After reading the letter submitted by Rhonda Kolarik [“Flu shots should come with warnings,” Letters to the Editor, Examiner, Nov. 21, 2007] regarding the flu vaccine, I felt compelled to respond in an attempt to dispel some of the misinformation surrounding vaccines.
As a physician assistant with over 10 years’ experience in the fields of infectious disease and emergency medicine, I have treated numerous patients with influenza and many other bacterial and viral illnesses and feel strongly that the benefits of vaccination clearly outweigh the potential risks. Many deaths and debilitating diseases have been prevented (or completely eradicated as in the case of smallpox) by vaccines.
While it is true that some of the flu vaccines manufactured today still contain thimerosal, it is usually present in trace amounts only and has not been shown to have any neurotoxic effects in adults or children.
Furthermore, many drug companies are now manufacturing thimerosal-free influenza vaccines and it is estimated that there will be enough thimerosalfree influenza vaccine in 2007 for all the children needing to be vaccinated in the United States.
The three strains that are included in each year’s flu shot do change from year to year but it is based on international surveillance and epidemiologic data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control on the most common strains that are likely to circulate in a given year, not just random “guesses” as stated.
While any medication or vaccine has the potential to cause an allergic reaction and/or adverse side effect, the most common side effects associated with the flu vaccine are mild and may include mild pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, low-grade fever, and muscle aches.
Multiple studies have been done on the possible association between Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and the flu vaccine and only one showed a possible association which suggested that one person out of 1 million influenza-vaccinated persons may be at risk for GBS.
The nasal-spray flu vaccine is manufactured with a weakened live-virus influenza strain and has been estimated to carry a 0.6 percent to 2 percent risk of virus transmission from recently vaccinated individuals to those with a severely weakened immune system.
While I strongly encourage all my patients to research all available data and make an informed decision regarding their health and the health of their children, I usually refer them to Web sites such as the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov or the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap.org which present scientific data and answers to the most common questions and fears that many patients have.
The following quote is listed at the top of the “About Us” section on the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) Web site that was listed in Ms. Kolarik’s letter:
“If the state can tag, track down and force citizens against their will to be injected with biologicals of unknown toxicity today, there will be no limit on what individual freedoms the state can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow” – Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder, NVIC.
Come on, are we really being tagged, tracked down and forced to be immunized against our will? Of course not. I encourage each of you to research all the available data from reliable sources (especially your primary health care provider) and make your own informed decision regarding vaccination.
Kimberly Newhook
Jackson