U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has asked a congressional watchdog agency to review the nation’s response to the flu vaccine shortage.

Among her questions: What authority and resources does the federal government have to influence flu vaccine distribution in times of shortage?

Collins, R-Maine, joined with U.S. Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., in asking the Government Accountability Office to determine strengths and weaknesses of the federal government’s response to the vaccine crisis.

“This year’s severe flu vaccine shortage is alarming and unfortunate, particularly for high-risk individuals,” Collins said in a press release announcing the probe request. “Although the flu vaccination does not guarantee that someone will not get the flu, vaccinations are still an important preventative measure. It is important that the GAO investigate our response to this shortage so we might be better prepared to handle similar issues should they arise in the future.”

The legislators’ letter asks the GAO to answer questions, including:

• To what extent did the federal government, states and localities rely on existing contingency plans to respond to the vaccine shortage?

• What actions were permitted as a result of declarations of health emergencies by some state health departments in response to the shortage? Did the declarations allow states to take action against price gouging? How did the overall response to the vaccine shortage in those states compare to states that did not take similar actions?

• Information about the availability of vaccine within cities and counties has reportedly varied. What information did localities have about the supplies of vaccine? When and how did this information become available to them?

• How were health providers and the general public informed of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for vaccinating only high-risk populations? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods used to inform providers and the public?

• How did the United States utilize the Strategic National Stockpile of influenza vaccine and antiviral medications during this vaccine shortage?

• What lessons from the response to the flu vaccine shortage are relevant to bioterrorism preparedness?

Members have requested that the GAO respond promptly to these requests.

Collins said she’ll continue to follow the GAO’s progress on the matter.

The flu vaccine shortage developed in early October after British regulators banned export of millions of doses of vaccine made by a California company’s English affiliate. The British officials said the vaccine could be tainted.

Since then, the CDC scrambled to revise standards for eligibility for the vaccine and redirected existing supplies to states such as Maine based on perceived need rather than population.