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The flu vaccine is prepared from the fluids of chick embryos inoculated with a specific type of influenza virus. The strains of flu virus in the vaccine are inactivated with formaldehyde and preserved with thimerosal, which is a mercury derivative.

The most common reactions to the flu shot, which begin within 12 hours of vaccination and can last several days are: fever, fatigue, painful joints and headache. The most serious reaction that has been associated with the flu vaccine is the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) which occurs most often within two to four weeks of vaccination. GBS is an immune-mediated nerve disorder characterized by muscle weakness, unsteady gait, numbness, tingling, pain and sometimes paralysis of one or more limbs or the face. Recovery lasts several months and can include residual disability.

Less than five percent of GBS cases end in death. What are contraindications to the flu vaccine? Among high risk factors listed by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the vaccine manufacturers are anyone who is sick with a fever; has an impaired immune system; an egg allergy; a mercury allergy or has a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

In years past, pregnancy was also a contraindication to flu vaccine but today, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the CDC recommends flu vaccines for women who are more than 14 weeks pregnant. Yet the package inserts published by the flu vaccine manufacturers state that:

"Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with influenza virus vaccine. It is also not known whether influenza virus vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman." The inserts continue: "Although animal reproductive studies have not been conducted, the prescribing health care provider should be aware of the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The ACIP states that if used during pregnancy, administration of influenza virus vaccine after 14 weeks of gestation may be preferable to avoid coincidental association of the vaccine with early pregnancy loss."

Removes Natural Antibodies

The flu vaccine has never been recommended for healthy children. However, in the past few years there have been indications that health officials are soon going to recommend flu vaccines for all children. A nasal flu vaccine is scheduled to be on the market in late 2000 and publicity promoting this vaccine has centred on its potential use in children.

The current injectable flu vaccine contains mercury as a preservative. In the summer of 1999, the Food and Drug Administration, CDC and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) directed the vaccine manufacturers to remove mercury as a preservative in childhood vaccines. Mercury is a known neuro-toxin and North American babies under six months of age are currently exposed to mercury in childhood vaccines that exceed EPA safety standards.

One consideration with the mass use of flu vaccines in healthy children is the removal of natural antibodies to the flu, which are obtained from natural infection. The questions are whether it’s better for healthy children, who rarely suffer complications from flu, to get the flu and develop permanent immunity to that flu strain or whether it’s better for children to get vaccinated every year to try to suppress all flu infection in early childhood. These are questions that have yet to be adequately answered by medical science.

Every year, federal health agency officials try to guess which three flu strains are most likely to be prevalent the following year to determine which strains will be included in next year’s flu vaccine. If they guess right, the vaccine is thought to be 70 to 80 percent effective in temporarily preventing the flu of the season in healthy persons less than 65 years old. (The efficacy rate drops to 30 to 40 percent in those over 65 years old but the vaccine is thought to be 50 to 60 percent effective in preventing hospitalization and pneumonia and 80 percent effective in preventing death from the flu in the over 65 age group.) However, sometimes health officials do not correctly predict which flu strains will be most prevalent and the vaccine’s effectiveness is much lower for that year.

The flu vaccine only protects against the three specific viral strains which are included in any given year’s flu vaccine. Throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal and ear infections caused by bacteria or other kinds of viruses are not prevented by getting an annual flu shot.

Like all vaccines, the flu vaccine only gives temporary immunity to the virus strains or closely related virus strains contained in the vaccine. The only way to get natural and permanent immunity to a strain of flu is to recover naturally. Natural immunity to a particular strain of flu can be protective if that strain or closely related strains come around again in the future. However, because the vaccine only provides a 70 to 80 percent chance of temporary immunity to selected strains and those strains may or may not be prevalent each year, doctors say you have to get a flu shot every year.

Become educated about the flu and its benefits and risks and the vaccine and its benefits and risks and make an informed decision after consulting multiple sources of information and discussing your questions with one or more health professionals and anti-vaccine organizations.

From The National Vaccine Information Centre. Website: 909shot.com.

For more information on vaccines contact the Vaccine Risk Awareness Network at (250)355-2525.

Source: alive #219, January 2001