Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
H1N1 vaccine ... is it really safe?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
I WANT TO KNOW
Question: I want to know is it safe to take the H1N1 flu vaccine? I heard it contains mercury.
Answer: Like all flu vaccines, people with egg allergies cannot take the vaccine, because it is produced in chicken eggs. But for those without such allergies, the vaccine didn?t cause any major problems in clinical trials, said Dr. Hugh Tyson, Coos County?s health officer.
?Other than causing the usual soreness and perhaps redness at the site of injection, the vaccines cause no major side effects,? Tyson said.
Some vials of flu vaccine contain thimerosal, a mercury compound, but studies have found the amount of additive used is safe for human use, he said.
Thimerosal is added to multi-dose vials of flu vaccine to keep it safe from bacteria once opened.
?Before thimerosal was added to multi-dose vials, contamination caused serious adverse events,? Tyson wrote in an e-mail.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the H1N1 influenza vaccines will be manufactured in several formulations. Some will come in multi-dose vials and will contain thimerosal as a preservative.
There are single-dose syringes of flu vaccine and the live nasal spray vaccine that don?t contain thimerosal.
Other routinely recommended children?s vaccines have not been manufactured with thimerosal in them since 2001, the CDC Web site says.
http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2009/10/14/news/doc4ad610e5c7cc9658087801.txt
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
I WANT TO KNOW
Question: I want to know is it safe to take the H1N1 flu vaccine? I heard it contains mercury.
Answer: Like all flu vaccines, people with egg allergies cannot take the vaccine, because it is produced in chicken eggs. But for those without such allergies, the vaccine didn?t cause any major problems in clinical trials, said Dr. Hugh Tyson, Coos County?s health officer.
?Other than causing the usual soreness and perhaps redness at the site of injection, the vaccines cause no major side effects,? Tyson said.
Some vials of flu vaccine contain thimerosal, a mercury compound, but studies have found the amount of additive used is safe for human use, he said.
Thimerosal is added to multi-dose vials of flu vaccine to keep it safe from bacteria once opened.
?Before thimerosal was added to multi-dose vials, contamination caused serious adverse events,? Tyson wrote in an e-mail.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the H1N1 influenza vaccines will be manufactured in several formulations. Some will come in multi-dose vials and will contain thimerosal as a preservative.
There are single-dose syringes of flu vaccine and the live nasal spray vaccine that don?t contain thimerosal.
Other routinely recommended children?s vaccines have not been manufactured with thimerosal in them since 2001, the CDC Web site says.
http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2009/10/14/news/doc4ad610e5c7cc9658087801.txt