There are currently 4 vaccines licensed for novel H1N1 or “Swine Flu”.  These are coming to the market now and are available through Health Departments. Visit the site Flu.ogv for more information linked to your local HD.

The four licensed companies are CSL Biotherapies, GSK (soon), Novartis, Sanofi Pasteur - these are the injectable type vaccines.  MedImmune has the nasal mist with is a live vaccine approved for patients ages 2-49 years old.  All the single dose vials and syringes, except the Novartis brand, do not contain a mercury preservative.  I do not believe this represents a risk as some do, but if you like me are allergic to that preservative, you have to take the injection from a single dose syringe or vial.  All multi-dose vials contain a preservative.  This is true of just about every vaccine.

The usual seasonal flu vaccination is not likely to provide any protection against novel H1N1 influenza.   The priority groups recommended to receive the “Swine flu” vaccine are:

• Pregnant women but only the inactivated injection not the nasal mist

• Persons caring for infants less than 6 months old

• Health Care workers and Emergency Services Personnel

• Children 6 months - 4 years old but less than two years must receive the injection

• Adolescents 5-18 Y/O with medical conditions that put them at risk for complications

Infants less than 6 months old should not receive the injection but if Mom was immunized they probably enjoy immunity also.

The injection can be expected to provide protective antibody levels within 14 days in adults.  In unpublished studies, a single injectable dose provided immunity to 76% of children aged 10-17 and 36% of those aged 3-9 years old and 25% of those aged 6-35 months old.

Pregnant women and  people with lung disease like asthma and COPD should only take the injectable vaccine.

I have heard members of the CDC vaccine committee say that 300 milliondoses of vaccine will be produced.  That should meet all demand for vaccine injections by everyone who wants it, but the availability of the vaccine will be staggered as it becomes available and according to orders placed by the states.  Visit your state Health Department (HD) site and gain further information. You can find that site by visiting the Flu.gov site linked above.

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