TX won't release vaccines distributed

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas health officials are defending a decision not to disclose the names of doctors in Dallas County who received large swine flu vaccine doses.

The state recently ordered a shipment of H1N1 vaccine doses as large as 22,600 to be sent to a doctor in Dallas County. But officials won't provide any details.  State health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams says it's not a good idea to disclose the names because officials don't want to create more confusion among the general public.

Dallas County health director Zachary Thompson disagrees, saying the process needs to be as transparent as possible. He says people are anxious because the vaccine is scarce and the public doesn't know where it can find it once the supply increases.


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APNP-11-07-09 1920CST