Desert Messenger

12 www.DesertMessenger.com September 2, 2020 Is the High Dose Flu vaccine safe? READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) By Jackie Deal Someone questioned: Does the flu shot cause Guillaine-Barre Disease? Confusion and panic arose so I vol- unteered to research and report. #1. I use only medically valid sources in my research. No "he said-she said." #2. I will cite the resources so YOU can research for yourself. All research was done on the internet. Let's begin with a definition of this condition most of us have never heard of. I've seen one case and she survived. It is when the body's im- mune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system. That's the network of nerves located out- side the brain and the spinal cord. (From the National Institute of Neu- rological Disorder and Strokes). That means just about everything, right? Often it begins with tingling in the hands and feet and muscle weak- ness, usually both sides of the body. It can progress rapidly to almost to- tal paralysis. Something I'm sure we wish to avoid if at all possible. Now the real question does the high dose flu shot cause GBS (medi- cal people love abbreviations and after typing that several times, I love it too). First: "An increased incidence of Guillain–Barré syn- drome followed influenza immu- nization in the 1976 swine flu out- break (H1N1 A/NJ/76); 8.8 cases per million (0.0088 per 1000) re- cipients developed the com- plication. Since then, close monitoring of cases attribut- able to vaccination has demon- strated that influenza itself can induce GBS. Small increases in incidence have been observed in subsequent vaccination cam- paigns, but not to the same ex- tent." (Wikipedia). The increase was by just one additional case per 100,000. Re- search has also shown that individ- uals are more at risk of developing the condition after a case of the flu than they are from the vaccination. "This fall, nothing can be more im- portant than to try to increase the American public's decision to em- brace the flu vaccine with confi- dence," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told the editor of JAMA on Thursday. "This is a critical year for us to try to take flu as much off the table as we can." USA Today reports that the Cen- ter for Disease Control says: People over 65 should get Fluzone High- Dose, or FLUAD, because it pro- vides better protection against flu viruses. Fluzone High-Dose con- tains four times the antigen that's in a standard dose, effectively making it a stronger version of the regular flu shot. FLUAD pairs the regular vaccine with an adjuvant, an im- mune stimulant, to cause the im- mune system to have a higher re- sponse to the vaccine. Research indicates that such high- dose flu vaccines have improved a patient's protection against the flu. An observational study in 2013 found FLUAD is 51% effective in preventing flu-related hospital- izations for patients 65 and older. (USA Today from CDC) I interviewed a local pharmacist, Dr.Brady McNulty (Pharmacology Doctorate) to answer some further questions for us. "Flu vaccines typically last 4-6 months so getting them mid-September to mid-Oc- tober provides the best coverage." All flu shots are dead virus not at- tenuated or weakened virus. So they positively cannot cause the flu. He discussed two types of High- Dose vaccine: Flublock and Flu- zone. The difference is that Flu- block is not made with egg products so it's safe for those with egg aller- gies. Both contain more concen- trated doses of the vaccine and are recommended for folks over 50. Another flu shot available at some pharmacies is Fluad. This uses an adjutant to increase the effective- ness of the shots by increasing the response of your immune system without increasing dosage. You should be able to ask what type is available and certainly avoid the Flublock if you have egg allergies. Dr. McNulty advised that it's also a good time to get your pneumonia shots. These are two shots given a year apart and then you should have lifetime protection. How many peo- ple do we know who have had pneu- monia and really suffered? So what are your choices? Not take the vaccine: risk hav- ing the flu. Risk getting Guillaine Barre just from having the flu or possibly from other infections.(It can happen.) Take the High dose Fluzone vaccine: lower risk of having the flu. 8.8 chances out of one mil- lion of getting Guillaine Barre from the shot. [Disclaimer: This is not meant to treat, cure, heal or diagnose any type of illness or disease as it is for informational purposes only.]

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