I got a flu shot today and while my arm feels fine, my friend’s arm is really sore. This soreness is really common as some people don’t tolerate the adjuvant in flu vaccines very well. With all the hype surrounding swine flu, many people may get two vaccines in a single flu season this year. An alternative to the old fashioned needle in the arm is the nasal inhaler called Flumist. This newer delivery system is a big part of why there will be roughly double the number of early doses as earlier predictions had indicated when the H1N1 vaccine comes out next month.
The inventor of Flumist is Arab-American Hunein “John” Maassab a professor at University of Michigan (Go Blue!). Because the majority of people who got vaccinated in the past were elderly and the Flumist is currently only recommended for people between ages 2-49, my anecdotal experience is that most pharmacies don’t automatically present Flumist as an option even when they have it in stock, so be sure to ask. If your arm doesn’t hurt as much this year and if the swine flu epidemic is not as severe because more people got vaccinated you can thank Prof. Maassab.
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Awsome! Prof. Maassab rocks!
Posted by Hanitizer | September 25, 2009, 5:37 pmFour words: Suck it up, princesses.
Posted by SanaKF | September 27, 2009, 8:05 pmOh sweet! I'm totally checking that out, I hate shots.
Posted by JillianKF | September 28, 2009, 7:14 pmCool. Thanks for typing this. It is always nice to see someone give back to the community.
Posted by Roseann Claybron | October 26, 2010, 7:33 pm