Even though Laura Torrence heard there was mercury in some flu vaccines, she still got her flu shot.
"I just figure we get mercury in a lot of things," said Torrence, 60, of Westport. "I try to minimize my health risks, but I don't want to get the flu."
The flu — short for influenza, a respiratory illness — is already in season in Aberdeen, other parts of South Dakota and the nation, and flu shots are readily available.
Three types of flu shots are available to the general public, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:
- A regular flu shot is injected into the muscle and is approved for people 6 months and older.
- A high-dose vaccine for people 65 and older. Because older people have a greater risk of severe illness from the flu, high dosage is meant to give older people a better immune response.
- An intradermal flu vaccine that is injected into the skin instead of the muscle.
There is also a nasal-spray option for vaccination.
The current vaccination will protect against three strains of the virus, including the H1N1 (sometimes called swine flu), said Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the CDC in Atlanta.
"Those are the ones that we think are going to sort of be circulating the most," he said.
While H3N2v, a new strain of H1N1, emerged this year, the CDC did not see a prevalent outbreak of that strain, Skinner said.
Some flu vaccines for this season do contain thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used to protect the vaccine from contamination, Skinner said.
Because some vaccines come in a multidose bottle, the preservative prevents the growth of germs, bacteria and fungi that can contaminate them, according to the CDC website.
There have been multiple studies to look at the effect the preservative has on people who receive the vaccine, Skinner said.
"There's no evidence out there to suggest that thimerosal in the minute amount in the vaccine causes any kind of harm whatsoever," he said.
He also said people can ask doctors for vaccines that are thimerosal-free.
Regardless of thimerosal, Skinner said, people should get vaccinated.
"The efficacy varies depending on the person. It's more effective in healthy individuals, and, as you get older, the efficacy of the vaccine goes down," he said. "But we also know that people who are vaccinated, if they do get infected with the virus, the vaccine can also help protect against some of the serious consequences (of the virus)."
Natasha Fliehs, 30, of Aberdeen said she won't get the flu shot herself but will make sure her 11-month-old son gets a shot.
"It seems like the flu strikes the really young or the really old the hardest," she said.
Sarah Romeo, 35, of Aberdeen won't be getting the flu shot.
"I just don't feel like I need it right now, given my age and where I work," said Romeo, who works at Natural Abundance. "When you work in a place like Natural Abundance, you do hear a lot of things about the flu shot. Some people are for this; some are against it."
