Georgia lawmakers: Don’t waste money on swine flu vaccine
With worries about the H1N1 swine flu virus starting to subside, some in Congress — led by two Georgia lawmakers — are beginning to wonder whether it’s even worth it to develop a vaccine.
Republican U.S. Reps. Phil Gingrey of Marietta and Paul Broun of Athens — both physicians — say it might be a waste of taxpayer money to develop a vaccine, even though experts predict the virus could re-emerge this winter.
Gingrey suggested vaccine money might be better spent buying more F-22 Raptor fighter jets that are made in Marietta. The Pentagon has said it doesn’t want or need any more of the jets, which each cost $140 million-plus, but Gingrey and others in Congress are nonetheless trying to keep the planes in production.
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