![]() It is currently the only available influenza vaccine that is completely egg-free. This vaccine is produced in insect cell cultures and contains three times the amount of HA compared with the standard-dose preparation. ![]() 9,10 The recombinant flu vaccine is an alternative method that isolates the HA gene and proteins in order to obtain an immunogenic response without the use of chicken eggs. Although hen’s eggs are not used, trace amounts of egg protein may be found in these vaccines. 6-8 Cell-cultured vaccines are produced by growing the influenza virus in animal cells, allowing for a faster manufacturing process. The live attenuated vaccine is prepared from attenuated, less virulent virus strains. Egg-based IIVs are prepared from inactivated and detergent-solubilized virion particles containing HA and NA proteins prepared in embryonated chicken eggs. These include egg-based, cell-cultured, and recombinant technologies. The IIVs have been available since the 1940s and are the most commonly used formulations.Ĭurrently, there are three different influenza technologies in use that are approved by the FDA to produce influenza vaccines. 4,5 The influenza vaccine is available as either killed or weakened versions of the virus, also known as inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) or live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), respectively. Influenza vaccines induce neutralizing antibodies against the viral surface proteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), but the vaccine is quantified only for its HA content, and vaccine efficacy is determined by the presence of adequate HA inhibition. 3 People may choose not to vaccinate because of the uncertainties and controversies regarding the influenza vaccine, including how the vaccine works, the most appropriate time to receive the vaccine, concerns about harmful long-term side effects, and the vaccine’s ingredients. Despite the widespread availability of a vaccine, many choose not to be vaccinated approximately 80% of these deaths occurred in children who had not received a flu vaccination. In the 2017–2018 season, there were 186 influenza-associated pediatric deaths, and older adults accounted for 90% of the influenza deaths reported. The flu can affect people of all ages, but the highest rates of complications and hospitalizations are most often seen in those aged 65 years or older, young children, and persons with certain underlying medical conditions. Overall, there were 959,000 hospitalizations and 79,400 deaths attributed to influenza during the 2017–2018 season. ![]() 1 For the 2017–2018 season, the CDC estimated almost 49 million people were infected with the flu this is the highest number seen since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, when approximately 60 million people were infected. Despite influenza vaccines being over half a century old, influenza is still the leading cause of death by a vaccine-preventable disease in the United States together with pneumonia, influenza is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. Fortunately, vaccines have been developed to combat these viruses and have saved countless lives. Influenza, more commonly referred to as the flu, has plagued humanity numerous times and has appeared throughout history under many different names, including the Spanish flu of 1918 or the Swine flu of 2009.
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