Hi all

Just wondering how people are handling the deferral period for donors who received the h1n1 vaccine. Are you treating it just like the seasonal flu shot? Do you have different criteria for vaccine if it is injected vs. the nasal mist?

Thanks

We are handling it just like the seasonal flu vaccines. I had the same question about differentiating between the injectable (killed toxoid) and the nasal (live attenuated). There was a 2003 AABB Bulletin that indicated both were fine to accept without any deferral period.

The AABB has issued updated bulletins regarding the H1N1 vaccines, re-stating that they do not recommend a deferral period. Their Pandemic Flu information is on the Disaster Response page of the website: http://www.aabb.org/Content/Programs_and_Services/Disaster_Response/disastercontact.htm#3 (flu is at the bottom of the page.