Does the plan to protect health care workers put others at risk?
By Marc Schollett
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 8:29 p.m.
Read more: Local, Health, Fact Finder, Marc Schollett, Flu, H1n1, Vaccine, Fact Finder
The Swine Flu vaccine is just starting to arrive in Northern Michigan, which many in the healthcare community say is a good thing. According to Dr. Tobin Fraser "right now we are already having cases in this county and so, these individuals that are caring for the sick people are putting themselves at risk." It's that risk, of treating people who may have the H1N1 or Swine flu virus, that has health care workers topping the CDC'S list of vaccination priorities. That protection for healthcare workers and everyone else will most likely come in one of two forms either an injection or the nasal mist.
Dr. Fraser says "the difference between the two which I am sure many people have questions regarding is the flu mist is a live attenuated vaccine where the injectable is a non live vaccine." And that has raised concerns with some of our viewers. The injectable form of the vaccine is non live and most medical experts agree with Dr. Fraser when he says "it is impossible to get the flu from that."
But it is possible, although rare according to the CDC, to get the flu from the live vaccine. Dr. Fraser explains "That is an attenuated vaccine. What that means is they are able to take the virus and essentially heat treat it to break it apart and then inject that into the nose."
One of our viewers read the literature that comes with each Flumist vial. It states that there is the possibility of not only getting the flu, but also transmitting the virus after being vaccinated. She wondered why healthcare workers were being offered this form, and what the odds of passing it along to unvaccinated patients were. To answer that question, physicians say you have to first look at the odds that the vaccine actually leads to an illness in the healthcare worker. Dr. Fraser says "for 99.9% of the people, they will not get sick from it." And so according to Dr. Fraser, the odds of the vaccinated getting sick from the live vaccine are "extremely small to the point where that is probably not even a possibility."
And the odds of that person transmitting it to somebody in their care? Dr. Fraser says "what is the risk of a health care worker getting sick by using Flumist and that is extremely small, if you do get sick it is usually just a small viral infection the likelihood of your being able to spread to that to somebody is extremely remote just because you are dealing with an attenuated virus that in theory shouldn't even infect anybody."
So do you plan on getting the H1N1 vaccine? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts and concerns below.
