It is the time of year where people start to get sick from the flu. At Proserpine Medical Centre our aim is primary care. As a part of this you are able to book in to see one of our doctors to obtain your flu shot.
Some information about the flu shot is listed below:
The 2015 trivalent vaccine differs from the 2014 seasons trivalent vaccine as it contains two new strains. Therefore it is especially important for those who are at risk to be vaccinated. The H1N1 pandemic influenza virus strain, A(H1N1)pdm09, remains in the vaccine. The second influenza A strain and the influenza B strain, however, are different from previous years. The in the 2015 southern hemisphere trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine are:
•an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus, 15 µg haemagglutinin (HA) per 0.5 mL dose
•an A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (H3N2)- like virus 15 µg HA per 0.5 mL dose
•a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus15 µg HA per 0.5 mL dose A quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) is also be available through the private market.
The QIV is expected to be at least as effective as TIV, and may offer additional benefit through protection against an additional influenza B strain. It is anticipated that the National Immunisation Program 2015 TIV will offer good protection against the 2015 influenza season strains. For information about the composition of the vaccine visit the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) website.