What Are The Ingredients In A Flu Vaccine

What Do They Put In A Flu Shot

Flu Shot: Side Effects, Ingredients, and more

Egg Protein

Manufacturers grow the flu viruses in fertilized chicken eggshundreds of millions every year. According to Wired.com, scientists inject the viruses into the allantoic fluid between the embryo and the shell, where the viruses replicate.

Then the fluid goes for a spin in a centrifuge, along with layers of sucrose solutions of different concentrations to separate the denser virus from the rest of the egg proteins. Trace amounts of egg can remain in the final shot.

Animal Protein

For people who are allergic to eggs, there is now another flu vaccine called Flucelvax that is grown in animal cells instead of eggs.

Flucelvax is made from kidney cells from a dog that is grown in a laboratory specifically, the Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells that came from a female Cocker Spaniel in 1958.

Should I Be Concerned About Ingredients In A Flu Shot

A recent poll found that one in three parents do not plan to vaccinate their children against influenza. The biggest reason for not getting their children the flu shot is concern about side effects. These worries often come from not knowing enough about ingredients in the flu vaccine.

Its reasonable to have questions about the ingredients in vaccines. Fortunately, the ingredients in flu vaccines have undergone testing for safety in thousands of people. Millions of children safely receive the flu vaccine every year, and studies show that risks related to flu shot ingredients are extremely low.

Is The Flu Shot Dangerous Or Unsafe

The flu shot is very safe for people recommended to get it by the CDC. The most common side effects are soreness, redness, or swelling where the injection occurs. Some people may develop a headache, nausea, or a fever from the vaccine, but they typically go away within a few days.

If your child has allergies to gelatin, antibiotics, or another vaccine ingredient, ask your doctor whether your child should get the vaccine. Most antibiotics used in vaccines are not common ones that people have allergies to. Penicillin is not used in making vaccines.

If your child has an egg allergy, they can still safely receive the flu vaccine. There is also one flu vaccine available for children that does not involve growing the virus in eggs. The Flucelvax Quadrivalent flu vaccine is not made with eggs, and people age 4 and older can get it.

Estimates of Flu Vaccination Coverage among Children United States, 201718 Flu Season. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Link

Flu Vaccine and People with Egg Allergies. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Link

HealthyChildren.org. Vaccine Ingredients: Frequently Asked Questions. The American Academy of Pediatrics. Link

National Poll on Children’s Health. Flu vaccine for children in the time of COVID. C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. September 28, 2020. Volume 37, Issue 1. Link

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Naci Influenza Working Group

Members: I Gemmill , L Cochrane, N Dayneka, R Harrison, K Klein, D Kumar, J Langley, J McElhaney, A McGeer, D Moore, S Smith, and B Warshawsky.

Former member: M Lavoie.

Liaison representatives: L Grohskopf .

Ex-officio representatives: C Bancej , P Wolfe-Roberge , and J Xiong .

Former ex-officio representative: K Watkins .

Who Should Get A Flu Vaccine

Flu shot ingredients: What they contain and why

With rare exceptions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine. People with egg allergies can still get flu shots, although those with life-threatening allergies to other vaccine ingredients, like gelatin or antibiotics, should not.

Dr. Gandhi emphasized that those who are pregnant should get a flu shot this year, because they are more likely than others to get severely ill with the flu. Flu shots have been given to millions of pregnant people over the years, and they are safe, Dr. Gandhi said. By getting the flu vaccine when pregnant, babies will also be protected, because flu-fighting antibodies are passed to the infant and provide protection after they are born.

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Iv5 Additional Vaccine Safety Considerations

Influenza vaccine is safe and well tolerated. Contraindications, precautions, and common AEs are described in Section II. Additional information regarding egg-allergic individuals and GBS is provided below.

Egg-allergic individuals

After careful review of clinical and post-licensure safety data, NACI has concluded that egg-allergic individuals may be vaccinated against influenza using any appropriate product, including LAIV, without prior influenza vaccine skin test and with the full dose, irrespective of a past severe reaction to egg and without any particular consideration, including vaccination setting. The amount of trace ovalbumin allowed in influenza vaccines that are authorized for use in Canada is associated with a low risk of AE. The observation period post-vaccination is as recommended in Vaccine Safety in Part 2 of the CIG. As with all vaccine administration, vaccine providers should be prepared with the necessary equipment, knowledge, and skills to respond to a vaccine emergency at all times.

Refer to the Statement on Seasonal Influenza Vaccine for 2018-2019 for safety data supporting this recommendation for IIV and LAIV.

Guillain-Barré syndrome

Those Scary Flu Vaccine Ingredients

So there it is. Simple math shows us that these are not dangerous toxins being injected into our kids. Sadly, simple math may not be in the list of skills of vaccine deniers. Dose makes the poison, and these doses are so low, they are undeniably safe.

And if youre worried about formaldehyde , then avoid apples and pears. Because every apple has twice the formaldehyde of a flu vaccine shot. This is what happens when you science something you get a better picture of the facts.

More simple math problems for vaccine deniers in my follow up article.

Editors note: This article was originally published in March 2014. It has been completely updated several times to include more comprehensive information, to improve readability and to add current research. Oh, and to remove an egregious mathematics error. See, I told you, math matters to science.

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How Well Do Our Flu Vaccines Work

Because the flu virus changes so rapidly, and most flu vaccines are grown slowly and somewhat imprecisely in chicken eggs, the strains we get vaccinated against are sometimes not what our bodies end up encountering, Dr. Palese said. And because of that, flu vaccines are not as effective as some other vaccines that protect against viral illnesses. During the 2019-2020 flu season, for instance, those who received the flu vaccine were only 39 percent less likely than people who didnt receive the vaccine to develop influenza. Two doses of the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines, on the other hand, reduce symptomatic illness from Covid-19 by more than 90 percent, and two doses of the measles vaccine provide 97 percent protection.

That being said, Dr. Palese added, the best thing you can do to protect yourself from the flu is to get a vaccine. Thats the only thing that really makes a difference.

How Can I Tell If I Have The Flu Covid

Is flu vaccine safe?

It can be challenging to distinguish between these conditions because they have many overlapping symptoms. For instance, both the flu and Covid-19 can cause fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. Therefore, the only way to distinguish reliably between the two illnesses is to get tested, Dr. Gandhi said.

There are now combined tests available at some doctors offices that can distinguish between flu, SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory syncytial virus , a common and typically mild respiratory virus that can cause more serious symptoms in infants and older adults. Most of these tests are not covered by health insurance, though, Dr. Fradin said. They can run around $250, although costs may vary, she said.

Some cold and allergy symptoms might overlap with those from the flu or Covid-19 , but symptoms of colds and allergies are typically more mild, and are usually limited to the nose, throat and chest. In kids, however, Covid-19 can present a lot like a cold. So it may be wise for kids with cold symptoms to get a Covid-19 test, Dr. Fradin said.

Where To Get The Flu Vaccine

You can have the NHS flu vaccine at:

your GP surgery
a pharmacy offering the service
your midwifery service if you’re pregnant
a hospital appointment

If you do not have your flu vaccine at your GP surgery, you do not have to tell the surgery. This will be done for you.

It’s important to go to your vaccination appointments unless you have symptoms of COVID-19.

Why Is Formaldehyde In Some Vaccines

Formaldehyde has a long history of safe use in the manufacture of certain viral and bacterial vaccines. It is used to inactivate viruses so that they dont cause disease and to detoxify bacterial toxins, such as the toxin used to make diphtheria vaccine. Formaldehyde is diluted during the vaccine manufacturing process, but residual quantities of formaldehyde may be found in some current vaccines. The amount of formaldehyde present in some vaccines is so small compared to the concentration that occurs naturally in the body that it does not pose a safety concern.

Formaldehyde is also produced naturally in the human body as a part of normal functions of the body to produce energy and build the basic materials needed for important life processes. This includes making amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins that the body needs.

Formaldehyde is also found in the environment and is present in different ways. It is used in building materials, as a preservative in labs and to produce many household products.

Excessive exposure to formaldehyde may cause cancer, but the latest research has shown that the highest risk is from the air when formaldehyde is inhaled from breathing, and occurs more frequently in people who routinely use formaldehyde in their jobs. There is no evidence linking cancer to infrequent exposure to tiny amounts of formaldehyde via injection as occurs with vaccines.

V Choice Of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine: Additional Information

With the recent availability of a number of new influenza vaccines, some of which are designed to enhance immunogenicity in specific age groups, the choice of product is now more complex. Section II.5 summarizes NACI’s recommendations on the choice of currently authorized influenza vaccines. This section provides more details for these recommendations.

Why Is Aluminum In Some Vaccines

Aluminum salts are incorporated into some vaccine formulations as an adjuvant. An adjuvant is a substance added to some vaccines to enhance the immune response of vaccinated individuals. The aluminum salts in some U.S. licensed vaccines are aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, alum , or mixed aluminum salts. For example: aluminum salts are used in DTaP vaccines, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and hepatitis B vaccines.

Aluminum adjuvant containing vaccines have a demonstrated safety profile of over six decades of use and have only uncommonly been associated with severe local reactions. A study conducted by FDA determined that the risk to infants posed by the total aluminum exposure received from the entire recommended series of childhood vaccines over the first year of life is extremely low. This study provided additional scientific information confirming that the benefits of aluminum-containing vaccines administered during the first year of life outweigh any theoretical concerns about the potential effect of aluminum on infants. Of note, the most common source of exposure to aluminum is from eating food or drinking water.

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What Is In The Flu Shot

Every year, scientists around the world do their best to get one step ahead of the flu by developing that years iteration of the flu shot. As a reminder, vaccines work by giving your body a chance to fight off an altered version of a virus or bacteria, so that if and when it encounters the live virus in the wild, it already knows how to react, and you never get sick. But whats in a flu shot is a little more complicated.

The recipe starts with the four most common influenza strains from around the world, injected into fertilized chicken eggs or mammalian cells, deactivated so it doesnt give you the actual flu, mixed with a grab-bag of preservatives, antibiotics, and sugars. This combination is then formulated for a shot or spray to make it in time for the 2021 flu season. For those science-is-fucking-awesome types out there, this is indeed awesome.

Its also complex as hell something that keeps virologists on their toes every year. Influenza strains constantly mutate, but scientists get one shot at the annual vaccine, making their best guess some 30 weeks in advance to get the flu shot out to the public.

What Our Experts Say

According to the information that AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford presented to the United Kingdom’s vaccine regulatory agency, this vaccine contains:

A weakened adenovirus, which delivers the the COVID-19 spike glycoprotein
L-histidine
L-histidine hydrochloride monohydrate
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate
Disodium edetate dihydrate
Water for injections

The vaccine does not include any human or animal products, thimerosal, gelatin, or formaldehyde. The vaccine doesn’t include any common allergens like egg, latex, milk, gluten, lactose, maize/corn, or peanuts, either.

The first ingredient on the listâthe weakened adenovirusâis the active ingredient in this vaccine. Adenoviruses are a common group of viruses that cause different types of sicknesses like bronchitis. Most people have been exposed to them in their lives. The AstraZeneca vaccine is made from an adenovirus that has been changed in the lab so it can’t cause harm. It has been adjusted to work as a delivery system for the vaccine. The shot gives the body instructions to create the spike protein from COVID-19 in its cells. That way, when a person is exposed to COVID-19, its immune system will recognize the part of the virus that has those spike proteins and will know how to how to fight it.

The last nine ingredients on the list are called ‘excipients.’ Excipients are the non-active ingredients that are added to the vaccine for a variety of reasons.

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Can I Get The Flu Shot If I’m Pregnant

Yes, the CDC recommends receiving a flu shot during pregnancy. In fact, it is recommended that all women who are pregnant or may become pregnant during the flu season receive a flu shot during any trimester. A flu shot protects both the mother and the baby from getting the flu since the mother can pass some of the antibodies onto the baby. Any of the age-appropriate flu shots may be used. It is important that pregnant women only receive a flu shot the nasal spray flu vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy.

Flu Shot Side Effects

Influenza in a Minute – What’s in the flu vaccine?

According to the CDC, mild side effects from the flu shot include soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site, low-grade fever and aches. Only about 1% to 2% of people who get a flu shot will have fever as a side effect, Schaffner said. These mild effects should go away within a few days.

Rare but serious side effects can occur, including allergic reactions. Symptoms of serious side effects include difficulty breathing, swelling around the eyes or lips, hives, racing heart, dizziness and high fever. If you experience serious side effects, you should seek medical care immediately, the CDC says. In addition, it’s important to ask your health-care provider to file what a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System report either online or by calling VAERS at 1-800-822-7967, the CDC says.

For children, side effects from the flu nasal spray can include runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomiting, muscle aches and fever. For adults, side effects from the spray version of the vaccine include runny nose, headache, sore throat and cough. These side effects last a short time compared with the actual flu illness, the CDC says.

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What Ingredients Are In The Flu Shot

October 14, 2016 By Will Sowards

The weather is getting cooler, the holidays are coming up and theres televised football almost every day of the week. The late part of the year is rich in annual traditions to enjoy, although not all these certainties are fun.

Specifically, the dreaded flu season.

Flu season is an uncertain date. The timetable for peak diagnoses varying from October in some years, to April and May in others. But, flu season is getting closer and time is running out to take early action against the disease with an annual flu shot.

There are several myths surrounding flu shots. But, dont worry, the shot will not make you sick with the disease or give you a deadly amount of mercury.

What the flu shot will do, is focus on and prevent the spread of the many influenza types each year.

Iv4 Simultaneous Administration With Other Vaccines

In general, NACI recommends that two live parenteral vaccines be administered either on the same day or at least 4 weeks apart Footnote 166. This recommendation is based largely on a single study from 1965 that demonstrated immune interference between smallpox vaccine and measles vaccine administered 9-15 days apart. Subsequent studies have revealed conflicting results on immune interference between live vaccinesFootnote 167, Footnote 168, Footnote 169 Footnote 170. No studies were found on potential immune interference between LAIV and other live attenuated vaccines administered within 4 weeks. A few studies on concomitant administration of LAIV3 with MMR, varicella, and oral polio vaccines did not find evidence of clinically significant immune interferenceFootnote 10, Footnote 12, Footnote 13. One study reported a statistically significant but not clinically meaningful decrease in seroresponse rates to rubella antigen when administered concomitantly with LAIV.

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