Facts about the swine flu vaccine

The swine flu vaccine is administered in one dose. For adults, the vaccine is administered by injection into the shoulder muscle, for children into the shoulder or thigh muscle and for infants into the upper thigh muscle.

There are only a very few people who cannot have the vaccine, for example, infants under six months of age.

If you have a severe egg allergy check with your nurse or doctor about taking the vaccine. However, most people can take the vaccine.

The vaccine is safe

The swine flu vaccine being used in Finland is safe and has been approved for sale by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). So far, at least 26 million people across Europe have had the Pandemrix swine flu vaccine, the number of pregnant women being at least 172 000.

All EU Member States using the swine flu vaccines follow up the symptoms that in temporal terms can be linked to the vaccination. The vaccine has been extensively tested and monitored, and the tests have not given any reasons to suspect the safety of the vaccine.

Vaccine ingredients

The vaccine does not contain "live" viruses, but parts from the surface of the virus.

The vaccine contains a substance that improves the effectiveness of the vaccine. This ‘adjuvant' mostly contains substances naturally found in the human body, such as vitamin E. In addition, a similar enhancing substance is also found in a seasonal flu vaccine that has been used in Europe for more than a decade, in more than 45 million doses.The preservative used in the vaccine is thiomersal (in very small amounts), a mercury-containing compound. Thiomersal contains ethyl mercury, not methyl mercury, and does not accumulate in the body but is rapidly metabolised and removed from the body. Furthermore, the mercury in the vaccine is in such small amounts that it poses no more a risk than eating fish.

The swine flu vaccine also contains residual traces of egg white and formaldehyde. Severe allergic reactions to these substances are very rare.

Side-effects

The most common side-effects following vaccination are local reactions, such as redness, warmth, swelling or tenderness where the injection was given. Some people may also experience fever, tiredness, muscles aches, joint pains and headache. These general symptoms can be treated with normal over-the-counter medication.

The vaccine is not expected to cause any life-threatening or long-term side-effects. The vaccine cannot cause swine flu.

The swine flu vaccine does not protect against seasonal flu

The seasonal flu vaccine does not provide protection against swine flu, and vice versa.

People in at-risk groups for influenza (children under 3, people at risk due to an underlying medical condition, and people aged 65 and over) should also take the seasonal flu vaccine.