Swine Flu Vaccine Works After One Dose

According to Yahoo and MSNBC News the swine flu vaccine has proven to be effective in inhibiting the H1N1 virus after only one dose. It was previously thought that 2 to 3 doses would be required to inhibit the growth of the swine flu, and there would have to be a 3 week waiting period in between the first and the second where the vaccine was not effective, however, this has not proven to be the case.

Australian shot maker CSL Ltd. published results of a study that found between 75 percent and 96 percent of vaccinated people should be protected with one dose — the same degree of effectiveness as the regular winter flu shot. That's remarkable considering scientists thought it would take two doses.(Yahoo News)

Testing has been performed solely on adults to date, so how the vaccine affects children is largely unknown. Because vaccines can have potentially harmful side effects, every effort is being made to ensure the swine flu vaccine is safe before it is made available to the public. Currently the vaccine is known to cause pain at the site of injection and, according to Mail Online, it may be linked to nerve disorders such as Guillain-Barr Syndrome (GBS).

Swine flu is not the only flu virus that is likely to be prevalent this flu season. Other strains will also make an appearance as they always do during flu season, which can run from September into January. According to the CDC:

Every year in the United States, on average:

• 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
• more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications; and
• about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes. (CDC)