Re: I got my flu shot this morning.

Mindy D · ‎05-23-2010

@SilleeMee wrote:
Yup, it's that time again. I got mine at Walgreens. I got the quad version since I'm not 65yo yet. Flu shots should be taken before the end of October.

ETA- Fluzone High-Dose is a trivalent vaccine recommended for people 65y and older.

Good choice. Quad protects against B Phuket. This strain hit after other strains late last season.

FROM THE CDC:

“There are many different flu viruses and they are constantly changing. The composition of U.S. flu vaccines is reviewed annually and updated as needed to match circulating flu viruses. Flu vaccines protect against the three or four viruses (depending on the vaccine) that research suggests will be most common. For 2019-2020, trivalent (three-component) vaccines are recommended to contain:

A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus (updated)
A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus (updated)
B/Colorado/06/2017-like (Victoria lineage) virus

✅Quadrivalent (four-component) vaccines, which protect against a second lineage of B viruses, are recommended to contain:

the three recommended viruses above, plus B/Phuket/3073/2013-like (Yamagata lineage) virus.”

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

It's really kind of odd how they come up with the strains to include in the latest vaccines. There are groups of people, scientists and researchers, from the CDC and the WHO (to name a few) ... they gather at meeting places like hotels and resorts. They have big parties and discuss their finds and data. It's all thrown into a big hat and then they randomly pick the strains from that. Not very scientific nor does it follow any specific methodology. If you asked me it's a joke and it explains a lot.

I'm not joking.

Mary Bailey · ‎03-09-2010

Got mine today

&

Shingles part 2 9/29ish

shoesnbags · ‎03-10-2010

@SilleeMee wrote:
It's really kind of odd how they come up with the strains to include in the latest vaccines. There are groups of people, scientists and researchers, from the CDC and the WHO (to name a few) ... they gather at meeting places like hotels and resorts. They have big parties and discuss their finds and data. It's all thrown into a big hat and then they randomly pick the strains from that. Not very scientific nor does it follow any specific methodology. If you asked me it's a joke and it explains a lot.

I'm not joking.

@SilleeMee That part is so hard to believe! Could you post where you found this information? I don't mean to be insulting, but I've just never read anything about picking strains "out of a hat."

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

@shoesnbags wrote:
@SilleeMee wrote:
It's really kind of odd how they come up with the strains to include in the latest vaccines. There are groups of people, scientists and researchers, from the CDC and the WHO (to name a few) ... they gather at meeting places like hotels and resorts. They have big parties and discuss their finds and data. It's all thrown into a big hat and then they randomly pick the strains from that. Not very scientific nor does it follow any specific methodology. If you asked me it's a joke and it explains a lot.

I'm not joking.
@SilleeMee That part is so hard to believe! Could you post where you found this information? I don't mean to be insulting, but I've just never read anything about picking strains "out of a hat."

@shoesnbags

I can't direct you to any source nor can I quote anything from the literature about what I said. But I can say first hand that I know of such practices from where I worked...a lab where I did virus testing for the CDC and provided data to them for many years. My virology director, my boss, has attended some of those conferences where they exchanged data. My director told me about how things are done at the data collection end and how they come up with an end product. According to the director it's more about who can be the most convincing and who has the best data to back it up. It's not about science but more about the politics of how and where the data comes from including funding of those data gathering places. Money...it's the bottom line.

shoesnbags · ‎03-10-2010

@SilleeMee

Thanks for your reply! I always enjoy your enlightening posts. (Although I'd maybe rather not know exactly how the contents of my next flu shot was chosen lol.)

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

@shoesnbags

You're welcome

If you'd like to read about the process of how the flu vaccines are made, this ScientificAmerican dot com article explains how it's done. Search google for:

"How Are Seasonal Flu Vaccines Made?"

Teddie · ‎03-10-2010

@Jersey Born wrote:
I will refuse to take flu shots until my very last breath. I hope that I will be permitted to have the opportunity to control what is injected into my body for the rest of my days.

We all must have the right to full bodily autonomy. If we want a vaccination, fine. If we don't, that is fine, too.

@Jersey Born I feel the same way. I’m in the hospital right now for several days and have been informed that someone will probably be coming around to speak to me about getting flu, pneumonia and tetanus shots. But, I don’t want them and I don’t want someone to come talk to me while I am in this bed. No thank you!

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@SilleeMee wrote:
@shoesnbags wrote:
@SilleeMee wrote:
It's really kind of odd how they come up with the strains to include in the latest vaccines. There are groups of people, scientists and researchers, from the CDC and the WHO (to name a few) ... they gather at meeting places like hotels and resorts. They have big parties and discuss their finds and data. It's all thrown into a big hat and then they randomly pick the strains from that. Not very scientific nor does it follow any specific methodology. If you asked me it's a joke and it explains a lot.

I'm not joking.
@SilleeMee That part is so hard to believe! Could you post where you found this information? I don't mean to be insulting, but I've just never read anything about picking strains "out of a hat."

@shoesnbags
I can't direct you to any source nor can I quote anything from the literature about what I said. But I can say first hand that I know of such practices from where I worked...a lab where I did virus testing for the CDC and provided data to them for many years. My virology director, my boss, has attended some of those conferences where they exchanged data. My director told me about how things are done at the data collection end and how they come up with an end product. According to the director it's more about who can be the most convincing and who has the best data to back it up. It's not about science but more about the politics of how and where the data comes from including funding of those data gathering places. Money...it's the bottom line.