Q Can the flu vaccine give you the flu?
A No, says Dr. Monika Naus, medical director of immunization at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. The flu vaccine given in any shot in the arm is inert, pieces of the vaccine that cannot reproduce. The one exception is intra-nasal vaccine, which you spray into the nose, but that isn't used in the publicly funded program.
"Most people will have sore arm, some may have muscle aches and they may think of that as the flu, but it's not the flu. The flu vaccine can't give you flu," she said.
Q How effective is the flu vaccine?
A That depends. No flu vaccine is 100 per cent effective, since the flu virus mutates every year and vaccine producers create their best estimate of what this year's flu virus will look like. Those who are most at risk to the flu - people with a weakened immune system or the elderly - are also less likely to receive a significant benefit from the vaccine, says Naus. "But even in those individuals it's very good at preventing serious illness from influenza and death from influenza," she said. Still, the technology is improving with adjuvanted vaccines available today that have special agents in them to boost the immune response.
Q Can someone with an egg allergy get the flu vaccine?
A Yes, for mild allergies at least. The flu vaccine does contain egg whites, but at concentrations so minute it won't have a reaction in most cases. Those with severe allergies are advised to avoid the vaccine or get tested beforehand. Those with non-serious reactions, such as hives, can safely get the vaccine without a test, though they will be monitored a short time afterwards, said Naus.
Q Do vaccines have mercury? Is that safe?
A Not all vaccines have mercury. The multi-dose flu vaccine has a preservative called thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used to prevent the vaccine from becoming infected with bacteria. A rise in autism rates during the 1990s has been blamed by some on thimerosal, but Naus, as well all major world health bodies, says scientific studies have found no evidence to support a link. That said, health organizations have been slowly phasing thimerosal out of vaccines since the 1990s.
Q Is the vaccine available healthy adults?
A Anyone can get the vaccine, but it's only provided free for those at the highest risk. That includes w people 65 years and older and their caregivers; children and adults with chronic health conditions and their housemates; emergency responders and health workers; healthy children six to 23 months of age and their housemates; some pregnant women; residents of nursing homes or chronic care facilities; Aboriginal peoples; and a few other groups. Some provinces, including Ontario, offer the vaccine free to anyone, but in B.C. those not on the list are required to pay a fee. But they should still consider a vaccine, says Naus. "It's their choice but it is recommended," she said.
Q Where is the vaccine available?
A There are five locations in West Vancouver and 15 in North Vancouver where the vaccine is offered this year, including pharmacies, community centres and seniors' centres. For a map of locations and their hours, visit www. health.gov.bc.ca/flu.
