2010/2011 Flu Vaccines Ingredients - Advice from Dr. Bob Sears

If you are going to go with the flu vaccine, this is a great article by Dr. Bob Sears. He's the doc that believes in a more conservative approach to infant/children's vaccinations. We started with his schedule and split our vaccines even further, but I like his thinking. Anyway, this article also includes the INGREDIENTS that go into different brands of vaccines.

THIS WAS SOURCED FROM http://mindfullivingnj.com/2010/09/27/dr-bob-sears-on-the-20102011-flu-vaccines/
Dr. Bob Sears on the 2010/2011 Flu Vaccines

By Dr. Bob Sears

How to make sure your flu shot is mercury-free

In my opinion it is very important for infants, young children, and pregnant women to make sure their flu vaccine is mercury-free. I know that the majority of published researched has failed to demonstrate that this mercury causes any harm, but I don’t think that anyone should take this chance with the susceptible brain of a developing infant. Although the information I provide above makes it very clear which brands and formulations contain mercury, it isn’t so easy to guard your child against this in the busy chaos of a doctor’s office. You can ask the nurse to make sure your child (or yourself) is getting a mercury-free dose, but when the nurse prepares the vaccine out of your site at the nurse’s station, then brings it into the room, how can you really be sure?

Here is how:
• You can get the nasal spray vaccine (approved for anyone two years and older). This has never had, and never will have, mercury.

• If getting the injected vaccine (which is most often the case), ask the nurse to allow you to see the labeled vial and watch her prepare it, either in your exam room or the nurse’s station. After rolling her eyes at you, most nurses will comply.

• If your dose is being drawn out of a little plastic or glass bottle that looks like it would hold many doses, then this is guaranteed to contain the full dose of mercury.

• If your dose is already pre-packaged in a single-dose syringe with a manufacturer’s label on it, then you are guaranteed that this is mercury-free. The one exception to this is the Fluvirin brand (see below); its pre-filled syringes have a trace amount of mercury, which I think is harmless.

• If your dose is drawn out of a very small plastic vial with a manufacturer’s label on it that only contained your single dose, then this is mercury-free.

• If you are getting the Fluarix or Agriflu brand, these are all mercury free.

• If you are getting the FluLaval brand, then you are getting the full mercury dose along with it.

• With the other brands (Fluzone, Fluvirin, and Afluria) it depends on the formulation. The single-dose syringes and vials do not have mercury (see the Fluvirin exception above); the large ten-dose vials do.

The bottom line on flu vaccine mercury is to stand up for yourself and for your child and be sure what you are getting is safe. You have this right. No nurse or doctor would purposely deceive you and give you mercury when you asked him or her not to. But people make mistakes. I get such emails all the time from angry parents who tell me their doctor’s office or a flu vaccine clinic gave them the wrong formulation. Until mercury is taken out of all flu shots (if ever), you need to exercise this vigilance. I would even go so far as to suggest that if your only option is a mercury-containing flu vaccine because your doctor or clinic doesn’t have any mercury-free doses, skip it for that year (if you are okay with the disease risk).

Note: These details apply to the most current flu vaccines for the 2010/2011 flu season:

The Fluarix brand (killed injected vaccine), made by GlaxoSmithKline, is approved
for anyone three years and older. It contains:

Killed and split virus particles
Saline solution
Octoxynol-10
Alpha-tocopheryl hydrogen succinate
Polysorbate 80
Hydrocortisone
Gentamicin (an antibiotic)
Formaldehyde (<>

The Fluzone brand (killed injected vaccine), made by Sanofi Pasteur, is approved for anyone six months and older. It contains:

The killed and split virus particles
Saline solution
Gelatin
Egg proteins (not mentioned in the PI, but residual amount is likely there as in other brands)
Formaldehyde (<50>

All four Fluzone pre-filled syringes or single-dose vials are mercury-free. It’s important to make sure infants and toddlers under age three are getting the proper dose, which is either the 0.25 ml pre-filled syringe labeled for infant use or a half-dose (0.25 ml) drawn out of the large multidose vial. An infant could technically be given half of one of the 0.5 ml pre-filled syringes or 0.5
ml vials; the leftover half would simply be discarded.