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Should emphysema patient get two doses?

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TBO.com

Published: November 11, 2009

Q. I have emphysema. I do not get flu shots because I was very ill for three months the only time I took it. Should I consider taking the H1N1 vaccine in two separate doses? Also, should I ask for the one without an adjuvant?

- Lucy, Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada

A. Living with emphysema is difficult, and I hope you can touch base with a health care provider about the specifics of your case. Here is some general information:

People who have reactions to vaccines often already had a cold, the flu or allergies. The vaccine aggravates them.

The number of doses you need for a vaccine has to do with age, not illness. For example, children 9 and younger need two doses because one does not sufficiently protect them from illness, according to studies in the United States.

Adjuvant – an additive that helps boost a vaccine's potency – is not used in any of the vaccines in the United States. Some Canadian press reports show the additive is being used in that country.

Do you have a question or comment about swine flu that isn't being addressed?

Helping us track it all down is the Hillsborough County Health Department, which, like us, draws much of its information from the very helpful Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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