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Flu Shot: Vaccines
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The flu shot is only as good as the educated guesses of a group of vaccine researchers across the globe. Every February, they try to predict which flu viruses will work their evil during the next fall and winter. Their three top choices are put into the vaccine. The CDC claims that vaccine will be 70 to 90 percent effective against just those strains of flu.
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You've gotten your flu shot for this season, right? Right? You haven't? You've still got time. Next week -- November 27 to December 2 -- is National Influenza Vaccination Week. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has opened up a Web site for finding Flu Shots.
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It is true that one can have life-threatening allergic reactions as one of the flu shot side effects, although rare. Signs that one is having an allergic reaction are: problems breathing, hoarseness, wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, rapid heartbeat, or dizziness. Anyone can have this flu shot side effect if they have severe allergies to eggs. Flu vaccines are grown in chicken egg then killed and purified to use as prevention of the flu virus.
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The ACIP, an expert panel that advises the CDC on national vaccine practice, had previously designated nine groups of chronic medical conditions for which a flu shot is recommended. Among those conditions are asthma, chronic lung disease, heart disease, disorders of hemoglobin such as sickle cell disease, and chronic kidney disease. The Children's Hospital study considered all those conditions, in addition to neurological and neuromuscular disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and history of prematurity.
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With the announcement of the “flu epidemic” blazoned from every conceivable form of news report, a stampede of patients arrived at doctors’ offices, demanding a shot to ward off the “deadly strain” of influenza. Parents especially wanted their children vaccinated, and were willing to drive to cities hours from home and even stand in line for up to 90 minutes.[viii]
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The mercury-free flu vaccine will be more expensive - by about $4 per shot - and is somewhat harder to make in large quantities than the alternative. If the CDC were to warn parents, demand for thimerosal-free shots would rise, possibly squeezing supplies. Some experts said a shortage could lead to some children not being immunized against a known risk, flu, in order to avoid the theoretical risk of thimerosal.
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