Flu shot may be good for your heart

Curtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Update :
It's not clear how flu shots might protect the heart. One leading theory is that flu inflections launch an inflammatory response throughout the body.
That inflammation may dislodge plaque that has built up in the walls of arteries as a normal function of aging - plaque deposits that have otherwise been stable for decades but that suddenly burst, squeezing off blood supply to the heart.
Recent studies have shown that people have a higher risk of heart attack, congestive heart failure or stroke in the first days or week after coming down with flu.

As always each story has two sides. Pro and anti vaccination. Soon we will publish an article outlining the other point of view. Meanwhile feel free to tell us your comments on the flu shots 

This time of year, people are rolling up their sleeves to get flu shots and avoid seasonal sniffles. And new research suggests the flu vaccine may also help prevent strokes and heart attacks.
The research was presented  at the 2012 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Toronto.
Dr. Jacob Udell, a cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital, and the researchers pored over published clinical trials on the flu dating back to the 1960s. But only four studies, done between 1994 and 2008, met their scientific criteria.
Those four studies included 3,227 participants, half of whom suffered from heart disease. Half of all the participants received a flu shot and the remainder were given a placebo vaccine.
A year later, the group who had received the vaccine experienced 50% fewer major cardiac events — heart attack, stroke or cardiac death — compared with those who’d received a placebo. There was also a 40 per cent reduction in death from any cause among those who had received the flu vaccine.
The statistics are “pretty profound,” said Udell, also a scientist at the University of Toronto.

Human trials of a Zika vaccine just approved

21-June-2016
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first human tests of an experimental Zika virus vaccine, the makers of the drug announced on Monday.
Called GLS–5700, the medication will be used in a clinical trial involving 40 healthy people, and represents the first major step towards ultimately immunizing people against Zika – which was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February.
GLS–5700 works by stimulating the body's immune system to defend itself against Zika. Synthetic fragments of viral DNA are injected into the skin, prompting the immune system's T cells to generate antibodies to fight the infection.
It's worth pointing out that just because GLS–5700 has reached human testing, there's no guarantee it will turn out to safely immunize people against Zika. The vaccine has been tested successfully in small and large animal models, but clinical trials in humans could take several years to demonstrate that the treatment is safe, and there's no guarantee it will ultimately prove effective or make it through subsequent testing phases.
GLS–5700 isn't the only Zika vaccine candidate currently in development.It has been reported that at least one company in India and one in France are expected to begin human trials later this year.

Shoulder injury from Flu shots and other vaccinations

 
Recently a member of our blog crew received a flu shot and subsequently experienced symptoms very similar to the ones described in the article below.  It is based on the work done by Cheryl Simmons, a registered nurse from Wilmington, Del. We also used other sources to compile this posting.
The main idea was to go for any vaccine shot prepared not to scare or stop our readers of receiving flu or other shots.If you are looking for pros and cons of the flue shots check following posting out:
Flu shot may be good for  your heart or Is it the flu or norovirus? How to tell the difference
We want you to go prepared for the shot administered in your arm to avoid rare but some time long term complications from something considered to be a routine injection. 
Influenza vaccination administration is performed millions of times each year by nurses, an unintended consequence can occur, namely shoulder injury related to vaccination administration, or SIRVA.
Recipients of the influenza vaccination should be informed about the possibility of this injury.
Nurse education regarding SIRVA centers on teaching the proper technique required to prevent improper penetration to the bursa when performing an injection to the mid-deltoid region.

Vaccination Technique
Current administration suggestions include that both the person who administers the vaccine and the recipient be seated.² Varying methods to denote the specific proper injection site have been researched. Palpating the acromion process then placing the needle three to four fingers below helps ensure the injection is administered into the thickest and most central region of the muscle.³
Cook (2011) recommends abduction of the arm to 60% with the recipient's hand on their hip to allow for proper landmark site selection midway between the acromion and deltoid tuberosity⁴ Knowledge about anatomy is imperative to prevent injecting too high, thus predisposing to SIRVA.⁴ Appropriate needle size is also a consideration, according to the CDC.⁵
Cases of SIRVA could be prevented, however, by updating CDC injection guidelines, including a recommendation for seated positioning.^6,7

Data Analysis
Attention to shoulder injury from vaccination was reported by Bodor and Montalvo (2007). They noted an inflammatory immune response in patients reporting injection location in a high area of the deltoid muscle with results including subacromial bursitis.⁸

Physicians reviewing the database of claims submitted to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) identified and researched reports of shoulder injury.⁹ Included in the research are reports that the "vaccine hit something hard".⁷ They termed this phenomenon SIRVA and reiterated the need for appropriate injection technique.
Injury symptoms include pain beginning at the time of injection (or within 24 hours) and impairment of range of motion.⁹ MRI results included collection of fluid, bursitis, tendonitis, and rotator cuff tears.⁹ Treatment includes steroid injection and possible [arthroscopic shoulder] surgery.⁹
The landmark investigation by Atanasoff, et. al. created legitimacy of the SIRVA diagnosis. It is now is a compensable injury from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Healthcare Systems Bureau, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, when proof can be made that the condition was caused by the vaccine; such as by medical records or testimony based on expert opinion.¹⁰


Currently, SIRVA is not listed on the Vaccine Injury Table despite a 2011 proposal by Ryan (2011), a co-researcher with Atanosoff. Ryan's Report Generated Proposals for Updates to the Vaccine Injury Table (VIT) included the information that "the IOM reviewed the scientific and medical literature finding that the evidence convincingly supported a causal relationship between vaccine administration and deltoid bursitis" and that "Atanasoff et al. published a [sic] case series reporting the experience of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program with regard to shoulder injuries following vaccination. The IOM reviewed this article and commented that the cases were consistent with deltoid bursitis."¹¹

Reporting
Research by Barnes, et. al. (2012) revealed that between 2010 and 2012 there were 167 reports of shoulder injury from influenza vaccination, predominantly occurring in women, to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).⁶ This reporting system is different from the vaccine compensation program and is sponsored by both the CDC and FDA.¹² Reporting events is not mandatory, however, therefore there is no way to establish the number of events that are not reported.⁶
Meanwhile, in addition to administering the flu vaccine, many nurses will be the recipient of vaccination, including some who might decline it if the could. New York has mandated vaccination for healthcare providers in the state since 2009.¹³ And while mandating vaccination remains controversial, a goal of Healthy People 2020 is a 90% rate of healthcare worker coverage.¹⁴ The American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated for mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers since 2009.¹⁵


Recommendations
Until an updated standard of technique to prevent SIRVA becomes available from the CDC, institutions should develop their own guidelines. Policy development should include training to those who will be administrating vaccinations each year.
The volume of vaccinations given each year in a short time frame warrants the emphasis that this is not a benign process. Recipients should be informed that complications can occur from poor technique and therefore be able to use this knowledge to aid in prevention of injury.
Remember, it is the ethical duty of nurses to support optimal health and safety, according to ANA, and without the knowledge to prevent SIRVA on part of those performing vaccinations, this cannot be done.¹⁶

References for this article can be accessed here.
The original article by Cheryl Simmons may be found by clicking the link below.
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Nursing-Interventions-for-SIRVA.aspx