Comments on: Tuesdays are Your Turn – H1N1 FluMist and Viral Shedding

By: Roe

Roe — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:06:34 +0000

Thanks for the input. FYI, my soon to be son-in-law came down with respiratory symptoms a day after FluMist and Dr put him on a Z-pak calling it a URI. I was wondering if taking antibiotics so soon after getting the flumist doesnt counteract what the vaccine is trying to do?
On another note, I accompanied my daughter to a return visit to her Dr because she cannot stop coughing. And to my amazement, the dr gave her a script for cough med with codeine! Her Ped that treated her for 21 years always said NEVER give suppressents to asthmatics. The physician also told her its viral and no wheezing yet she coughs constantly AND she had her last steroid pill yesterday which did not seem to work. She also said there is no problem being around someone who had the live flu mist. I don’t think she’s read the literature FluMist put out! I miss the Pediatrician!

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:53:35 +0000

Linking to CDC webpage just for good measure: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/vaccination/nasalspray_qa.htm

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:52:23 +0000

Did a quick google and found this on the Q & A page of the CDC website:

Can contacts of people with weakened immune systems get the nasal-spray flu vaccine?
People who are in contact with others with severely weakened immune systems when they are being cared for in a protective environment (for example, people with hematopoietic stem cell transplants), should not get the nasal spray vaccine, including the 2009 H1N1 nasal spray vaccine if they will come into contact with the severely immunocompromised person within 7 days of vaccination. People who have contact with others with lesser degrees of immunosuppression (for example, people with diabetes, people with asthma taking corticosteroids, or people infected with HIV) can get the nasal spray vaccine

Looks like people on corticosteroids are in the clear.

It also says that the attenuated virus in the vaccine cannot grow and replicate at body temperature. So although there may be virus shedding, there’s not really any way for these to cause infection.

This is the only website I visited, wish I had time to do a more thorough scan. But, it’s a source I trust and I hope it can ease your worry Roe!