Weddingbee boards

This year there are 2 flu vaccines.  The seasonal flu vaccine contains several strains.  Here is an outtake from the FDA website for this year's seasonal flu vaccine:

"The vaccine for the 2009-2010 seasonal influenza contains:

• an A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like virus
• an A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus
• a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus

There is always a possibility of a less than optimal match between the virus strains predicted to circulate and the virus strains that end up causing the most illness. Even if the vaccine and the circulating strains are not an exact match, the vaccine may reduce the severity of the illness or may help prevent influenza-related complications."

The second vaccine is to the H1N1 pandemic strain.  I plan to get them both, as I am exposed to lots of sick kids on a daily basis. 

Britshining- I'm sorry but there is testing for the H1N1 vaccine.  I think it is crucial to be informed as to the reality of the situation and not spread misinformation.  In this case misinformation could lead to the death of a child or pregnant woman, perhaps.

This vaccine has been tested. Some of the testing has happened right here in the Seattle area! Preliminary results are available:

Early results suggest 1 dose of H1N1 vaccine may be protective

Robert Roos  News Editor
Sep 10, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – Preliminary clinical trial results suggest that pandemic H1N1 vaccines made by Novartis and CSL Ltd. will provide protection in adults with just one dose, raising hope for a less difficult immunization program than has been anticipated.
Preliminary results for the two vaccines were published online this afternoon by the New England Journal of Medicine. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has ordered supplies of both vaccines, along with doses from three other companies.
Federal officials have said they expected that a two-dose regimen of the H1N1 vaccines would probably be necessary to generate an adequate immune response to the novel virus. The first doses are expected to become available in mid October.
In an editorial accompanying the vaccine reports, infectious disease expert Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, called the findings welcome and reassuring.
     She noted that a one-dose schedule doubles the number of people who can be protected with a given amount of vaccine, and it also means that vaccinees are protected sooner, since a two-dose regimen typically involves doses spaced 3 weeks or more apart.

Link: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/sep1009vaccine.html

From the CDC website:

Will this vaccine be made differently than the seasonal influenza vaccine?

No. This vaccine will be made using the same processes and facilities that are used to make the currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines.

Link: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm

The long term effects are the same as the regular flu vaccine mncrk...  This is the same formulation as regular flu.  It's just that there are two different proteins that it is protecting against.

H stands for hemagglutanin and N stands for neurominadase.  These are proteins found on the surface of the flu virus.  Each year the flu mutates and changes the proteins on it's surface (to evade our clever immune systems)... so each year new proteins are included in the vaccine to reflect the circulating strains. 

The H1N1 vaccine is no different than any other flu vaccine.  In fact, it would have been included in the regular seasonal vaccine, but it was discovered too late in the season last year for inclusion in the vaccine.  Please click on the links that I've provided to understand how flu vaccination works.

Some flu myths and answers:

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/top-14-flu-myths

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm

mncrk- good question.  The amount of thimerosol in the flu vaccine is less than that in a single can of tuna (3 oz).  In the single dose vial it is thimerasol free.

Here is a good link:

http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/ABOUT/QA/thimerosal.htm

Regarding seasonal flu vaccine, it is considered adjuvant free:

All seasonal influenza vaccines licensed in the United States are produced in eggs and they do not contain adjuvants.

Link: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/safety_planning.htm

and regarding H1N1

Both live, attenuated and inactivated influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine formulations will be available initially; as with seasonal influenza vaccines, neither of these vaccines will contain adjuvants.

Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr58e0821a1.htm

Sorry to link you to technical papers, but that's where the reliable information is!

In my research, the only articles that I could come up with that alledged that there would be squalene were on anti-vaccine websites.  CDC says no adjuvants.