Doctors at Elmhurst are planning to notify pregnant women, children and other high risk patients about the risks for a vaccination, as swine flu spreads across the Chicago area this fall.

The new electronic database will be handy in facilitating this. The speculation about the vaccine's production has raised many questions about its availability in required quantities.

"We know the vaccine is coming, but we don't know when or in what quantities, which makes planning difficult," said Donald Lurye, a physician and CEO of the west suburban clinic.

The answer to the H1N1 virus is an effective and safe vaccine and world-over the health ministry is busy in testing this vaccine while government officials are busy in preparing the hospitals and other public health agencies.

The uncertainty about the number of people being affected with the virus lingers on and creates and even bigger uncertainty regarding the sufficiency of the vaccine and whether millions of people might be delayed getting it because of production complications.

The vaccine is expected to be ready by October but in fewer doses. Doctors are now suggesting that more than one dose might be needed for a single patient. Another factor causing concerns is the willingness of the public to take the vaccine considering the side effects and memoirs of the 1976 vaccine program.

The vaccine is undergoing testing for efficacy and safety at eight sites and experts said that the slow and deliberate methodology of perfecting the vaccine requires patience after the Obama administration urged an expedited timetable.