This year’s bad flu season has shown that the U.S. has bad problems with its medical supply chain, according to an essay in The Washington Post. One is that Hurricane Maria slashed production of IV saline bags.

The writers noted: “There are two ways the ‘just in time’ system can be disrupted: an unexpected surge in demand or a delay in delivery. In this case, both occurred simultaneously. The United States is dealing with an unusually potent strain of the flu, while Hurricane Maria brought production in Puerto Rico  {of the saline bags} to a grinding halt. If only one of the two had occurred, it’s unlikely the United States would have experienced a shortage.”

To read their essay, please hit this link.