H1N1 vaccine facts

  • Published
  • By Capt. Kerry Ciolek
  • 66th Medical Group
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  

Reasons to get vaccinated with H1N1:
Vaccines are the best tool to prevent influenza. Vaccinations are considered a medication and there are risks associated with taking medications. However, the risk of any vaccine causing serious harm is extremely small. The best question to ask is whether the risks outweigh the benefits. The World Health Organization said, "The new H1N1 flu is 'strikingly different' from seasonal influenza, killing much younger people than ordinary flu and often killing them very fast." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 86 U.S. children have died of H1N1, most in the 5- to 17-year old age group.

The H1N1 Vaccine:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have approved four vaccines against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The vaccines are made by the following companies: CSL Limited, MedImmune LLC, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited and Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. The A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) is the strain that has been selected for the vaccine. The vaccines do not contain adjuvants, agents added to many vaccines to increase their efficacy, and are available in both intranasal and injectable forms.

All four firms manufacture the H1N1 vaccines using the same egg-based processes, the traditional method of production used in manufacturing seasonal flu vaccines. The vaccines undergo the same rigorous FDA manufacturing oversight. People with allergies to chicken eggs should not be vaccinated. Some of the potential side effects for this vaccine are soreness at the injection site, mild fever, body aches and fatigue.

Possibility of Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases following the 2009 H1N1 vaccine
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare disease in which the body damages its own nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. It is not fully understood why some people develop GBS, but it is believed that stimulation of the body's immune system may play a role in its development.

Infection with specific bacterium is one of the most common risk factors for GBS. People can also develop GBS after having the flu or other infections. On very rare occasions, individuals may develop GBS in the days or weeks following a vaccination.

In most studies, no association between flu vaccinations and GBS was found, but two studies suggested that approximately one person out of one million vaccinated with the seasonal influenza vaccine may be at risk for GBS.

It is important to keep in mind that severe illness and possible death can be associated with influenza, and vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza infection and its complications. For more information on GBS, go to www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.

The vaccine is the only way to truly protect from H1N1. Information will be posted and flu clinics will be held for H1N1 as soon as the vaccine arrives.

CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that swine flu vaccine should first go to:
· Pregnant women.
· Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months old.
· Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel.
· All children and young adults, ages 6 months to 24 years of age.
· Individuals 25 to 64 years of age, who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.
· People vaccinated in 1976 should still be given the H1N1 vaccine.

For more information on Flu visit the following websites: www.cdc.gov/flu, www.mass.gov/dph/swineflu or call the Public Health office at (781) 377-8084.