0 Flu symptoms 2013: New quadrivalent flu vaccine.

In the new vaccination season , will make its debut the new quadrivalent flu vaccine. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have already made a large order of the new influenza vaccine. Manufacturers of influenza vaccines are reporting good demand for the new product.

Approval of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the sale of quadrivalent influenza vaccine for the past 18 months have been MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Sanofi Pasteu.

Seasonal flu vaccines for several decades have focused on two flu strains of type A ( H1N1 and H3N2 ) and one influenza strain of type B. The new quadrivalent flu shot includes two strains of influenza type B. This is done in order to get vaccinated better protection , regardless of which strain of type B will appear in the next winter.

Production of influenza vaccines for the U.S. market this season will reach between 135 million and 139 million doses. It is not clear how many of these flu shots will be the new quadrivalent flu vaccine. Perhaps the new vaccine will reach only 25 million doses. So if you want to get dase dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine would be better to look at than before.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inforormirat that about 25,000 Americans die from flu complications each flu season . Federal health officials recommended this year to make influenza vaccines for almost everyone , starting at 6 months of age.

Remember what happened last flu season. Authorities in Boston and New York declared an emergency situation. Had to allow pharmacists to put flu vaccines even infants. Flu epidemic has covered 48 states and took many casualties . Maybe it's better this season to vaccinate as many people as possible .


One expert with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) commented that the quadrivalent vaccines are more costly than trivalent ones, and he cautioned that it remains to be seen whether they will actually yield better protection than the older versions.

Also new in the US flu vaccine marketplace this year are two cell-based flu vaccines, made by Novartis and Protein Sciences Corp. The vaccines are grown in cell cultures rather than in chicken eggs, the method in use for more than 50 years. Cell-culture technology is regarded as more flexible and a little faster than egg-based production, and it eliminates the risk of egg-related allergic reactions.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the CDC, included quadrivalent flu vaccines when it voted in February on the flu vaccines recommended for use this year. No preference for use of any one vaccine over another has been stated by the ACIP for groups for which more than one type of vaccine is appropriate and available.