Pittwater Life April 2023 Issue

Health & Wellbeing
with Bec Johnson, M.Pharm
Health & Wellbeing
Way to stay influenza-safe
in a post-COVID Australia
Over the past three years,
the availability of different
COVID vaccines has
been widely discussed, with
public knowledge about vaccines
increasing as a whole.
While we are slowly returning
to a more “COVID-normal”
Australia, the annual influenza
season is right around the
corner. In the Southern Hemisphere,
our influenza peak is
April-September.
Influenza is an RNA virus
highly prone to mutation, which
makes it important to select the
specific strains in our vaccines
each year to ensure it is as up
to date as possible. Multi-strain
vaccines are used to ensure the
best coverage year on year.
It may come as a surprise
to some that there are many
different brands of flu vaccines,
just as there are with COVID-19
vaccines, not just one option
for specific ages. Your GP or
pharmacist may have told you
which brand of flu vaccine you
are getting in the past, and this
brand will have been registered
on your immunisation record.
However, an understanding of
exactly which vaccines are available
may mean more to many
this year than it has in the past.
So, what are our options?
First, it is important to understand
the difference between
egg-based vaccines and cellbased
vaccines.
The egg-based manufacturing
process has been used for
many years, and involves the
use of chicken eggs to cultivate,
extract, and then inactivate the
specific viral strain (or candidate
vaccine virus) desired for
the vaccine. While human flu viruses
are successfully cultivated
within the chicken egg and the
resulting vaccines provide good
coverage in humans, slight mutations
of the virus commonly
arise to help the virus adapt
to the egg environment. This
can theoretically reduce the
effectiveness of the manufactured
vaccine, as the virus may
act differently within a chicken
(avian) or human (mammalian)
environment.
The resources required and
time it takes to manufacture
vaccines in this way led to the
development of the cell-based
manufacturing process. Instead
of using a chicken egg, a model
mammalian cell is used to
cultivate the virus. The resulting
vaccine has been developed to
act in a mammalian environment,
yielding it theoretically
more effective in humans. No
animals are harmed in this process,
the process itself is much
faster than egg-based manufacturing;
however these vaccines
are more expensive.
Not every pharmacy may
stock every flu vaccine, so be
sure to ask when booking an
appointment what options are
available. If you are unsure
which option is best for you,
or you are concerned about
getting your flu vaccination
this year, do not hesitate to
chat with your local pharmacist
vaccinator.
Getting a flu vaccine each
year helps to protect not only
yourself, but your entire community.
Pittwater Pharmacy &
Compounding Chemist
at Mona Vale has operated
as a family-run business
since 1977. Open seven days;
drop in & meet the highly
qualified and experienced
team of Len, Sam and Amy
Papandrea, Andrew Snow
and Bec Johnson. Find them
at 1771 Pittwater Rd;
call 9999 3398.
Meals on Wheels delivers fresh name
Longstanding local meal delivery
service Meals on Wheels has a new,
longer name – The Village Chef by
Meals on Wheels.
Officially launched last month, the new
name formally recognises the partnership
of three Meals on Wheels branches –
Northern Beaches, Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby
– which joined forces last year.
General Manager Alex Kane said the
service played a vital role in promoting
community connection thanks to dedicated
staff and an army of volunteers that delivered
“more than just a meal”.
“Our volunteers take the time to check-in
on, care for, and chat to our customers,
sometimes even helping with small errands
such as collecting the mail,” Mr Kane said.
“This personal touch to both our meals
and our delivery service, provides a sense
of reliability, companionship and connection
deeply valued by our customers”.
The service also has its own ‘Village
Chef’ Tony Lyons who has prepared meals
for Meals on Wheels for more than 20 years
in a commercial kitchen at Turramurra.
“Tony’s team takes the time to prepare
meals in line with each of our clients’
needs,” Mr Kane said.
“Because we genuinely care about all our
clients, and because we’re small enough to
communicate our clients’ needs, we get to
know clients almost like they’re part of our
family.
“We also offer fresh meals every day and
we are moving to offering two fresh meals
each day.
“For our more vulnerable clients, we can
also heat up meals,” he said.
The Village Chef by Meals on Wheels is
now looking to support even more people
in the community.
For more information phone 1300 361
287 or visit villagechef.com.au – LO
VILLAGE CHEF: Tony Lyons at the launch.
54 APRIL 2023
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