Flu vaccine

[WhitbyJet]

My lovely Italian nurse told me this morning that the flu vaccines by makers Novartis have been banned in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
Google 'Novartis flu vaccine banned in Italy' although Novartis insist their vaccines are safe.
After GlaxoSmithKline performance with Avandia I have become rather cynical.
Thoughts of the NHS being offered cheap flu vaccine that the rest of Europe has refused enter my head, probably paranoia setting in I don't know.
But it's good to be aware??
Stay safe and healthy all of you out there x x

[rtee]

Already had mine and don't know which one it was
Thanks for the advice though!

[Superchip]

Whitby, I was offered and took the flu jab in 1994 after transplant, it put me in bed for 2 weeks, I don't know what brand it was but that was enough for me. I have refused them every year since.
Maybe I've been lucky, but no sign of flu since.
I do drink a lot of alcohol, perhaps that just works for me, well that is my excuse !

Nothing wrong with being cynical my friend, especially with the state of the NHS these days.

Regards Superchip

[noblehead]

Too late

[insanity]

Typical. I've had mine and was ok but my poor mum's had a persistant cold ever since she got hers! Wouldn't mind but this is the first time ever we've both gone for the jab! Typical!

[Sid Bonkers]

Had mine yesterday and I'm still here this morning

And with no ill effects either, no bruise or even an ache which I usually get for a day or so after having it.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/10/2 ... alian-ban/

Is it Novartis who supply the NHS? Or do they get supplies from various sources?

[phoenix]

When my daughter was a student she spent her placement year working (in a tiny capacity) on flu vaccines for Evans medical in Liverpool who used to supply the NHS.
Just looked it up and they are now owned by Novartis.

[daisy1]

I had mine, and I live in Switzerland, with no ill effects. But now the vaccine has been withdrawn so no-one else can be protected from the flu. I wonder which is worse - the flu or the current vaccine ?

[puzzymunkle]

I had mine with no reactions apart from a sore arm which my wife took great pleasure in hitting every five minutes!!

[phoenix]

It seems that the vaccine in question was produced in Italy.
http://www.novartisvaccines.com/fluinfo/
The Novartis manufacturing unit in Liverpool is 'the UK’s only large-scale producer of influenza vaccines'
http://www.novartis.co.uk/about/facts_figures.shtml
I would assume (and it's not always safe to assume I know) that any Novartis flu vaccine used in the UK was more likely to come from the UK than Italy.

I suspect my flu vaccine will be made by Sanofi aventis; the French like to buy their own products.

[brockbhoy]

just had my jab, and now read this, shuld i ask what vaccine it was, or just wait n see

[Buuuda]

Ahhhhh the dreaded 'flu jab' i haven't been to my gp to have one for the last 4 years and have been fine, this was because i used to have a flu jab annually and was fine but 4 years ago i went in for the routine jab and chat with the nurse and everything was fine until 2 days later when i was rushed to hospital because of a soaring fever and constant vomiting. Also my BSL were through the through and then dropping within minutes. There fore i swore i would never take one again, saying that my partner has asked me repeatedly to have one so i may look into them again, any advice on weather the jab has changed over the last few years?? thnakyou

[dabmim]

We all had ours (4 of us) and the only thing we got was a cough and cold...

[Hellbunny]

Mine was Fluarix, had it done 3 weeks ago but caught the flu regardless, even though the nurse said if i have the jab its impossible for me to have the flu this year. (by the way it was the flu, not just a common cold)

[Alan Eadie]

Had mine but if you read up on it you will find it is no more effective than a placebo.

All the test results were made and manipulated by the producing companies.

Alan Eadie