Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has urged state attorney generals to aggressively prosecute any reported cases of price gouging connected with the flu vaccine. Vaccine supplies were halved after UK manufacturer Chiron was blocked from supplying its vaccine by regulators. In a letter to the attorneys general sent Thursday, Thompson wrote:

I am encouraging the attorney general of each state to thoroughly investigate reports of price gouging and prosecute those engaging in this immoral and illegal activity to the full extent of the law. The Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collecting reports on price gouging and sharing it with the National Association of Attorneys General and state prosecutors.