Health agencies in Ohio have thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine stockpiled after demand dropped off.
About 42 percent of the 3.7 million doses distributed to the state by the federal government have been administered. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner says some doses remaining around the country have expired or soon will.
More than 9,800 doses remain on hand at the Summit County Health District in northeast Ohio. The nearby Akron Health Department has about 6,500 unused vaccine doses.
Dr. Marguerite Erme, the department's disease control medical officer says demand is higher when vaccines are difficult to get and early in the flu season.
The CDC estimates that more than 11,000 people died of complications of the swine flu virus between April and January.
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Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com