Posted on 10/22/2004 6:29:46 PM PDT by philman_36
There might be plenty to go around, with 3 million doses of FluMist and 58 million doses of the regular vaccine; except for panicky demand driven by media and government; tort lawyers and government price controls, and government rationing; making it effectively illegal for those of us over 49 (too old for FluMist) and under 65 (too young for the conventional vaccine)to be vaccinated; unless we work on Capital Hill in any capacity, in which case it will be provide free of charge.
You could always take last year's shot, but that would be akin to taking cough medicine for arthritis...???
Scientists make a different vaccine every year because the strains of flu viruses change from year to year. Nine to 10 months before the flu season begins, they prepare a new vaccine made from inactivated (killed) flu viruses. Because the viruses are killed, they cannot cause infections. The vaccine preparation is based on the strains of the flu viruses that are in circulation at the time. It includes those A and B viruses (see section below on types of flu viruses) expected to circulate the following winter.
Sometimes, an unpredicted new strain may appear after the vaccine has been made and distributed to health care providers and clinics. Because of this, even if you do get the flu vaccine, you still may get infected. If you do get infected, however, the disease usually is milder because the vaccine still will give you some protection.
From this link
I agree. Give the older folks their shot. healthy people step aside. Gammy & Gamps have a few more years to share with us.
I agree. Give the older folks their shot. healthy people step aside. Gammy & Gamps have a few more years to share with us.
Thanks for the link and info. I feel more informed now and I learned something new.
here's another link:
http://www.agingwell.state.ny.us/flu/flureview/caqs1.htm#q01
Most years at least one of the influenza virus subtypes changes. The results of this change are viruses and virus combinations against which previous years' vaccine formulas offer little protection. A government agency monitors the flu to identify and to track the most common virus variations. Based on data collected from previous years and on predictions about which virus strains will be most prominent in the coming year, this agency decides what subtypes of killed virus to include in the current influenza vaccine.
FR is great, ain't it!?
Well ---- it's "approved" only for healthy people --- my understanding is that it's a live virus and shouldn't be given to those at risk for getting the flu --- because the live virus is dangerous for them --- but what if the healthy person passes the live virus onto them?
At least in some health care settings, health care workers and others who could expose people on chemotherapy or who are immunosuppressed have been told not to get the nasal spray because they could pass on the live virus to the patients who have little immunity to fight it.
Ya'll get yo shots, ya hear? Then I won't have to git mine...
For what it is worth, our physician told us that anyone over 55 should not take a nasal flu shot. That they are meant for kids.
He especially warned respiratory and cardiac patients that they would actually be putting their health at risk if they took a nasal injection.
Any doctors in the House?
Anyone ever read The Stand (by Steven King)? In that book the deadliest flu ever was created by military scientists in a bio warfare lab(well, it is Steven King after all) but the story of how it overwhelmed the public and wiped out 99% of the population left a lasting impression. As did the very real Spanish Influenza of 1918.
Airborne viruses scare the ____ out of me. They're very hard to control. Unlike AIDS. Hopefully our wonderful benevolent authorities are spending as much $ to solve the former problem as the latter.
Yes, then we can begin to kill babies by the millions and rape them of their stem cells so that we can give 90 yr old decrepit people an extra 3 months to live. The only people that I have ever known that took this crap got the worst flu of their lives from it, so I am in no way convinced that not having an extra 10 million doses saves any lives. I wouldn't take it to begin with even if they were paying to give it away. A little good vomit and day of runs cleans out the system. :-) There are no lines at all down here in Little Rock, it isn't that big of a deal believe me, I could care less personally.
****
Well said and my sentiments exactly. What ever happened to sacrfice for your children, not grow children to sacrifice for you. Sick..its a sick form of cannablism.
No vaccine will stop a super flu. Amazes me the people who will line up to have a virus put in their bodies that chances are they wouldn't have come in contact with anyway.
I think the injected person gets a killed virus which they bill build up antibodies against that then should save them from a live virus but the mist is a live virus which is why it's only approved for the healthy because they can easily fight of the live virus --- mist or wild. I don't see what stops that live mist virus from getting spread around --- or why would they tell healthy health care workers who work with unhealthy patients not to take that vaccine.
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