The Triangle

Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Olivia Garrity

Drexel University distributed over 2,000 H1N1, or swine flu as it is commonly known, vaccinations last week in order to protect its students and faculty from the virus according to Marla Gold, dean of Drexel University's School of Public Health.. The vaccine was allocated to students and faculty who met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards for individuals at risk for the H1N1 virus. Volunteers from Drexel University and the College of Medicine staffed the clinic which was held Oct. 28 to 30 at various locations on the main and Center City campuses.

Drexel followed the Centers for Disease Control guidelines for distributing the vaccine to at risk students and faculty. The CDC recommends that anyone younger than 25 years old, in the medical field, or people that have conditions that may weaken them such as lung disease or HIV get the shots first.

These vaccines, which were provided free of charge, come at a time when questions are being raised by students and nationally about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine and whether the virus has been hyped up to be more of a threat then it really is.

"I think that's it's just mass hysteria," Hannah Cognetti, a freshman majoring in public relations, said. "I probably won't get the shot; lots of people get the flu each year and are fine. The vaccine just seems like it was rushed."

Many of the fears over the safety of this year's vaccine have come from the fact that this year's swine flu shot was rushed into production in order to fill the need for vaccines quickly. Much has been made on the national cable networks about fears that shots may contain adjuvants, or chemicals that are included in many to increase their immunogenicity, efficacy, and to allow for larger doses to be manufactured. Another concern is the inclusion of thimerosal, a preservative that includes mercury, in some vaccines.

According to the CDC's Web site on the flu vaccine, there are no adjuvants in any of the H1N1 shots being provided this year due to a federal mandate. As for thimerosal, although it was included in some of the H1N1 shots, the company that produced the vaccines for Drexel, Sanofi Pasteur, has released information on their vaccines that show that no thimerosal was included.

Some of the student's apathy toward the shots may stem from the fact that many students have already received seasonal flu vaccines and believe the worries over H1N1 may just be too much hype.

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