What are the side effects of the swine flu vaccines?

Answer 1

In the US there are now three types of vaccines approved for the A-H1N1/09 in the 2011-2012 flu season, a vaccine for injection into the muscle, a vaccine mist for spray into the nose, and a new vaccine for intradermal injection. The side effects are different depending on which you use. The mist is only available to healthy people age 2 - 49. The shots are approved for use in anyone 6 months old and over unless there are Allergies that prevent their use. The intradermal vaccine is approved in the US for those persons aged 18 - 64. Infants under 6 months old can not be vaccinated until they are older.

All vaccine types are made like the seasonal flu vaccines have been made for decades with an exceptionally good track record of low incidence of adverse effects or allergic reactions. There is no reason to expect any worse reactions or side effects from the same processes used to manufacture the A-H1N1/09 vaccines. Use of the H1N1/09 vaccines from 2009 to the current date have proven safe and effective.

Life-threatening allergic reactions to vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it is usually within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination. For all types of vaccines report before you receive the vaccination if you have any medication or food allergies (especially to eggs or chicken).

The most commonly reported side effects of thenasal mist include:

• Some children and adolescents 2-17 years of age have reported mild reactions, including: runny nose, nasal congestion or cough; fever; headache and muscle aches; wheezing; abdominal pain or occasional vomiting or diarrhea.
• Some adults 18-49 years of age have reported: runny nose or nasal congestion; sore throat; cough, chills, tiredness/weakness; headache.

The most frequently reported side effects of the intramuscular flu shots are:

• Mild hypersensitivity reactions (such as rash).
• Local reactions at the injection site such as tenderness, redness, swelling, pain or soreness.
• The most common systemic adverse reactions were headache, malaise, and muscle aches. Fever is rare, but a very mild fever is possible the first day or two.

The most commonly reported side effects of theintradermal formulation include:

• Systemic reactogenicity of Fluzone Intradermal vaccine was comparable to that of intramuscular administration of Fluzone vaccine in the study. The most common systemic adverse reactions were headache, malaise, and muscle aches. Fever is rare, but a very mild fever is possible the first day or two.

• Local reactions at the injection site such as tenderness, redness, swelling, induration (hardness), pain or soreness, and pruritus (itching). Fluzone® Intradermal Vaccine Intradermal microinjection deposits influenza vaccine near the surface of the skin; therefore, local reactions are more easily visible than with intramuscular injections.

• The injection-site and systemic reactions with intradermal administration were transient, resolving in three to seven days without sequelae.
• The injection-site reactions were more frequent with participants given the intradermal vaccine compared to the intramuscular vaccine, with the exception of pain, which was similar.

Historical information about prior "swine flu" vaccines:

In 1976, an earlier type of inactivated Swine Flu vaccine was associated with cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). There has not been any link to GBS with the use of the nasal mists.

The shots are made an entirely different way now than they were made in the 1970's. Because they are now made the way the seasonal flu shots have been made for over 30 years without similar numbers of associated GBS cases, and since it was proven safe in the pre-approval human trials, it is not expected that we will see any similar problems with GBS as was evident in 1976.