Today I did a web search, looking to see if any local clinics have the H1N1 flu vaccine available.

Here’s what I found out: Virginia Mason Winslow doesn’t have it and doesn’t know when they’ll get it; The Doctor’s Clinic doesn’t have it and doesn’t plan to get it for several weeks; Bainbridge Pediatrics has it, but for their established patients only.

I have no idea how Bainbridge Pediatrics managed to get the vaccine, but shouldn’t it be used for the high-risk groups first, such as kids with chronic health problems and pregnant women, as advised by the CDC? Is this not a public health issue?

This situation strikes me as an example of overpopulation at work: too many people and too few resources, whether the resources are clean water, electricity, or the H1N1 vaccine.

Let’s hope that our species finds a way to limit its numbers voluntarily so that famine and diseases such as H1N1 don’t do it for us.

Sarah Pearl, Barry Sacks

Bainbridge Island