It’s flu season and everywhere I go it seems that the flu vaccine is being pushed. From radio spots, news reports and magazine articles, we are reminded continually to get a flu vaccine. And you can now receive the vaccine in public places such as grocery stores and airports or even your workplace. Next thing you know Big Pharma will be going door to door selling in-home innoculations! The influenza vaccine is beyond readily available and I have to wonder why? I guess the obvious answer that pharmaceutical companies and the medical community would like us to believe is that it prevents complications, hospitalizations and fatalaties that can arise as a result of this disease, however based on my research some of the claims made are not necessarily true. Here is some information to ponder before you elect to vaccinate yourself or your family against influenza (from Dr. Mercola’s website):
- A recent study published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu appeared to have no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons.
- a Group Health study found that flu shots do not protect elderly people against developing pneumonia — the primary cause of death resulting as a complication of the flu. Others have questioned whether there is any mortality benefit with influenza vaccination. Vaccination coverage among the elderly increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now, but there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza or pneumonia.
Now if you opt to get the flu shot for yourself or family, Dr. Sears provides a 2008-2009 guide so that you can ensure to get a mercury-free flu vaccine, as follows:
FLUZONE Shot
This is the only brand approved for all age ranges, from young infants to adults. It comes in four different formulations:
- Pre-filled syringe for infants 6 through 35 months – NO mercury.
- Pre-filled syringe for children 3 years and older and adults – NO mercury.
- Single-dose vial for children 3 years and older and adults – NO mercury.
- Multi-dose vial for infants 6 months and older, children and adults – contains the full dose of mercury.
FLUZONE is the only brand of flu shot approved for young infants and toddlers. BEWARE – the multi-dose vial has the full dose of mercury. You have to make sure you are getting a single-dose pre-filled syringe or vial, NOT the multi-dose vial.
FLUMIST Nasal Spray
An alternative to the flu SHOT for young children is the FLUMIST nasal spray. There is no mercury in this formulation. It is approved for children 2 years and older and adults through age 49.FLUVIRIN Shot
This shot is approved for children 4 years and older and adults. It comes in two formulations:
- Pre-filled syringe – has a trace of mercury (see below)
- Multi-dose vial – has the full dose of mercury
FLUARIX Shot
This is only for adults 18 years and older. It only comes as a pre-filled syringe with a trace amount of mercury.FLULAVAL Shot
This is only for adults 18 years and older. It only comes as a multi-dose vial with the full dose of mercury.AFLURIA Shot
This is only for adults 18 years and older. It has two formulations:
- Pre-filled syringe with no mercury
- Multi-dose vial with the full dose of mercury
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] It’s begun…the first state to officially REQUIRE flu vaccinations for children is New Jersey. New Jersey has mandated that all children attending preschool or day care be vaccinated against the flu as well as a pneumococcal vaccine. According to Susan Markel’s blog post on Babycenter, children who have not received the flu vaccine are to be excluded from attending, unless they can provide proof that they are in the process of getting a dose of the vaccine within two weeks after the deadline, the state New Jersey Health Department said. Many parents are furious. Rightly so. There is very heated debate about the effectiveness of the flu vaccine (just follow the string of comments that follow Susan’s post and you’ll get an idea as to how heated it can get). There are many strains of influenza at any given time making it difficult to predict which strains will be most common and should be vaccinated against in a season. So if they don’t formulate the vaccine correctly, you could end up getting the flu anyway. In addition, the flu vaccine in it’s multi-dose form is one of the remaining vaccines to still contain the mercury based preservative Thimerosal, which has been suspected to cause neurological disorders such as Autism, ADD, and ADHD. So if you opt for a flu vaccination, make sure you’re getting the thimerosal-free version. [...]