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Slide 1: Verona Dental Presents: H1N1 Myths Parkway Place, IBM Tower, 251 Consumers Rd., 12th Floor Toronto, Ontario M2J 4R3 Office: 416-774-2476 Toll Free: 866-791-0909 www.VeronaDental.ca www.VeronaMedicalGroup.com
Slide 3:  Fact 1: It is true that when there is an outbreak of a disease, some people who have been immunized get sick. This leads to the idea that vaccines don't work. Because each individual is different, about 10 to 15 per cent of people vaccinated will not develop immunity to the disease. Nevertheless, immunization reduces the risk of severe disease. In the case of the H1N1 flu virus, since very few people are immune, it is predicted that without interventions like a vaccine and antivirals, close to 25 to 35 per cent of the population could become ill over the period of a few months. Immunization is the most effective way to prevent illness and to reduce the risk of transmitting the flu to those around you. Myth 1: Vaccines don't work.
Slide 4: Fact 2: We acknowledge that there are concerns with respect to immunization. There are some risks association with flu vaccine, but the potential risk for serious adverse events, like Guillan-Barré Syndrome, is low. For regular seasonal influenza, about 5 to 10 percent of the population will get sick and on average about 4000 people die every year. The risks of serious side effects from the flu are far greater than the risk of experiencing an adverse event after receiving the flu shot. The risk of suffering Guillan-Barré as a complication from the flu is greater than the risk of getting it as a reaction to the flu shot. Vaccines are among the safest tools of modern medicine. In Canada, serious side effects from the flu vaccine occur very rarely – about one for every million shots distributed. The vast majority of side effects from vaccines are minor and temporary, like a sore arm or mild fever. These are much less severe than influenza infection, and last for a much shorter time. No longterm effects have been associated with any vaccine currently in use. Myth 2: There are many serious side effects from vaccines.
Slide 5:  Fact 3: Careful research into the safety of any vaccine is done prior to its widespread use. The requirements for vaccines approved for sale in Canada are stringent. Every vaccine lot is safety-tested by the manufacturer and by the Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate at Health Canada. Health Canada will review all available test results, including international data, to ensure the vaccine is safe and effective before it is authorized for use in Canada. The dangers of vaccine-preventable diseases are much greater than the risk from a serious reaction to a vaccine. The use of an adjuvanted vaccine is not new. The adjuvant used in the H1N1 flu vaccine although new in Canada, has been widely used safely in Europe in other vaccines. This adjuvant has already been evaluated by Health Canada, and no safety concerns have been found.  Myth 3: Because the H1N1 flu vaccine is new, it is untested and unsafe.
Slide 6:  Fact 4: Preliminary findings from some Canadian studies indicate that those healthy adults that tested positive for H1N1 were twice as likely to have received seasonal vaccine. More research is needed to establish whether or not there is a causal relationship between these factors. What is important is that there is no association with receiving seasonal vaccine and experiencing serious illness from H1N1. Studies in Canada and the U.S. have shown that there appears to be no increased risk of severe disease from the H1N1 flu virus among people who received seasonal flu shots. Studies in the U.S., Australia and Britain have not shown an association between the seasonal flu shot and getting the H1N1 flu virus.  Myth 4: Taking the regular flu shot puts me at risk of becoming very ill with H1N1
Slide 7: Fact 5: The influenza vaccine cannot give you influenza. The influenza vaccine contains dead influenza viruses and they cannot cause infection. For more information, please visit FightFlu.ca All information is presented by the Government of Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada) http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/fsfr_h1n1-eng.php Myth 5: The influenza vaccine can give you influenza.
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