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Crissie Williamson

Professor Dunham

English 1201

19 March 2019

Flu Vaccination Safety

Winter has never been my favorite time of year for many reasons. It's cold, dark, and gray

most of the time, and everyone seems to be sick. I never imagined I'd worry so much about

sickness before I had my son Caleb. Caleb was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Cystic Fibrosis is

a rare genetic disease that affects most of the body. The lungs and digestive system are the main

concerns. There is currently no cure for this disease. I never got too much into the debate of pro-

vaccinations vs. anti-vaccinations. I believed people could choose whichever was best for their

family. However, my perspective about this debate has changed with the birth of my son. If

Caleb comes down with the flu, it would be very serious for him. The chances of him ending up

with a hospital stay would be very likely. This is the case for many families that have medically

fragile children. When I met with Caleb's team of care givers this was one of the important

things they told me. They told me to always make sure Caleb, and anyone living with him, get

the flu vaccine every year. I did research the flu vaccine and its safety. After my research I do

believe the flu vaccine to be safe. The average healthy American should get the flu vaccine

yearly as it is safe and effective.

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The seasonal flu is defined as, " a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza

virus" (Influenza). It can cause mild to severe illness. Symptoms of the flu include fever, cough,

sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea

and vomiting (Influenza). The flu is mainly spread by the infected person sneezing or coughing.

People are contagious 3-4 days after their symptoms begin. Symptoms usually begin 2 days after

being exposed to the virus, but can be anywhere between 1-4 days (Influenza). Also, every year,

the flu is responsible for 3 million hospital stays and 31 million people seen in outpatient centers

(Maurer and Harris). There are some complications that can arise from getting the flu, including

bacterial pneumonia, and ear or sinus infections. The most serious of the complications are

worsening of chronic conditions because of the virus, this being my son’s biggest risk. The

highest risk for complications due to the flu are typically children under five, adults over 65,

pregnant women, and people with chronic conditions (Influenza).

Vaccinations have been a topic for several years. The first step to considering the safety

of the vaccine is to take a look at the ingredients that are found in the vaccine. In Stephanie

Watson's article, "What Ingredients are in the Flu shot?", she investigates the ingredients. The

ingredients Watson found to be in the vaccine are egg proteins, preservatives, stabilizers,

antibiotics, polysorbate 80, and formaldehyde (Watson). While some of these ingredients sound

scary, more research needs to be done to see the amount and reasons for such ingredients.
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The first ingredients we will consider is the egg protein. Flu vaccines are produced by

growing the virus inside of fertilized chicken eggs (Watson). This is the reason doctors ask if

there is an egg allergy before the vaccine is administered. Typically, when the first dose is given

to a child, they are asked to stay in the doctor's office until they make sure no reaction is taking

place. There is a newer vaccine, Flucelvax, that is grown in animal cells instead and eliminates

the concern (Watson).

Thimerosal is found in multi dose vials. This is used as a preservative to eliminate

bacteria and fungi from getting into the vial (Watson). Some people, like Dr. Mercola, argue that

there are links to thimerosal and neurological disorders such as autism (Mercola). Mercola's

main claim being autism rates have increased tremendously since the late 1970's. Mercola says

this is a direct correlation to the increasing number of vaccinations that were added at the time

(Mercola). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) argues this information is unfounded.

Millions of people have safely been given the flu vaccine over the last 50 years (Influenza).

Stabilizers, sucrose, sorbitol, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), are also found in

vaccinations. These are used to protect the vaccine against light and heat and help keep the

potency of the solution (Watson). Sucrose is table sugar that many Americans use daily. Sorbitol

is an artificial sweetener also commonly used. MSG is a flavor enhancer, and the amount that is

found is very small.

Antibiotics such as neomycin and gentamicin are found in very small amounts. they

protect the vaccine from getting contaminated with bacteria (Watson). Polysorbate 80 keeps the
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vaccine from separating. Again, this amount is very small. Formaldehyde is also used in small

amounts to inactivate the influenza virus. The formaldehyde is removed from the vaccine before

it is sent for distribution (Watson).

More and more Americans seem to be skipping out on the vaccines. In my research, I

came across an article written by Kent Allen for the American Association of Retired Persons

(AARP). Kent Allen provided research for AARP of why more Americans aren't getting

vaccinated for the flu this year. NORC at The University of Chicago performed a survey of

Americans. Of the Americans over 60 that were surveyed, 62% were vaccinated and 24% were

reluctant. The adults over 40 that were surveyed were much less likely to get vaccinated, with

less than 50% planning to get vaccinated. Two out of five of those being surveyed stated their

fear of side effects as being the main reason they aren't getting the flu vaccine. Other reasons

given were they didn't think the vaccine would work, or they worried about getting sick from the

vaccine. Some also said they didn't believe the vaccine worked, or they never get sick, so they

didn't feel they needed the vaccination (Allen).

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Fig. 1 This chart shows the reasons and percentages why people opt out of receiving the flu

vaccine (Girgis).

Another government run website for Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(OSHA), was researched for their take on vaccinations and their safety. OSHA states workers

can help from spreading the flu at the workplace by getting vaccinated. They do state that the flu
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vaccine effectiveness varies from year to year. However, even if you do get the flu after being

vaccinated it is a much milder case. This website also provides up to date information about the

current flu vaccination. The flu vaccine should have a least three types of viruses in it and this

year has included a fourth, quadrivalent intranasal (LIAV) (United).

Katie Wells is a blogger who has researched the flu vaccine safety as well. In her

article “Is the Flu shot safe?” Kent gives a good opposing view point. Some years the wrong

strain of the viruses is in the vaccine. It is sometimes hard to predict what strain we will have

before it has hit (Wells). The CDC recommends that women over 14 weeks pregnant should get

vaccinated (Influenza). Wells argues that some of the ingredients found in the vaccine aren't safe

for the unborn baby to be exposed to. There has not been enough research to prove this.

In my research I was also able to interview a medical assistant, Paula Scott. Scott works

for Premiere Health at their office in Yellow Springs. When asked about the safety of flu

vaccinations, she stated they “have never had any issues with the vaccinations" (Scott). It is their

practice that pregnant women are given the vaccine. They encourage these women to get the

vaccination and well as all of their employees.

Living in the United States of America has its many advantages. We have so many tests

that our food and drugs are run through. This helps keep us safe. Unfortunately, not all countries

are as fortunate as we are. Take Saudi Arabia for instance. Al-Kinani Mohammed has written for

the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). In Mohammed's article he also told a story of a
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man, Ibrahim Al-Ghamdi, who was so excited to see an ambulance set up outside of the local

library giving out flu vaccines. Al-Ghamdi and his son were very excited to have the opportunity

to get vaccinated against the flu, as this isn't nearly as common or easy to get in Saudi Arabia .

Unfortunately, two days after receiving the vaccine it was reported that the vaccine had been

recalled (Mohammed). The SFDA recently recalled their vaccinations for the flu. This was done

because there were concerns that of the effectiveness of the vaccine and not its safety. Twenty-

nine batches were sent off for safety testing and no safety concerns were found (Mohammed).

Throughout my research and findings, I still feel very passionate that vaccinations are

safe for the average American. I have not found any information that has been proven to be

linked to anything bad for the average healthy person. I hope with more and more research done

on this topic in the years to come that Americans will start to become more and more

comfortable with receiving the flu vaccination. I strongly feel it is safe for the healthy American

to receive the flu vaccine.

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Works Cited

Allen, Kent. “People Are Skipping Flu Vaccines This Year.” AARP, 6 Dec. 2018,

www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2018/skipping-flu-vaccine.html.

“Influenza (Flu).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 24 Oct. 2017, www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/vaccinesafety.htm.

Girgis, Linda. “Doctors Respond: Where Should Patients Receive Their Flu Shots?” InCrowd,
30 Mar. 2017, incrowdnow.com/blog/doctors-respond-where-should-patients-receive-their-
flu-shots/.

Marcola, Joseph. "Proof That Thimerosal Induces AutismLike Neurotoxicity." Mercola.com. 19

Mar. 2019 <https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/06/Proof-That-

Thimerosal-Induces-AutismLike-Neurotoxicity.aspx>.

Maurer, Jürgen, and Katherine M. Harris. “Learning to Trust Flu Shots: Quasi-Experimental

Evidence from the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic.” Health Economics, vol. 25, no. 9, Sept.

2016, pp. 1148–1162. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/hec.3379.

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MOHAMMED AL-KINANI. Withdrawal of flu vaccine batch from Saudi market sparks fears

over safety. Arab News, November 28, 2017 Tuesday. https://advance-lexis-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5R2B-

WWP1-F11P-X0HM-00000-00&context=1516831. Accessed March 15, 2019.

Sampson, Stephanie. "What Ingredients Are In The Flu Shot." Health Line, October 30, 2017.

https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/flu-shot-ingredients

Scott, Paula. Personal interview. 28 Feb. 2019.

“UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.” Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, www.osha.gov/dts/guidance/flu/.

Wells, Katie, and Katie WellsKatie Wells. “Is the Flu Shot Safe? | Wellness Mama.” Wellness

Mama®, wellnessmama.com/119/flu-shot/.