“I’m shocked! Absolutely shocked that this years flu shot has antigens against this year’s flu!”- Captain Renault
# 4927
I guess we’ve been found out.
Over the past few days there have been a number of media reports `outing’ public health authorities for – supposedly unbeknownst to the public - attempting to slip the H1N1 pandemic vaccine into this year’s seasonal flu vaccine.
In fact, one of the `top stories’ of the last 24 hours on the NewsNow Flu Pandemics news feed reads:
Another recent story from the UK has a poll attached where 75% of the respondents (as of this writing) say the Swine flu jab should not be combined with the seasonal flu shot.
This is quite obviously a conspiracy targeted directly at the millions of people out there who are unable to read for comprehension.
I say that because – despite the OMG! tone of some of these news reports - it hasn’t exactly been a state secret that antigens against last year’s pandemic virus would be included in this year’s seasonal flu shot.
In fact, that information has been printed, and repeated on newscasts, thousands of times over the past 6 months (for starters see WHO: 2010-2011 Flu Vaccine Recommendations and FDA Approves 2010-2011 Flu Vaccines).
So I’m a bit taken aback that anyone is surprised by this revelation. But just in case someone out there missed it, this year’s seasonal flu shot contains:
- A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus (pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus)
- A/Perth /16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus
- B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus
Despite tens of millions of H1N1 shot given over the past year, and an excellent safety profile (see Two Vaccine Related Stories From CIDRAP ),the constant demonization of the Swine Flu vaccine on the Internet and in the media has created an unwarranted atmosphere of fear and suspicion among many in the public.
So much so, that in the UK GP's are now being advised to specifically warn patients who refused last year’s monovalent pandemic jab that this year’s trivalent shot contains antigens against swine flu.
This report from Healthcare Republic.
Swine flu warning to be given for seasonal jab
Stephen Robinson, GP newspaper, 23 September 2010, 12:18am
GPs should alert patients who refused last year's swine flu vaccine that it is included in this year's seasonal flu jab, the GMC has advised.
I’ve no problem with full disclosure regarding the contents of this year’s flu shot. Heck, if I’ve mentioned it once, I’ve mentioned it 50 times that the H1N1 virus would be in this year’s jab.
By now, it ought to be common knowledge. But apparently not. Sigh.
The shame here is that websites and media outlets spend their energies stoking people’s fears over the vaccine, when the real danger comes from the flu itself.
Some, I suspect, are true believers. They see vaccines as dangerous, or evil, or simply unnecessary.
Misguided, perhaps, but sincere.
But many do it simply to drive traffic to their site, or to sell `natural alternatives to vaccines’, or subscriptions to their newsletter.
And if following their anti-vaccine advice happens to claim a few lives along the way . . . well, I guess that’s just the cost of doing business with them.
Judging by the number of people who apparently buy into these theories, its not as if they are likely to run out of customers anytime soon.
