Just as vaccinations against the H1N1 swine flu are set to start next week, South Florida and much of the rest of the nation are running short on regular seasonal flu shots.

Spot shortages of regular flu vaccines are being reported by local health departments, doctors and pharmacies -- though officials say there's no need to panic because flu season won't peak until January and the supply of the seasonal vaccine will grow well before then.

Even so, some healthcare providers are frustrated.

``I have high-risk children who really need to be vaccinated -- kids who were born prematurely, who have bad asthma or other conditions,'' said Dr. Jeffrey Brosco, a pediatrician at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine who says he can't get regular seasonal flu shots for the kids he treats.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, immunization director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conceded the problem in a briefing with reporters on Tuesday.

``I wish it were easier for people who were looking for seasonal flu vaccine,'' she said. ``We are aware that there are difficulties in many communities. There's a delay in more of the seasonal flu vaccine getting out in a lot of areas.''

A big part of the problem: The three big drug manufacturers making regular seasonal flu vaccines also are making the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. And they've stopped or greatly slowed the former to concentrate on the latter. The H1N1 vaccines began to be shipped last week, and vaccinations will start in Florida on Monday.

Also, regular seasonal flu vaccines are distributed through a private system that is mostly first-come, first-served. It's not like the H1N1 swine flu vaccine, which is allocated through a $3 billion federal program to priority lists of patients set by the CDC, state and county health departments.

And demand is up this year, even for the regular seasonal flu shots. In a typical year, fewer than 100 million Americans get flu shots. This year, 77 million of the expected 114 million total regular flu shots already have been given for a flu season that officially began Oct. 4.

The shortage is having a domino effect on immunization plans. On Wednesday, private vaccine provider WellCheck canceled flu shot clinics that were set to begin this weekend at more than 100 malls across the country -- with more than a dozen malls in South Florida, including Dadeland, Miami International Mall, Sawgrass Mills and Boca Raton Town Center.

``WellCheck apologizes for any inconvenience and hopes that prospective patrons realize that this is a national issue that is affecting many healthcare providers who are offering flu vaccinations,'' said Jack Tawil, CEO of WellCheck Medical Centers.

At the Broward County Health Department, Dr. John Livengood, director of epidemiology, said he's getting calls from private doctors and clinics complaining of shortages.

``All the distributors are back-ordered,'' he said.

In Miami-Dade, county clinics are running out of seasonal flu vaccine, said Lillian Rivera, administrator of the Miami-Dade Health Department. ``We can't get more -- we've tried,'' Rivera says.

Last year, Miami-Dade health department clinics gave out 3,000 seasonal flu shots, This year, the department ordered 4,000 shots. In years with less demand, she said, Miami-Dade has had to throw away unused doses.

``This year, we bumped up the orders because we knew there would be greater demand,'' she said. ``You don't want to order too much and have it sit on the shelves, so we have to eat the cost.''

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