The flu season. That time of year when you can hardly hear your professor’s lecture because the 300 people in your economics class seem to be coughing in unison.
Or, as the CDC describes it, the season in which “flu viruses are circulating at higher levels in the U.S. population.”
Before discussing the civic issues surrounding the flu vaccine, one might ask how exactly it works.
The modern flu vaccine comes in the form of injections or nasal sprays that contain inactive flu cells. I say inactive, not “dead,” because viruses are not alive and, thus, cannot die.
Anyway, exposure to these cells stimulates the body to create antibodies that fight off infection from these little buggers.
Now, ever since the first recorded influenza pandemic in 1580, which allegedly claimed 1 million lives, doctors have been finding ways (some more creative than others) to fight off this dreadful illness.
From oxygen infusions to bleeding patients, modern and archaic doctors alike have been stumped as to how to cure and immunize their patients against the flu.
That is, until Ernest William Goodpasture (below) figured out how to deactivate virus cells inside a hen’s egg in 1931.
After that, famous scientists like Thomas Francis and Jonas Salk started cultivating dormant viral cells and injecting them into living hosts, namely World War 2 soldiers (in case they didn’t die in the trenches, they could fight off viral cells accidentally reactivated by egg proteins too.)
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So what do flu vaccines look like today?
Well, there are three types of shots that people typically receive today. The first two fight against “Influenza A” (the flu viruses that mutated to transfer from animals to humans) and they cover the H1N1 and H3N1 viruses.
Now, if you’re like me, you have no idea what “H” and “N” refer to. Not to worry, I found out it’s a very simple concept.
These acronyms simply refer to the two different types of spikes flu cells have on their surfaces.
There are 17 types of Haemaglutinin (“H”) and 9 different types of Neuraminidase (“N”), and each virus has on type of each used to disarm and infect healthy cells.
The third type of flu shot protects against “Influenza B,” which is the type of flu that spreads exclusively among humans and causes pandemics. These viruses change every year, making our former antibodies useless and forcing us to get injected every year.
Now that we’ve covered the history of the flu vaccine, how it works, and what it’s fighting, that leaves one question to be addressed in this blog post: What are the ingredients for the flu shot?
According to the Vaccine Excipient and Media Summary provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the typical flu shot will contain sucrose, egg proteins, and hydrocortisone (a mild steroid) to accompany the inactivated viral cells and encourage a positive physical reaction to the inoculation.
This table also mentions other ingredients…like formaldehyde.
Yep, the same strong smelling, flammable chemical used in the preservation of dead bodies.
Along with that morbid function, formaldehyde has also been classified as a carcinogen to humans by reputed sources like the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
There has also been widespread protest against the use of certain preservatives in the flu vaccine. Thimerosal, for example, is a ethyl-mercury based compound used to prevent germs and contamination in multi-vial packages.
Although ethylmercury, unlike methylmercury found in fish, is flushed out of the body easier and is unlikely to be toxic, there are still some concerns about the potential effects of mercury exposure to young children and infants, who can be allergic to the compound and have serious side effects.
Although ethylmercury, unlike methylmercury found in fish, is flushed out of the body easier and is unlikely to be toxic, there are still some concerns about the potential effects of mercury exposure to young children and infants, who can be allergic to the compound and have serious side effects.
There is, however, always the option to get the Thimerosal-free injection...but keep in mind that the shot still contains other substances like aluminum salts, latex, and gelatin.
Now, I recognize that people have been getting the flu vaccine for decades now without massive adverse effects from the ingredients listed above.
Just think, though, would you spice your meal with aluminum, eat latex, or drink formaldehyde?
No?
Well, maybe these substances shouldn't be annually injected into your arm, either.
