Swine Flu Vaccine in Canada

H1N1 Influenza Vaccination Offered to Canadians

Nov 4, 2009 Tamiko Nicholson

What swine flu vaccine is being offered in Canada? What's the difference between an adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted vaccine? Read on to find out.

Different countries are offering different forms of the vaccine to protect against the swine flu. In the US, the government is offering a nasal spray and shots, which are provided by different drug companies. In Canada, only one drug company is supplying the vaccine for the country. Here is information for Canadians about the vaccination being offered in their country.

The H1N1 Flu Vaccine in Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada is encouraging people to get the swine flu vaccine, feeling it is the best way to protect against this new virus. There are two forms of the vaccine being offered. There is an adjuvanted vaccine for the majority of the population and non-adjuvanted for pregnant women. The Canadian government ordered a total of 50.4 million doses of the swine flu vaccine, of which just 1.8 million doses will be the non-adjuvanted H1N1 flu vaccine.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is also recommending that people that are usually advised to get the seasonal flu shot do so as well.

The Swine Influenza Shot

In Canada, the vaccine being offered to people is called Areparnix by its maker GlaxoSmithKline Inc. It’s also known as AS03-Adjuvanted H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Vaccine. A needle is used for this injection and it is usually done in the arm. The shot is given in the arm and only one dose is required by Canadians years of age and older. As of November 13, 2009, The Public Health Agency of Canada is now saying that health children ages three to nine need only a half-dose of adjuvanted vaccine. It also says that kids in the same age group with chronic medical conditons and kids over 6 months and less than 3 years need to get two half-doses of adjuvanted vaccine, with at least 21 days between the two shots.

Pregnant women are recommended to get one dose of the unadjuvanted vaccine. In places where many people are sick with H1N1 flu or there is no unadjuvanted vaccine available, the recommendation is for women more than 20 weeks pregnant to get the adjuvanted vaccine.

What is an Adjuvanted Versus a Non-Adjuvanted Vaccine?

Basically, an adjuvanted vaccine contains a substance that enhances the effectiveness of existing ingredients. The idea is that it helps to boost a person’s immune system and his or her response to the vaccine. A vaccine without an adjuvant doesn’t have this booster capacity.

The H1N1 influenza vaccine ordered for Canada has natural ingredients like water, squalene oil and vitamin E. Adjuvants are used in many vaccines such as tetanus and hepatitis B, but this is the first time that an adjuvant has been approved with the use of a flu vaccine in Canada.

Only Pregnant Women Are Being Offered Non-Adjuvanted Vaccine

Studies so far show that vaccines with adjuvant are regarded as safe as unadjuvanted ones. The reason why pregnant women are being offered the non-adjuvanted form is because there have not been studies involving pregnant women to look at whether this vaccine could have any ill effects on this population. In July, the World Health Organization made a recommendation that women who are expecting should get the non-adjuvanted vaccine if they could. Its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts also advised that if pregnant women were unable to get the non-adjuvanted vaccine, that they should get the adjuvanted one if they had to.

Very little of the non-adjuvanted swine flu vaccine was bought by Canada, so at this time, only pregnant women will be offered this vaccine.

Is it Safe to Have an Adjuvant in a Vaccine?

The swine flu vaccine offered in Canada has an adjuvant that has been tested by the company GSK in about 45,000 people around the world. Health Canada and other regulatory bodies have also evaluated this adjuvant in the pre-pandemic period in relation to the H5N1 vaccine. When it came to safety concerns, there was nothing significant found with the use of an adjuvanted vaccine.

But there has been limited testing of an adjuvanted vaccine on pregnant women and children under the age of three years old. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency will continue to monitor and study the use of adjuvanted and unadjuvanted vaccine against the H1N1 flu virus in Canada.

For more information check out Swine Flu Facts, Side Effects of Swine Flu Vaccine and Who Should Get the Swine Flu Vaccine in Canada?

References:

Public Health Agency of Canada, H1N1 Flu Virus Vaccine, October 20, 2009.

Public Health Agency of Canada, Your Child - H1N1 Flu Vaccine Recommendations Update, November 13, 2009.

Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, What You Need to Know Before Receiving the H1N1 Flu Vaccine, October 20, 2009.

The copyright of the article Swine Flu Vaccine in Canada in General Medicine is owned by Tamiko Nicholson. Permission to republish Swine Flu Vaccine in Canada in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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