. we are at a stage where suddenly we are dealing with a flu that arrived a lot earlier and spread a lot further than we thought. what happened? >> that is an excellent question. it will peak in another few weeks and we know there is the predominant strain. the flu mutates all the time. it will not morph into something more severe the next few weeks. >> how do you know that? >> because it is already are too late for that to happen. it is too late in the year for that and it is not a pandemic. this is the yearly flu strain. typically when you see a flu strain like th

i called this cvs pharmacy in walnut creek out of vaccine last week. a pharmacist said she did have some but expects to run out against this weekend. >> i'm not concerned enough to have taken the flu shot. >> they remind you that the vaccine protects not only you but vulnerable around you. >> he's the baby. so to see something like that happen to him i would be devastated. >> they're also reminding you to wash your hands and stay home if you're sick to help avoid what could be the most severe flu season in years. >> details here tcdc says the number of older people hospitalized with the flu has risen sharply. that's prompting federal officials to make more flu medicines available and they're urging people to get vaccinated. half of the confirmed cases are in people 65 years or older. president obama has been working hard on his inauguration address for monday. they are also getting ready for an expected crowd of 600 to 800,000 people. they handed out 250,000 tickets. the south bacon guess man gave out 200 tickets. he wanted ideas for improving country

ahead of time to make sure they have the vaccine in stock. >> good advice.nk you, kimberly. >>> crews have begun testing an art instalation on the bay bridge. check this out. this is part of the bridge's 75th anniversary celebration. the unofficial unveiling will be march 5. >>> the golden globes are full of films laced with special effects. it's the place creating the way we'll watch movies in the future. our business and tech reporter scott budman met up with the chief technology officer at dreamworks and brings you an interview you'll see only on nbc bay area. >> reporter: with a huge emphasis on content and distribution this year, sit a pleasure to have lincoln with us. lincoln is the chief technology officer at dreamworks. with all of this mobile technology being spread around as a movie company, is this a good thing or make you nervous? >> it's a great thing. consumers today want what they want where they want it when they want it. it's an old phrase now, but it's true. and i think the power of mobile devices, the fact that consumers like to constum co

in regard to the vaccine, the vaccine contains an h3n2 that matches pretty well with what the circulatingus. >> the doctor says getting the vaccine isn't a guarantee of not getting the flu but people who do have a much better chance. let's talk about how this virus moves so fast from one place to another. we made our ken molestina do some dirty work around here, and he shows us the germs that can cause illness that are everywhere. >> reporter: we want to show you how easy it is for these germs to get around. here's how this thing works. put some of it on your hand, you smear it around, and when you are ready, you go about your day touching things that you normally would in an office setting like this. the lotion serves as a simulated germ. and when a uv light is held to the the spread of the would-be bacteria is visible. so i wept around our newsroom at wusa the way i normally would answering phones, touching buttons, grabbing door hams and typing on a keyboard. more on that in a second. >> it's very easy for us to pass this by touching different items. >> reporter: this micro biologist,

the nasty flu outbreak is prompting new concerns about a vaccine shortage. more than 128 million doses of the vaccine have been shipped out across the country. that's 95 percent of the season's supply. in the meantime pennsylvania is having the worst season in two years. 25,000 have been confirmed and 22 deaths. the cdc is expecting new numbers about the number of flu cases school wide. >> a shooting in california. a 16-year-old student walked into the high school with a shot gun and opened fire. one student was critically wounded. a teacher is being hailed as a hero for helpling get students out of the door and for getting the shooter to stop. >> young man living in the state of minnesota actually was using a social security number. what was really interesting is doing further checking on his life he had the state date of birth as a boy who was missing back in 1994. the accused gunman was targeting two classmates he claims had been bullying him. he is now in custody. >>> a judge ruled there's enough evidence to hold james holmes on 66 counts of murder and t

until recently, fewer than half got the vaccine. experts say that puts patients at risk, and sets a very bad example. >> it's a perfectly reasonable thing for the public to say, goodness, if my doctor or nurse don't get vaccinated, why should i? >> reporter: sue and joyce are among eight nurses fired from iu health in indiana for refusing to get vaccinated. >> i have the right to put in my body what i feel is right for me under god. and it's wrong, i believe, for employers to take away my rights. >> reporter: for the hospital says the nurses don't have the right to be around patients unless they are vaccinated. this clash may ultimately be decided by the courts, as one of the worst flu epidemics in many years continues to grow. robert bazell, nbc news, new york. >> more than two months after superstorm sandy, congress has taken the first step to give financial help to the many families and businesses in the storm zone that are still suffering and increasingly frustrated. they don't understand why they, unlike katrina victims, have h

of vaccines. the cbc spends tens of thousands of dollars, if not hundreds of millions in the tracking and surveillance throughout the country. and it is a very serious issue. on any given year there is a wide variability but it could go from a few thousand best to up to 49,000 deaths in the united states each season. about 200,000 hospitalizations and over 25 billion in economic cost. this is a serious issue. host: $25 billion cost to him? who bears the brunt of that? guest: it is lost work. hospital medical costs. the cost of doctors and medicine. the loss of work and economic and put -- input. host: we are asking the be worse -- the viewers, should there be a mandatary vaccine for health care professionals? the cdc that would make that type of mandatory provision recommend it at this point. they recommend health-care officials. they have been doing it since 1981. that is not the purview of your agency, but has the federal government ever in other types of viruses said yes, everyone must get vacc

are we going to have enough flu vaccine to go around and should we get the flu vaccine?is a lot of confusion about what is available and what is in short supply. some manufacturers have run out of certain preparations, but there are other preparations that are available. if you want your flu shot, you should be able to get it. you may have to call around to several places. in regard to tamiflu, the liquid version of it is not available at this time. but the capsule is. your pharmacist may be able to convert it into a liquid form tore you. >> jamie: who needs liquid form? >> children. it's easier to swallow. however, the pharmacist may be able to prepare it in a liquid form. i want to clarify, tamiflu, some people are thinking this is a vaccination, it's not. it does not prevent the flu. it's what we call an antiviral medication, which attacks the virus in people who are infected. >> gregg: let's talk about what happens if we run out of the flu vaccine. it's happened before in other epidemics with other diseases and flus. can they make it on a fast track very quickly or n

yet some pharmacies are already running out of vaccines. >> with the flu vaccine, there is an extreme shortage. we're lucky to get it on a day to day basis. >> reporter: there are signs of some relief in parts of the south where the outbreak may have peaked. still, doctors aren't sure. >> we're hopeful those are early signs of declining influenza activity in parts of the country. >> reporter: in brooklyn, ashley's daughter was able to go home today with a prescription for medicine and rest. a family, like so many others, sick of being sick. and despite spotty shortages in some parts of the country, the cdc says that there are plenty of vaccines to go around for now. lester? >> gabe gutierrez tonight, thanks. our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman joins me now from university medical center of princeton in new jersey. nancy, good evening to you. i have to think we keep hearing about the reported cases. i think of how many people are sitting home suffering, not going to doctors or hospitals. are these numbers really just a potential tip of the iceberg here? >> reporter: i think yo