[markbarbera]

This Q&A was in today's Spec. It addresses a lot of the common questions being raised here and elsewhere:

Your questions on H1N1 answered by Dr. Chris Mackie, Hamilton's associate medical officer of health

October 30, 2009
The Hamilton Spectator
(Oct 30, 2009)
Q: If the need to give the vaccine is so high, why are there not more centres in better locations providing the shots? One location in Dundas for a city of 400,000-plus people is a bit ridiculous.

A: Great question. The main problem is supply of the vaccine. We are giving it out as fast as it comes in.

Q: Why are the lineups so long? We're asking people with babies and young children to get their kids vaccinated as well as older people who have health problems. And we expect them to wait for hours and hours in line. Is there not a better way to do this?

A: Anyone who is too sick or otherwise unable to wait in line can talk to the staff who are managing the line and they will take them to the front.

Q: I want to get the vaccine ASAP, however, I know there is no way my 18-month-old will tolerate being in a lineup for even an hour. Is there any indication of when we might see the lineups reduced or doctors giving these out so that my family can get the vaccine?

A: Some family docs have the vaccine -- we are hoping that most will by mid next week -- but some family docs are choosing not to vaccinate this year because the ministry has placed significant administrative controls in place that protect the vaccine supply, but make it difficult for family docs to administer it.

Q: My wife is pregnant, due Dec. 21. She also works at a hospital, and has been warned by various health professionals not to get the H1N1 shot. She has decided to get it, but wants the non-adjuvant vaccine. When will this be available? I should note one of the people who told her not to get the shot works in the infectious diseases department at her hospital.

A: I'm sorry to hear that your wife is getting mixed messages. The medical evidence shows that this vaccine is safe and effective, and that women in the second half of pregnancy should get the shot ASAP, adjuvanted or not. Unadjuvanted should be available as of Nov. 9 at the latest, hopefully sooner.

Q: My three-year-old son has symptoms of a cold (no vomiting or diarrhea). Can he still get the H1N1 flu shot?

A: Mild illness is not a problem, get the shot. Just make sure you tell the people at the clinic so that they can keep ill people away from healthy people.

Q: I am 42 and considered high risk as I have a form of lupus, but I am hesitating getting the vaccine because I am scared of the side-effects like GBS (Guillain Barre Syndrome). Why should I get it?

A: GBS is extremely rare. It happens in less than one in a million doses, and it's more common to get GBS as a reaction to the flu itself than the flu shot. This is a safe vaccine and you are at risk from the flu -- you should get the shot.

Q: The adjuvant AS03, as I understand, contains Squalene, Polysorbate 80, Tocopherol, mercury and other ingredients. Aren't there studies that show that there can be potential health issues relative to some or all of these additives?

A: These components have been used in many vaccines and found to be safe. Squalene is a normal metabolite found in everyone's blood at all times. Tocopherol is vitamin E. Polysorbate is in all kinds of things we consume, including ice cream. Thimerosal is a preservative to maintain vaccine sterility, and the mercury in it is bonded to an ethyl group (not a methyl group, like the mercury in fish), so your body excretes it right away and there are no health problems. All existing data points to the vaccine and adjuvant being safe.

Q: My entire family got the H1N1 shot Monday. The kids and I both had low-grade fevers and I also had shortness of breath. Could this be a side-effect of the vaccination?

A: This is unlikely to be related to the vaccine. The vaccine has no active virus in it (only very specific chopped up bits of virus) so it can't cause an infection.

Q: I have bronchitis. I am on anitibiotics until the end of the week. Should I get the vaccine still?

A: Antibiotics are not a problem - get the shot.