Swine Flu and 08-09 flu vaccine!

I don't know if this was posted already and I don't know the particulars and hadn't even heard anything mentioned on the news, but people where I work near Levittown have been concered about the swine flu today since schools around here were closed and a lot of them have kids int he area. Someone I work with who has a relative who runs a lab in a hospital said the H1N1 was actually part of the 08'-09' flu vaccine, so if you got it for the winter, you have the antibodies. I thought it was interesting and wondered why I hadn't heard that said before. This is what it said on the CDC website:

Will this year's vaccine protect me against the flu?
The flu vaccine protects against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. This year’s influenza vaccine contains three new influenza virus strains.

They are:

A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1)-like virus;
A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus;
B/Florida/4/2006-like virus.
The 2008-09 influenza vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses, or it can make your illness milder if you get a related but different influenza virus strain.

For more information about the effectiveness of flu vaccine, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm

For more information about how the viruses in the vaccine are selected, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/virusqa.htm

Re: Swine Flu and 08-09 flu vaccine!

This is very interesting!! Thomas had the flu shot this winter... I guess that's good. I hadn't heard anything about this before either...

Re: Swine Flu and 08-09 flu vaccine!

I also found this on the CDC website though


"Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against this novel H1N1 virus."

cdc

Upon further reading....according to the CDC, the 2008-09 flu shot has protection against the human form of H1N1, not the swine version bc it is a new variant.

"Is there a vaccine for swine flu?
Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses."

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/key_facts.htm

Message edited 5/21/2009 12:21:46 PM.

Re: Swine Flu and 08-09 flu vaccine!

Re: Swine Flu and 08-09 flu vaccine!

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Thanks! I never got a chance to read the whole website!!!


At the height of my swine flu paranoia I looked into it, lol.

Re: Swine Flu and 08-09 flu vaccine!

hrmmm




I never get the flu shot.
Ever

Neither does my husband

and we're really not sure we want her to get one either.