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Swine Flu Vaccine Testers Roll Up Sleeves in Missouri
By
KSPR News
Story Created:
Aug 10, 2009 at 3:04 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Aug 10, 2009 at 5:10 PM CDT
Swine flu vaccine testers rolled up their sleeves Monday.
The clinic trial started Monday morning at Saint Louis University.
About 125 volunteers received their first of five shots.
They’ll get the rest over the next three weeks.
Two of the shots are the H1N1 vaccine, one is the normal flu shot, and two are placebos.
Blood tests will determine how the person's body reacts to each one.
"What we are looking at is both the safety of the vaccine, and also the effectiveness by looking at the antibody response to the vaccine itself. And so we measure antibody responses by taking pre-vaccination blood and post-vaccination blood, and comparing the change in antibody to the vaccine," explained Dr. Sharon Frey from St. Louis University
Potential side effects from the shots include fever, allergic reactions, and a remote chance of paralysis and even death.
The flu season begins in the fall and is forecast to be unusually intense this year.
The U.S. government already has ordered millions of vaccine doses, but these tests have to be done before manufacturers make the drug.
Saint Louis is one of eight cities nationwide taking part in the vaccine study.
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