Is There Mercury in Flu Shots, and How Much Mercury Is In a Flu Shot?
Many people think the flu is the same as a common cold cough. Even though the signs are similar, the two illnesses are caused by various kinds of viruses. Flu is a disease that’s easily transmitted to other people, particularly in the first 3-4 days after the individual is infected. To solve it you can do a vaccine, but is there mercury in flu shots, and how much mercury is in a flu shot?
What is the flu vaccine?
Influenza vaccine is a vaccine that may protect you from influenza. Influenza vaccine should be given once a year because although it is a mild disease the flu can cause major problems for some people.
Influenza vaccines become important to give because influenza or flu is very easy to spread. The virus is spread through saliva splashes or contact with items that have been contaminated with the virus.
The flu vaccine causes antibodies to increase in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies serve as a bulwark of defense to protect the body against viral infections.
Do I need a flu vaccination?
The only infectious disease that consistently ranks in the top 10 causes of death in the United States is influenza. Most likely, your doctor will lose patients due to influenza every year. For this reason, the answer is a difficult “yes” from most primary care physicians.
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When should I get it?
In cold countries, the flu season occurs between December and February. To be effective, influenza vaccines are recommended to be administered before December. The best time is November or October.
While in tropical countries, flu outbreaks can occur at any time. Therefore, there is no specific time to get an influenza vaccine. If in the last 1 year you have not received this vaccine, you can immediately ask the doctor for this vaccine.
Just how much does it cost to vaccinate the influenza?
The price of this vaccination varies depending on where you get it. The price range of influenza vaccination is $26.66 to $60.00. It is recommended to undergo vaccination once a year, as the virus continues to mutate to become stronger.
This vaccination not only protects a person from influenza viruses, but also prevents more severe complications in patients with chronic diseases such as asthma, pneumonia, heart disease, kidney, and ENT diseases.
Am I going to get sick from injections?
The virus contained in the flu injections is dead or very weak, so it can not make you sick.
Except for a sore arm, adverse reactions to flu vaccination are rare. The most common complaints are with live-attenuated vaccines (intranasal sprays) and include colds, nasal congestion, fever, and sore throats.
Who should skip the influenza vaccine?
Anyone over 6 months old can get this vaccine. However, there are some people with certain conditions who can skip this vaccine, namely:
- People who have severe allergies to the flu vaccine can cause death, as well as allergies to the ingredients in the vaccine.
- People who have an allergy to eggs.
- Guillain-Barre syndrome (very severe convulsive disease)
- People who have a fever or are not feeling well shortly before undergoing the vaccine.
Types of Influenza Vaccines That May Be Given
There are two dosage forms of influenza vaccine, namely injection and nasal spray. The injectable influenza vaccine contains a virus that has been turned off. There are two kinds of injectable flu vaccine, specifically trivalent disease along with quadrivalent vaccine.
The trivalent vaccine contains 2 types of influenza A virus and 1 type of influenza virus B. While quadrivalent influenza vaccine contains 2 types of influenza A virus and 2 types of influenza B virus. Even so, the trivalent vaccine is also considered sufficient.
The sprayed influenza vaccine contains an attenuated live virus. This vaccine should just be given to healthy men and women within the age assortment of two –49 decades. However, these two types of influenza vaccines will not both cause flu in people who receive them.
Influenza vaccines work by building antibodies in a person’s body to fight the influenza virus. The influenza vaccine takes about 2 weeks to work creating antibodies in a person’s body.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends Flu vaccines for:
- Children 6 Weeks 0ld to 5 years old
- Elderly people (over 65 years old)
- Pregnant women
- People with chronic diseases
- Medical workers
Is there mercury in flu shots, and how much mercury is in a flu shot?
Without preoccupied with discussions about mercury, be aware that single (most commonly used) dose bottles of all brands of quadrivalent influenza vaccines do NOT contain mercury.
Only multi-purpose bottles (which contain 10 doses — the office will take each dose of the bottle) contain very small amounts of mercury. You can ask the office or pharmacy first but assume most use a single dose bottle.
Getting to Know the Ingredients in the Flu Vaccine
There are several ingredients used in vaccines that you need to know, among others:
Egg Protein
Many flu vaccines are made by growing the virus inside fertilized chicken eggs. That is, they contain little egg protein.
Preservatives
Vaccine manufacturers add thimerosal preservatives to multidose vaccine vials. Thimerosal prevents harmful bacteria and fungi from entering the vial every time it is used.
Thimerosal contains mercury, which can be toxic in large doses, but it is quite safe. If you’re worried, there’s also a thimerosal-free version of the flu vaccine.
Stabilizer
Sucrose, sorbitol, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) are used to maintain vaccine stability. They prevent vaccines from losing their potency, even when exposed to heat and light.
Antibiotics
Neomycin, gentamicin, and other antibiotics have been added to pathogens in tiny quantities. They serve to stop bacteria contaminating vaccines.
Polysorbate 80
This emulsifier prevents the vaccine from splitting. In vaccines, polysorbate 80 makes all ingredients evenly distributed. Although large doses can cause some people to react, flu vaccines only use very small doses.
Formaldehyde
These organic chemicals are present in household goods from glues and other adhesives to press timber furniture.
Formaldehyde is a water-soluble gas and is used in flu vaccines to disable influenza viruses.
The remaining content of formaldehyde in vaccines (such as flu vaccines) is much lower than the amount that occurs naturally in the human body. The amount of residual formaldehyde used in vaccines is usually quite safe and until now is not related to cancer.
Influenza Vaccine Side Effects
Various side effects can arise related to the administration of the influenza vaccine. Common side effects include:
- Pain, redness, and swelling in the injected area
- Fever
- Nausea
- Difficulty breathing
- Hoarseness
- Swelling around the eyes or lips
- Tired, dizzy, and pale face
- Heart palpitations
- Behavior changes
- Faint
- Runny nose
- Muscle aches
- Vomiting
- Sore throat.
If you experience any of these reactions after receiving the influenza vaccine, contact your doctor immediately for treatment.
In addition to administering influenza vaccines, flu can be prevented in several ways, namely reducing contact with the sick, resting at home when you are sick, eating nutritious food, and drinking enough.
If necessary, use a mask to avoid the spread of the virus when you cough or sneeze, and make it a habit to wash your hands with soap, especially when You’re just about to consume or touch the facearea.