H1N1 Vaccination

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

I know it has been discussed likely in other areas...I just want everyone's thoughts....especially from Canadians, who may already believe in vaccinating, as we come from a country similar to the US for vaccination schedules etc...

My son is 6...his school is doing a vaccination clinic...i'm so torn. Maybe you guys can add your thoughts...I don't watch the news much...my BIL is a DR, as are many of our friends, and they are split in their opinions...

I hear about 100 kids died...and as it seems like a lot, compared to the US population, that is a small number...and perhaps children with underlying issues. CDC released the vaccine after testing it on 800 people.

It is scary to think how short of a time it has been on the market. I know the risks are similar to other vaccinations....my son has them all....from MMR, to pneumonia, meningitis, chicken pox....we did them all, even Twinirex (hep A/B) as part of the immigration requirement.

My son is healthy, but as a kindergartener, he comes home with illness 2x a month in this type of season....he was already home all week with a cold, cough and congestion.

I worry, if I don't do it, and they have an outbreak and he gets really ill, i'll regret it...but what if it's just a normal flu spell? And what if I do it, and there are side effects? As a mother, I would die, knowing I made a bad decision and did that to my son.

Is it the Gov't just pushing the vaccine to prevent spread? And eliminate medical costs, days lost at work etc? I mean, it's just the flu? And if you are relatively healthy, you should be ok, no? Or is the flu that bad?

So confused

I know Huggles sister got it, and she says it is just flu like, and not that bad....

What is this world coming to? I did pull my son from most of his programs at the YMCA, until this clears, as well, i'm avoiding unecessary public outings for the time being...but at that age...they have their hands in their mouths...sneezing all over one another....I preach each day about coughing in his sleeve, washing his hands and hand sanitizer....

I'd love to hear everyone elses thoughts....

thanks guys

[Inky 1,110]

well all i need to know is there is MSG in it, Product from aborted fetus in it, Mercury , formaldahyed and loads more toxic #######. Not to mention the deaths like you say as well as getting the regular flu shot increases chances of getting h1n1 by three times and the h1n1 shot can cause Guillain-Barre Syndrome!! Enough to make me run away and not touch that with a ten foot pole! ill post this link too its got all the ingrediance + more information that might help you.

http://www.childhoodshots.com/uploads/Swin...neFactSheet.pdf

[StaceyG 0]

My husband is a paramedic, they offered all of the family the h1n1 vac. and he refused it hands down because of all the ####### in it.. Example mercury and Polysorbate causes infertility in mice, and alot more.. Thats are great link of the ingredients... Plus the regular seasonal flu kills more people every year then h1n1 has...

On a side note for the government pushing this vaccine, The president of the USA own daughters have yet to get it.. Say much !!

Edited October 26, 2009 by StaceyG

[Rhiannercakes 14]

Ew, I never knew it had all that ####### in the shot.

Besides, the news has been making everyone so paranoid.

The H1N1 flu isn't as bad as they're making it out to be. It's a flu..

I'm sure it'd be less wide spread if people just stayed home and just rested like we do with the normal flu.

But that's the news putting those thoughts into our head that it's a terrible thing and that we need to avoid it at all costs by getting the shot.

*shrugs*

[Lona.C. 16]

Ew, I never knew it had all that ####### in the shot.

Besides, the news has been making everyone so paranoid.

The H1N1 flu isn't as bad as they're making it out to be. It's a flu..

I'm sure it'd be less wide spread if people just stayed home and just rested like we do with the normal flu.

But that's the news putting those thoughts into our head that it's a terrible thing and that we need to avoid it at all costs by getting the shot.

*shrugs*

I agrea wow had no idea it had all that stuff in it , am kinda glad now am a germ freak ,

( some might laugh now but i even wipe the grocery carts with those sterile wipes before i touch them yup even the seat where people put there children in it ,

you never know if a child has a lil leak trough the diaper and we put our eggs and bread in there so it wont get squeeshed ,

i know to much diaper info but well its the trueth it happens when my kids were babies so i think better save then sorry ) and nope i will not go for the H1N1 I get the reg flue shot and continue to be a germ freak to stay save

[Rhiannercakes 14]

I don't even get the normal flu shot anymore.

I stopped about 2 years ago.

[ashenflowers 5]

I'm neutral about the whole thing and can't decide, but I just wanted to suggest ignoring the media. The media loves making people paranoid and upset. Otherwise, the news isn't as interesting. And please don't base your decision on what the president does or doesn't do (as someone mentioned)... *face palm*

It's better to base the decision on facts, but unfortunately true and complete facts are hard to come by. Everyone seems to have an agenda.

I personally just don't like that it's such a NEW vaccine... it would be nice for it to have been in the market a little longer, and had more time to discover it's true side effects. Also, I don't think I'm going to get it myself, but that's just because I've had to pump myself with so many fricken vaccines this year for the visa, that I don't really want another one. lol Also, I don't really get sick all that often, so I'm hoping my immune system is going to hold up. I am kind of a semi-germaphobe too, and will keep my little hand sanitizer handy... lol

I guess if I were you I'd base my decision on my son. His reactions to vaccines, and his immune system. How serious do his 2x a month illnesses get? If they're pretty mild, they'd probably help to build his immune system and he'd "probably" be fine, but who knows. I don't know how long the vaccine takes to become effective, but if it's not long, maybe you could wait until someone at the school has a confirmed case of H1N1, and get the vaccine afterwards? I dunno...

And on a side note... I love that everyone here is calling it H1N1 (except that fact sheet that was linked), instead of swine flu. I HATE people calling it swine flu. It's not the damn pigs fault! lol

p.s.

Just having a quick glance at the other stuff in some vaccines that we are required to get.... unfortunately they all pretty much include pretty disgusting ingredients according to that website... Like, the Hep B one has 'Chinese hamster ovary cells'?!?!? hahah!! #######!?

Edited October 26, 2009 by ashenflowers

[ashenflowers 5]

Also, just to add.. lol

if we all stopped doing treatments or vaccines because we didn't like where they came from, then Insulin would've never been a popular treatment for diabetes (it was originally manufactured from cow and pig insulin and it has 'additives'), and seriously... look at chemotherapy's side effects!!

I'm just sayin'...

[warlord 72]

I would never take the flu shot ever. Just because I do better getting myself immune from things then having something artificial injected into me.

With the swine flu (they call it H1N1, but that's just the type as the Spanish flu in the 1920's was also H1N1 and that killed the most people to date). This strain has killed a few people, but in regards from year to year flu deaths, there is actually no more of an increase. It's just because it's got national attention in the media, so the deaths other years of the "normal" flu never get reported in the papers. We had a Red Cross person here talking about it with us last week and said it's pretty much younger children that are more susceptible to get this strain.

The issue is the shot now only will work for the predicted top types of flu strains. Since there are a ton of them out there, they get together and figure out what they think will be the top strains of the year and then make a shot that will hopefully prevent people from getting those strains. You will still be not immune to all the other flu strains. So your chances of still getting the flu is still pretty good.

Also, maybe people get the flu after the shot. Even though they say it's a 'dead' virus, many people have been getting sick with the flu right after getting it. So no idea how they say it's not related to the flu shot at all, when you hear about this all the time.

Again, I'm not sticking anything into my arm when I haven't even had the flu since I was a kid. It would be like me getting an ebola shot, eventhough I doubt I'd ever be setting foot in the Congo...

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Gratz on the fear mongering Inky. Are you one of those who doesn't like testing on animals too, and would prefer to see a family member die of a dreaded disease because they stopped funding for testing? Sorry, but I am not cool with sites or the media creating hysteria, where calm, rational understanding could help

C'mon folks - the site you're reading is designed to scare the bejesus out of you - it's the extreme opposite of the CDC site which is extremely, blindly PRO H1N1 vaccine. It names things that you've heard of are bad, but doesn't tell you the purpose of the ingredient. All those childhood vaccines you received (and yes, you're alive today to type right here...) had Thimerasol (mercury) in them and yes, it's an ingredient they're working on removing. Don't just read the fear mongering without doing a little more research on something. Unless you're a chemist and you understand why they're extracting a particular protein (or whatever)for something...don't get too worked up.

I live in the Washington area (Mr Obama is my neightbour ...kind of ), I suspect his daughters haven't been vaccinated more because they aren't offering it to older school age children in the DC area just yet (those with underlying health issues, kidlets and pregos first)...but they're getting there

A little stat about regular flu:

Regular flu in the United States kills about 30,000 people in an average year. 90% of those are people 65 and older who are already not in the best of health. There have been 820-987 deaths each week from the regular flu in the 122 cities that are in the center for disease control tracking system.

You know - I probably won't get the vaccination because there's a bit of ashortage and I am not about to stand in line on Sat morning for 5 hours....but I did get my regular flu shot a few weeks ago and as usual.

[KnJ 0]

The H1N1, if you recall when it broke out in Mexico (and I *noticed this*), and there have been reports (gah, stupid reporting, different every week, but again go back to Mexico): Most deaths from H1N1 occurred in healthy women between 25 & 40-something.

This is different from the profile of influenza which tends to cause complications in the young and elderly or those with existing conditions that make them vulnerable.

I'm not going to comment on anyone's decision to get vaccinated or not.

TBH I thought this topic would be about whether US immigration would at some point require us to get the H1N1 vaccine. Probably not, though some countries already have some quarantine measures in place.

[Flames9_RN 358]

its only the flu! funny statement! flu kills thousands of people in the USA each year. Many times when people say they are sick with the "flu" they really are not, more than likely just a bad cold. hard to say what the outcome of the H1N1 is going to be. There have been many many deaths already from it, and it appears to be hitting the younger crowd, not so much the older crowd! Talking to our infection control people at the hospital last month, they were very concerned. Now am I going to get the H1N1 shot, not sure, I do get the flu shot every yr. Lot of great websites out there to get factual information about the flue and the H1N1. Just because it isnt in the news as much as it once was, doesn't mean it has gone away, the news tends to get bored with 1 subject and then the reporting fizzles out! One thing you should do, is WASH UR HANDS!!! can't wash them enough! Well if ur skin is falling off, maybe u have gone overboard,lol

[ashenflowers 5]

Not sure if anyone else listens to the CBC radio, but The Current this morning had an interesting discussion about vaccines (good timing!). It's not up on their website yet, but it will likely be there tomorrow. http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/

[SapphireDreams 71]

Just a few things that no one has mentioned.

There are 4 versions of the vaccine, some of the version DO not have mercury, and even so, the only people who need to avoid mercury are pregnant woman, so I wouldn't worry about that. The nasal spray form is probably the one I'd be the most critical about, but I wouldn't rule it out either.

In terms of it being a NEW vaccine. Every year the flu shot is technically new. The virus strain is always changing, so they need to re-work the vaccine to fit the new strain every year. So H1N1 is no different, it is a different strain of flu, so the vaccine is meant to work to block a particular strain of the flu.

I would 100% vaccinate my child if I had one. I'm a firm believer in vaccines for children and think that they would definitely do more help than harm. If my child got a really bad flu I would feel terribly guilty for not trying to prevent it. Children's immune systems are not as strong as an adults and so I think anything preventative we can do for them is crucial.

Personally, I didn't get a flu shot because I didn't really have access to it and there always seems to be a shortage where it is only offered to the elderly and children, which is fine by me. I know I have a decent immune system and can overcome a flu or bad virus. My husband gets one every year because he works in a hospital and he's the most healthy person I know. I always seem to get the flu at least 1-2 times/year and he's usually safe so i definitely think it works.I agree with the others though who say don't listen to the media hype. Whatever you decide to do, do it for your son and his best interests. Good luck on your decision Pop!!

[tbaygrrl 2]

There is a preservative free option for the H1N1 that will be released in the next wk or so, if you are nervous about some of the ingredients used to create the shot. It's more of if someone has an egg allergy, as this is what they use to incubate the virus to create the vaccine.

What I do know is that you don't want to give him the nasal spray version of the vaccine. You want him to have the needle form, as it is a completely dead version, No live virus in it.

I am in the highest risk category as a pregnant woman in her 3rd trimester. We are the highest infection to death ratio population with H1N1, (curretnly there is a pregnant women in our hospital on a respirator fighting away) So, I am going to get the shot. I am comofortable with the needle form as it is the same manufacturing process as the conventional seasonal flu. BUt I know that young children, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant woman are the ones highly suggested to get it, if he is a healthy boy you could prolly skip it, but just be all over him about washing hands etc... as schools are hugh petrie dishes for germs.