What is the role of the chicken egg in making the influenza vaccine?
Hen's eggs play a central role in the manufacturing of flu vaccines.
"When the flu vaccines are made, the virus is grown in the yolk of fertilised hens eggs," University of Sydney pharmacologist Professor Peter Carroll said.
Viruses need to be grown in cells
Professor Carroll explained that viruses could not reproduce on their own.
"They've got to infect a cell and take over that cell and tell the genetic material in the cell to make new viruses," he said.
"They actually have to be grown in a cell, they can't be cultured like a bacteria or a fungi and that's why hens eggs are used.
The virus is then isolated, subject to chemical break down processes, purified and tested.
Busting myths around the flu shot
Professor Carroll said it was not possible to contract the flu from an influenza vaccination.
"No-one can get influenza from the flu vaccination because the vaccination does not contain the whole virus, it contains just sub-sections of it," he said.
"It does take about 10 to 14 days to work, before our immune system reacts to the vaccine and makes the antibodies and becomes competent to take out the virus if we meet it.
"If you become infected with the influenza virus perhaps the day before the vaccine, or the day of the vaccine, or even a couple of days after the vaccine, you will still get the flu.
"This is because the vaccine won't have had time work."
What if I have an egg allergy?
While most healthcare professionals will ask about possible egg allergies before administering the influenza vaccine, Professor Carroll said the amount of egg protein in the vaccine could be negligible.
"There is the potential for egg protein — because it was grown in the egg — to get into the vaccine," he said.
"The amount of egg protein in the vaccine is extremely low and there are limits.
"The recommendation is that even if people are allergic to eggs, they can still have a flu vaccine because there is so little of the egg protein there.
"But if someone is extremely allergic to eggs or worried, they do need to have the conversation with their healthcare professional."
The Australian Government recommends everyone from six months old be vaccinated, with those in the following higher risk categories eligible for a free shot in 2017:
people aged 65 years and over;
Aboriginal and Torres Strait people aged six months to less than five years;
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are aged 15 years and over;
pregnant women;
people aged six months and over with medical conditions, like severe asthma, lung or heart disease, low immunity or diabetes that can lead to complications from influenza.
source:http://www.abc.net.au/news
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