ATLANTA - Many elderly Atlantans and parents with young children are frustrated and scared that they can't find flu shots for their high-risk loved ones, medical professionals said recently.

And many are angry or suspicious that some people considered at low risk are getting the vaccine.

These reactions, recorded by doctors across the nation, highlight health and ethical concerns arising from a critical shortage of the shots this year.

"Some people are angry and think it's somehow a conspiracy," said Dr. Kathleen Sheerin, a pediatrician at an Atlanta allergy and asthma clinic. "Probably half our patients need the vaccine, either because they are babies or because they have asthma. It's very frustrating as a physician not to be able to provide what people need."

Anecdotal reports indicate that people who aren't in high-risk groups have been able to obtain shots. And thousands of others are trying to skirt the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some states have decided to punish those who give vaccines to low-risk people. Michigan threatened doctors and nurses with fines or even jail time. At least four states - Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon and Wisconsin - and Washington, D.C., have issued similar orders.

"By forgoing a flu shot, (most of us) are not putting ourselves at risk for anything other than an uncomfortable 10 days," said Dr. Rebecca Pentz, professor of research ethics at Emory University. "The 88-year-old may die. Human compassion demands that we step aside and let those at high risk get one of those prized shots."

But it's clear that many people who are not at high risk have received the inoculations.

In Baton Rouge, the Louisiana State University health center offered a flu shot to any LSU student, no questions asked. But most universities are following CDC guidelines

Donna Cochrane, president of Onsite Health Services Providers, which administers flu shots at shopping centers, said workers have had to turn away some people who aren't at high risk.

But, she added, most people who have sought the shots "qualify in one way or another."

"Just because somebody looks healthy doesn't mean they are," she said. "We ask personal questions. We screen folks. There hasn't been any pushing or shoving. Some people bring doctor's notes, but we follow the CDC guidelines. They are posted."

Bill Owens of Atlanta, a 78-year-old World War II veteran, is still trying to get a flu shot after two frustrating trips to a Veterans Affairs hospital.

"Every time I've been to the VA, they say, `We're out. Come back tomorrow.' It's always come back tomorrow. Nobody knows anything definite," he said.