The Health Based Tutorials

Multi-dose flu shot has only 25 mcg of mercury - most commercial fish contain 23 mcg of mercury per 8 ounces of fish http://buff.ly/11CTRPw Are multi-dose vials less expensive? Economics are a bit complicated due to wastage with multiple vials: Single versus multi-dose vaccine vials: an economic computational model http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20566395 Most of the Western world, apart from the US, has moved on to single vials: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733986 Whenever possible, CDC recommends that single-use vials be used and that multi-dose vials of medication be assigned to a single patient to reduce the risk of disease transmission ( http://www.cdc.gov/injectionsafety/patients/syringeReuse_faqs.html ). Where to get a thimerosal/mercury-free flu shot? Many local Costco stores carry only single vials and the cost is $14.99 if no insurance is used. The availability of additional options may improve immunization rates. Search for a Costco pharmacy near you here, and cal...

A 65-yo female patient received a standard-dose flu shot already this season. Should he get the high-dose shot too? Or try to get a second regular flu shot? The simple answer is no. The patients should consider herself immunized. Studies show that getting a delayed second dose doesn't necessarily increase antibody response, and there's some concern that it might actually have a negative effect on the immunity. If you've already had the regular seasonal dose, wait until next year for another dose. Image of the H1N1 Influenza Virus, CDC . From CDC's Immunize.org website: Sometimes patients age 65 years and older who have received the standard-dose influenza vaccine hear about the high-dose product (Fluzone High-Dose, sanofi) and want to receive that, too. Is this okay to administer? No. ACIP does not recommend that anyone receive more than one dose of influenza vaccine in a season except for certain children age 6 months through 8 years for whom two doses are recommended....