Carina Harkin
BHSc.Nat.BHSc.Hom.BHSc.Acu. Cert.IV TAE. MPH, Carahealth, Ireland
Title: Annual influenza vaccine: review of current attitudes, effectiveness and natural evidence based alternatives in the likelihood of influenza pandemic
Biography
Biography: Carina Harkin
Abstract
Influenza Pandemic remains a global threat (WHO), yet from a pharmaceutical perspective, we remain woefully ill-equipped. Health Care Workers (HCW) themselves are statistically the most influenza vaccine hesitant group in the population. With calls being made to make influenza vaccine programmes compulsory, evidence needs to be taken seriously and a critical assessment made. Carina will discuss what is the growing consensus of the ineffectiveness of the influenza vaccine and the reasons. According to Professor of Virology at Warwick University, Andrew Easton, “A judgement should be made about replacing this [influenza] vaccine in the current climate of limited NHS budget. A re-think is also needed as other therapeutic aids are showing promise.” Carina will discuss alternative evidence based herbal medicine and supplements that specifically match the pharmacological action of drugs to reduce influenza incidence and mortality, and boost natural immunity to provide long standing protection . Topics include increasing interferon and how this works not only as a prophylactic and treatment for influenza but, by addressing Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) dysfunction, simultaneously has the capacity to reduce the incidence of autoimmune disease (caused by molecular mimicry). Other topics include viral replication inhibition using natural neuraminidase and polymerase inhibitors and compounds in herbal medicine that specifically reduce the inflammatory cascade known as the cytokine storm, associated with high mortality in influenza pandemics.