The Dirty Little Secret

Have you ever wondered how the vaccine makers know which virus will raise its ugly head in the Fall? In other words, how do they know which antibodies to use in their vaccine?

The answer is simple… it’s a “guesstimate!” That’s right, each year scientists and researchers with the FDA, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and various vaccine manufacturers meet shortly after the first of the year to decide which strains of the flu virus will be included in the Fall flu vaccine.

Selected strains are then sent to the World Health Organization where their scientists view the chosen strains and make any necessary — but generally minor — changes.

The “vetting” process generally takes approximately 5-6 months, after which manufacturers begin making the “cocktail” that will be used for the Fall vaccine.

And what if they guessed wrong? That’s a question many have been raising over the years. In fact, a growing number of individuals routinely “opt out” of the vaccination process because of this very point. A recent survey suggest over half of healthcare workers will likely refuse taking the Swine Flu (H1N1-09) vaccine. If that’s the case and these folks are on the front line, what does that say about confidence

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