WEB TV. The upcoming flu season inspires a group of young vaccine researchers in Gothenburg to encourage people at risk to go and get their shot. The vaccine is a safe protection against potential serious consequences, they state.
They are six graduate students and recent PhDs from different countries, working within The Mucosal Immunobiology and Vaccine Center (MIVAC) at the Institute of biomedicine. They are also part of the European research network UniVacFlu – working to develop a universal influenza vaccine. The vaccine being developed is to be taken as a drink or as a nasal spray. By avoiding injecting the vaccine, medical training won’t be required and distribution in large populations will be facilitated. It remains another several years of research before the universal vaccine could be ready – and when it is finished it will probably not be able to provide total protection against the flu, but it will alleviate symptoms and shorten the time you have to spend in bed.
Risk groups should take the vaccine
Most people can handle a flu well, but there are groups of people who may become seriously ill by influenza, and who may be at risk of developing pneumonia, heart failure, or other severe sequelae. In Sweden there is at least one and a half million people who belong to one of these risk groups, and who are encouraged to get vaccinated every year. Such risk groups are all elderly aged over 65, as well as pregnant women and children with multiple disabilities. People with chronic heart or lung disease, intractable diabetes, impaired defense against infections, chronic liver or kidney failure, those with extreme obesity (BMI over 40) or neuromuscular disease that affects breathing are also encouraged to take the vaccine.
Vaccination against contagious diseases is a safe way to protect the population against diseases that otherwise may have serious consequences. In Sweden, the National Board of Health and Welfare recommends all parents to vaccinate their children, and in Sweden over 95 per cent of children are vaccinated against pertussis, measles, rubella and other diseases covered by the general vaccination programs.
Longlasting myths
Myths about vaccine side effects spread quickly. A myth that has proved difficult to kill is that vaccination could lead to autism. The myth is based in a British study published in 1998, and as a result, many parents choose not to get their children vaccinated. The study was immediately questioned by the scientific community, and was withdrawn. Despite extensive studies, researchers have not been able to find any scientific evidence that there is a connection between vaccination and autism. The responsible doctor behind the original study has also lost his license to practice medicine in UK.