From:
kazpat1@juno.com
Date: 2003-11-14 05:23:14 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Flu vaccines
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <5122060.1068789669476.JavaMail.nobody@chromium.smartgroups.com>
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5208a1.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/fluvac.htm
the traditional flu vaccine is an injection
of a killed or inactivated virus vaccine that
is thought not to be able to confer any disease or viral shedding.
(currently I belive Fluvirin and Fluzone are the only ones approved)
The vaccine is slightly different each year to contain the 'upcoming' new
strains that are currently circulating elsewhere in the world.
So this year it is a different combo of influenza type B and A
then last year and so on. Therefore, every year you need
the vaccine before flu season.
There are new vaccines out, the intranasal one is an attenuated
live virus
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/laiv.htm#9
in rare cases this live attenuated vaccine (intranasal one)
has the potential to pass the a flu like illness to contacts,
but since this form of the virus is modified, it is not the same as
getting the real flu from the actual "wildtype" virus and confers
a milder disease. And can only be given in healthy people, not of the age
extremes.
I think some research in different kinds of vaccines, that don't use
the egg medium that the traditional one uses, and I don't know
if this will be a modified live virus vaccine or not.
To be safe, just ask whoever is giving you the vaccine to tell
you if inactivated or not, and you can even read the insert
that comes with the vaccine to learn more.
I strongly recommend getting the flu shot this season. My 2 cents worth.
Patty K
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Actually, my partner had a discussion with our own physician recently about
the flu vaccine, as we were preparing for a ferret show the weekend after the
doctor visit and was told that the vaccine would indeed cause some viral
shedding, so I suspect it is a modified live vaccine rather than a killed. And
yes,
it was the injection, not the nasal, that was discussed.
Needless to say, no flu shot was done. We probably ought to get them now,
though, since there's three and a half weeks until the next show...
Dr. Ruth
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