
I haven't even made it through the trenches of School Immunizations and I'm already reading about the flu vaccine. My life as a Public Health Nurse never has down time.
The FDA recently approved the flu vaccines for this year. Typically the three strains included in the vaccine are selected in February then pharmaceutical companies begin developing their respective vaccines. This year the recommended strains were scrapped after a not so protective vaccine was used last year. Rumor is that the flu vaccines will be slower to get to market because of this big change. Getting your flu vaccine in late November, December or even January isn't such a bad idea, as we often see the peak of flu season toward February and March.
Read the latest excerpt from the FDA:
The FDA changed all three strains for this year's influenza vaccine—an unusual occurrence, as usually only one or two strains are updated from year to year. A list of the strains included in the 2008-2009 vaccine can be found at http://www.fda.gov/cber/flu/flu2008.htm. Of note, two of the three strains recommended for the U.S. this year are now in use for the Southern Hemisphere's 2008 influenza season, which is currently underway.
Each year, experts from the FDA, World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other institutions study virus samples and patterns collected throughout the year from around the world in an effort to identify strains that may cause the most illness in the upcoming season.
Based on those forecasts and on the recommendations of its Advisory Committee, the FDA each February decides on the three strains that manufacturers should include in their vaccines for the U.S. population. The FDA makes this decision early in the year so that manufacturers have enough time to produce the new vaccines.
Vaccination remains the cornerstone of preventing influenza, a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. According to the CDC, every year an average of 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu, more than 200,000 are hospitalized from flu complications and there are about 36,000 flu-related deaths. Some individuals—the elderly, young children, and people with chronic medical conditions —are at higher risk for flu-related complications.
Vaccination of these groups and of health care personnel is critical.
The FDA recently approved the flu vaccines for this year. Typically the three strains included in the vaccine are selected in February then pharmaceutical companies begin developing their respective vaccines. This year the recommended strains were scrapped after a not so protective vaccine was used last year. Rumor is that the flu vaccines will be slower to get to market because of this big change. Getting your flu vaccine in late November, December or even January isn't such a bad idea, as we often see the peak of flu season toward February and March.
Read the latest excerpt from the FDA:
The FDA changed all three strains for this year's influenza vaccine—an unusual occurrence, as usually only one or two strains are updated from year to year. A list of the strains included in the 2008-2009 vaccine can be found at http://www.fda.gov/cber/flu/flu2008.htm. Of note, two of the three strains recommended for the U.S. this year are now in use for the Southern Hemisphere's 2008 influenza season, which is currently underway.
Each year, experts from the FDA, World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other institutions study virus samples and patterns collected throughout the year from around the world in an effort to identify strains that may cause the most illness in the upcoming season.
Based on those forecasts and on the recommendations of its Advisory Committee, the FDA each February decides on the three strains that manufacturers should include in their vaccines for the U.S. population. The FDA makes this decision early in the year so that manufacturers have enough time to produce the new vaccines.
Vaccination remains the cornerstone of preventing influenza, a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. According to the CDC, every year an average of 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu, more than 200,000 are hospitalized from flu complications and there are about 36,000 flu-related deaths. Some individuals—the elderly, young children, and people with chronic medical conditions —are at higher risk for flu-related complications.
Vaccination of these groups and of health care personnel is critical.
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