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Sep
28
The last time I saw my doctor, he was very firm on the subject of flu vaccinations. Get them for myself, and get them for my kids. Get the H1N1 vaccination for my kids the instant it becomes available. Do not pass Go, do not fiddle-fart around, go directly to the pediatrician’s office.
I planned to do so. Then, after a while, I started feeling unsure. Specifically about the H1N1 vaccine. I started worrying, in my non-medical-professional mouthbreathing sort of way, about potential dangers of a fast-tracked vaccine, and about reactions and side effects. You know, like a fever. Or . . . Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Death. Little things like that.
Then I read that in preparation for the swine flu vaccine, Washington has temporarily lifted a restriction that limits the amount of thimerosol—a mercury preservative—given to pregnant women and children under 3. Only around 15% of the vaccine supply will be mercury-free, and people may have to wait longer for it to become available.
Huh, I thought. That doesn’t seem good. Isn’t mercury what made Jeremy Piven such an insufferable douchebag, or something?
The FDA assures us the trace amount of mercury in an influenza vaccination is fine. The CDC is recommending vaccinations for people 6 months to 24 years old, among other groups. And since it seems inevitable that my kids will be repeatedly exposed to the flu this season—you can throw all the hand sanitizer you want at a daycare, but it’s still basically a toy-filled, skill-building petri dish—it would be irresponsible for me to not get that vaccine, right? I mean, statistically if we’re looking at worst-case scenarios the kids are probably much more likely to have Something Bad happen from the flu than a vaccination. JB’s coworker had the H1N1 virus a couple weeks ago and described how it made him feel like he couldn’t breathe for a couple days. Well, jesus. If there’s a way to help my kids avoid getting an illness like that, I should be ALL OVER IT.
… right?
So why does this feel like such a creepy, shitty decision?
Where are you at with the swine flu vaccine, with regards to your kids? I’m really interested in hearing your thoughts.
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210 Responses to “Fretful”
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Theo just had his 18 month well check yesterday and I talked to the ped about my concerns about the H1N1 vaccine. Basically that it hasn’t been tested very long (3 months! That’s it!) and it freaked me out. He said he had the exact same concerns and didn’t feel 100% comfortable with it. He said with the H1N1 around here (Chicago burbs) it has been mild, and that the regular flu is worse. Since Theo is healthy blah blah blah he said he wouldn’t twist my arm to vaccinate him. The ped said he was still looking into new developements with the vaccine but yeah, something isn’t sitting well with me.
Scared out of my mind over here too. Jesus.
We were told by our pedi to get the regular flu shot. Fine, I’m cool w/ that. He goes to daycare, my husband works in a hosptial, etc. He also wants us to get the H1N1 vax. He didn’t say it w/ so much urgency as yours. In fact, he said to keep checking their website in order to see if and when they even have it. At any rate, I totally agree with your concerns. It worries me too that it’s being rushed the way it is. At the same time, I also agree with wanting to protect my son. So, we will most likely get it. I don’t want to, but I’m afraid of the alternative. I’m really interested to see the rest of the responses on here too.
I don’t have any children at this time (hope to be remedying that in the near future), but the subject of vaccines has come up a bit with me and I have talked to others about it, how I don’t think it’s healthy to give a small being so many at once. The whole healthy child to autistic child thing frightens me. So I get what you are talking about with an on-the-fly vaccine such as this.
I work at Harborview, and they are pushing very hard for all employees to get vaccinated for both regular and H1N1, so I almost don’t have a choice.
But if I had a child? I’m on the fence a bit on this as well.
The was posted on one of my list servs from Britain. Drug companies are so powerful, and us lowly parent types don’t really have the ability to fight a huge money making machine like that.
Its a decision a lot of parents are tussling with.
> Britain’s swine flu vaccine contains additive that may lead to autism
> by ANI on September 26, 2009
> London, September 26 (ANI): The swine flu vaccine being used in Britain contains an additive the use of which in children’s jabs was stopped five years ago, over fears that it could lead to autism.
> Pandemrix, which has received the green light from European drugs regulators to be given to children over six months old and pregnant women, contains the mercury-based compound Thiomersal, which has not been used in childhood vaccines since 2004.
> The compound was removed from jabs in America 10 years ago, after issues were raised by the US Public Health Service.
> However, the Department of Health in Britain is defending its use.
> “There is no risk from Thiomersal in vaccines. The medical community is not divided on this. The only place where people say there is a problem is outside the scientific community,” the Daily Express quoted Professor David Salisbury, the Director of Immunisations, as saying.
> Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said that the number of swine flu cases was still low, but there were signs a second wave could be on its way. (ANI)
We request the preservative-free flu shot when we take our 3-year old buy to the doctor every fall. There is no way we are getting the H1N1 vaccine. Our son isn’t in daycare and we don’t plan to be on any planes or trains in the near future, so I think we’re low risk. Also, I think the H1N1 is being way over-hyped. I just saw on the news today, that the strain is already weakening from what it was last winter.
I am getting a regular flu shot, and if I can the H1N1 vaccine.
I dread when my Son goes back to school because he gets sick right away. You said it best “toy-filled, skill-building petri dish.”
My Husband freaked us all out because he is on the Emergency Management team for our town. They recently had a meeting just about the swine flu and what to do if our whole town (which is really small) gets infected.
In the back of my mind though I am a little worried about this H1N1 vaccine.
I am in Oklahoma and swine flu is already going through our area pretty stealthily. Kids in my daughter’s class have had H1N1 and from what I’ve heard, it’s good for about a week of hell. Last time I had the flu was 4 years ago in AUGUST when a co-worker came in with a fever! No amount of hand-washing could have kept me from getting sick (dammit!). The vaccine won’t be available in our area until next month sometime and I am betting that we will have all been exposed to it by then. To add to the fun, Strep has been accompanying H1N1 here. We are not in the groups recommended for the shot so we’ll be riding it out…
I live in San Diego, where we had a measles outbreak because people didn’t vaccinate their kids. It caused a huge health scare and forced people to quarantine their kids. I KNOW this is a controversial topic, but I think people tend to ignore real risks (measles, swine flu) for not-proven risks (vaccinations might somehow harm my kid but nobody can prove it). We never got flu shots until my husband ended up in the ER with pneumonia (which started as the flu) when I was out of town. That’s a call you never want to get — your husband delirious, in an ambulance. Do your research, of course, but keep in mind the very real risks that both the flu and the swine flu present.
My 25 month old son has gotten the flu vaccine (actually the nasal Flumist) and will get the H1N1 when available. I worked previously for a well known flu expert, and would never risk him catching the virus. When compared to historical similar influenza outbreaks, his age group would be one of the most impacted, and most likely to lead to death. Not worth it for me to chance it. the 1918 flu was TERRIBLE and if there’s even a small opportunity that this one will take off like that one…HOLY CRAP!! I’ll vaccinate myself as well if there’s enough left, though I’m older than the typical risk group.
I’m totally going to get the Bad Mom of the Year Award for admitting this, but my kids have *cough* NEVER had a flu shot. Any flu shot. The problem the first few years was that my kids were continually sick with some sort of random virus, and every time I tried to do it I was told I should wait til they are completely symptom free. Well, with day-care in the fall/winter, it seems my kids are never completely symptom free. Then I just sort of uh, forgot about it. I suck.
So I’m kind of running into the same thought process now that their WCCs are up again next month. If they are healthy should I do it? I think I will get the regular flu shot (assuming everyone is already healthy) but I’m with you regarding uncertainty with the H1N1. The newness of it just scares me.
I don’t have kids, so my opinion might not be worth as much, but if I did…I would get them the seasonal flu vaccine, but not the H1N1. It just seems like it’s been slammed through so quickly, and the lifting of the mercury regulations also struck me as strange – weren’t they in place for a reason? It would make me too nervous to give it to a young child. I also do not plan on getting it myself. It seems like seasonal flu is a much bigger threat than H1N1.
Here in France, panic levels are pretty low. There are two kids at my daughters’ school who have had H1N1, but so far no one else seems to have come down with it (and it’s been 10 days or so now).
No mention has been made of mass vaccination (except for the really high risk groups – pregnant women, etc.) and I’m certainly not planning on getting myself, my husband or either of my daughters vaccinated. I feel unhappy with the safety level involved and cautiously optimistic that this flu isn’t as bad as the risk of having the vaccine…
I’m of the camp “That which does not kill us makes us stronger” so I don’t get any flu shots and unless my kids ask for a needle in the arm I don’t get them shots either.
I’m going to pass on it. I hope I don’t regret it, but I feel a little bit like this is being rushed…. I don’t want to put my kids at risk for a side-effect somewhere down the line. I don’t even get flu shots, and my pediatrician has never said anything about it. He doesn’t force vaccines: when my son was 12 months old, he had a little sniffle and the doctor said “let’s wait on the MMR: it’s a live vaccine and I don’t want to compromise his immune system by giving him that right now”. I love my doctor. We do vaccinate our children, but not for the flu.
I live around the Atlanta area and the H1N1 has already made the rounds. We haven’t dealt with it personally (nah, it’s just been all strep all the time for 2 weeks here) but everyone with whom I have spoken who HAS dealt with it said it was no biggie. My best friend’s kids both had it and it was fever for about four days with laying around but other than that, not a huge deal. Like milder than the regular flu. But maybe there are different strains around the country? In my opinion, if my kids are healthy I would rather risk the flu than the (mostly) untested immunization. But then again, I am fairly lazy about that kind of stuff anyway.
I am a little concerned about the mercury and the haste in putting together the vaccine, but one of my kiddos has exercise induced Asama and the other has only one working side of her nose (and I am pregnant) So from what we have been told, the benefits FAR out weigh the risk… Good luck.. It is such a hard decision.
We are in the same place, do we/don’t we?…my 3 cildren range in age from 6 mos. to 6 years. Between the classroom and daycare they are exposed to everything. Our entire family, including my husband and I, will be getting the flu shot and always have. The H1N1, I just don’t know. It is so new. Why the sudden lift of the mercury regulations? Weren’t they in place for a reason? But the seasonal flu can be so deadly and the H1N1 is being made out to be more so. Do you really take that chance? People die from the flu, not from vaccine side effects. But the side effects could be life long. Do we really know what those side effects might be? UGH!!! Great topic. I look forward to reading the other comments.
I, too, am on the fence. I usually get flu shots for my children…and my 4 year old has already had her seasonal flu shot…but this one scares me. The rushing of it, not enough time in testing, as well as the previous problems in the prior swine flu outbreak.
I spoke with a friend of mine who is a doctor, and asked what he planned to do. He is also worried about the rushing of it and says he is 50/50 about vaccinating his family. My pediatrician, however, does recommend the shot.
I am just so torn, and have fretting over this choice. I can’t imagine if I didn’t get the shot, and then something terrible happened…or if I choose to get the shot despite my fears and then there are terrible side effects. Either way, how could I live with my choice? I wish I had a crystal ball.
Sometimes being the parent really sucks.
I’m not usually scared of vaccinations, and my kids already got the seasonal flumist vaccine, but we’re sitting out the H1N1. I’m a little worried, since my son started preschool this fall, and we’ve already had 3 viruses in 3 weeks, so, like you said, big petri dish. But my Aunt developed Guillain-Barre in the 70’s after getting the swine flue vaccine, and there’s this niggling worry in the back of mind as to whether maybe there is some genetic component to certain people that may make them more susceptible to that, and while I know that’s doubtful, I’m just too nervous. My Aunt was in a wheelchair the rest of her life. If that happened to my kids I’d feel so guilty. Of course, the other part of my brain feels like I’m worrying about something about as likely as getting struck by lightning while square dancing with a rooster on my head.
I will get her the vaccination and then worry about it. Same as I do with the others. I hate vaccinations but I love them. I couldn’t stand it if the kid was sick (especially seriously, let us not even speak of it sick) because I couldn’t pull the trigger. But I will hate it.
I am 17 1/2 weeks pregnant, wife to an amazing man and the proud mother of a 3 year old and a 5 year old.
No flu vaccines for us. Not now. Not ever.
They like to tell us things are safe. Remember Elidel? The cure all for Eczema. It was GREAT until it was found to cause cancer. Oops. It was Black Boxed the day after my doctor wrote me a prescription.
And now that Gardasil has actually killed young girls, hmmm that isnt as safe as they once thought too.
And we can extended that to arthritis medications, and prescription diet drugs.
No thanks. I’ll take my chances with hand washing, vitamin D and a glass of OJ in the morning.
You know how I feel about the additives in vaccines. They’re not safe. Even with only “trace” amounts of thimerosol, there is still aluminum to contend with. And other adjuvants. They just don’t KNOW. I watched my little guy go from a normal healthy baby who had met all his milestones into the descent into autism, and I DO blame the flu shot, combined with all the vaccines they wanted him “caught up” on, AND he was sick at the time, and, well, NO WAY. H1N1 is just not the killer they want you to believe it is. It’s the flu. I went to the CDC community forum in my town, and they really DON’T know what they are doing. Some Canadian studies suggest that the regular flu shot will make one more susceptible to contract H1N1 BEFORE that vaccine is even available. And it appears H1N1 was manmade, probably by the patent holder of the vaccine. Bolster your immune systems with Vitamins D and C and elderberry extract. Wash your hands, clean your surfaces of snotty excretions. Vaccine additives, especially aluminum, are now being thought to cause Alzheimers, ALS, and other cognitive disorders (including autism). And none of these vaccines are being tested cumulatively. Pediatricians are often stockholders in pharmaceutical companies… And the government officials tasked with vaccine safety are patent holders and sit on the boards of pharmaceutical companies, as well. Can you say “conflict of interest”? I knew you could…
After quite a bit of reading and discussion with my nurse friends, I am opting not to get the H1N1 vaccine. I don’t have children but I would be very nervous about giving this vaccine to children. I do not envy you parents having to make that decision.
The H1N1 vaccine was created with the SAME PROCESS as every flu vaccine for the past few decades. It makes NO SENSE to get the seasonal flu vaccine but avoid the H1N1 vaccine due to health concerns.
We always get a flu shot, but I worry about the H1N1 vaccine. I know 2 people who were adversely affected by it back on 76 (one died), and I am just not ready to take a chance on something quite so new.
I work for a public health nonprofit and what I have learned through my work has made me incredibly supportive of vaccines. I am not worried about the H1N1 vaccine possibly being dangerous. For one thing, as I’m sure you know, the seasonal flu vaccine is developed new every year, which is why we need one every year, because the expected strains of the virus are different each time. The H1N1 vaccine is developed using exactly the same methods as the seasonal flu vaccine, so even though it seems like it’s scary! and new! it is really just like a seasonal flu vaccine for a different strain. The H1N1 vaccine is being extensively tested, just like the seasonal flu vaccine is tested each year.
Secondly, I really don’t have concerns about thimerosal. There was a huge backlash against it a few years ago not due to any links to health problems, autism, etc., but due to a vocal and concerned minority raising questions about a possible link that was never found. Signs of autism often begin to show themselves at an age when kids are also receiving vaccines; of course there are bound to be some cases where the timing coincides, but it doesn’t mean they’re connected.
Also, flu can be more than just a week of suffering. It can cause serious complications and even death. It’s rare, but it happens. I also read the blog of a woman who miscarried her baby as a result of contracting H1N1. The flu, both seasonal and H1N1, can be dangerous; the vaccine is not.
The point here is, I get a seasonal flu vaccine every year, and will this year as well. I don’t fall into a risk group for H1N1 right now, but as I hope to become pregnant within the next year, I plan to get the H1N1 vaccine for myself when I have the opportunity. If I had kids they’d be getting the vaccine as well.
I was on the fence to begin with, but I didn’t know about that whole mercury thing. That is pushing me more towards the side of “no, thanks.” I trust my daughter’s pediatrician, though, so I’ll see what she has to say.
Great post, we’ve been wondering the same thing. We’re definitely going through with the regular flu shot (I might even get one), but not sure about the Pig shot. It’s going to be bad this year — some kids are already home from school with the crud. Strap it in.
I can’t even make the decision for myself, can’t imagine making it for kids. I’ll make a stab at the mercury restriction lifting question. This is a total guess but I’m willing to bet that the restrictions are in place based on repeated vaccinations. So you take out the mercury because the level in one shot has very low risk but over the course of a few years of vaccinations that risk increases significantly. The fact that the restriction is listed as being temporarily lifted might lead me to believe that they’re going to lift it for this season so that this vaccine can go out to the population quickly and they’ll put the restriction back in place so that the next incarnations of any flu vaccines, when they’ve had more time to refine them, will conform to the restriction.
Maybe I’m giving the powers that be too much benefit of the doubt but I think it’s possibly true.
thimerosal is UNEQUIVOCALLY unrelated to autism. epidemiology >>> anecdotal evidence. get the flu shot, and don’t worry. it’s so easy to worry and attribute already-present behaviors or minor unrelated symptoms to vaccines.
think of it as hedging your bets: the probability of you and/or your sweet kids getting the flu and being very uncomfortable (or, god forbid, worse) far exceeds that of anything happening related to the vaccine. the CDC isn’t part of a conspiracy, and the removal of thimerosal from vaccines in the first place was based on the uproar from NONscientists. Doctors are NOT scientists.
get the vaccine!
I’ve been struggling with it too but am leaning toward getting it for my son (15 months) when it becomes available. I don’t worry so much about the short testing time, because as far as I know, it’s that way with all flu vaccines. They have to wait until they know which strains of the flu are circulating each season, then concoct a vaccine to fight it. So it’s not like ANY flu vaccine has been tested for years and years. I am a firm believer in on-time vaccination and thankfully have a pediatrician who I would literally trust with my son’s life. I will probably ask to speak with him directly (not just his nurse) and get his take on it before making a final decision.
Nope. The sickest my children and I have ever been is the one year I marched us all in for flu shots. I ended up with pneumonia after three months of flu symptoms – the boys were sick for weeks. Whether it was the shot or standing in line with everyone else waiting for shots, I dunno…but I’d rather we all had strong healthy immune systems without help…I”m all for MMR-tetnus, but I don’t like the idea of flu shots, especially hurried-up panicky ones.
As a healthcare worker, I am mandated to get both vaccines. I am hesitant about the kids, however when we go, if both are available, I will get them both. If not, I will not go back a second time so I will leave it up to fate.
I’m 27 weeks pregnant with my first and I am really struggling with this. I have never had the flu, nor have I ever had the flu shot. So were I not pregnant, I wouldn’t think twice about not getting the vaccine, regular or H1N1.
But being pregnant, I’m more worried about both choices. The inclusion of thimerosol seems dangerous. I, like you, question why they would allow higher levels or something that they had been phasing out. And the regular flu vaccine is usually developed over a period of at least 6 months, so the rush on this one terrifies me because it won’t only affect me but also my yet-to-be-born daughter.
I actually just talked to my OB today and he wasn’t very helpful. He said he did recommend both vaccines because the flu can be dangerous for pregnant women and he never wants his patients to be sick. But he also said he would understand if I didn’t get either and he didn’t act too concerned about that choice.
My understanding of H1N1 is that it’s just another strand of the flu, just a strand that developed unexpectedly. My OB said that, had the CDC expected it, they would have planned for it in the regular flu vaccine anyway. And since I probably wouldn’t have gotten that, I don’t feel the need to get H1N1.
That being said, I will be heading to the doctor much faster than usual if I develop flu-like symptoms.
Jesus. I just decided to get my grown-up 26-year-old self a regular FLU vaccine this year. I hadn’t even considered the H1N1; nor the fact that once I crap out a kid we’re/ I’m responsible for making decisions like this too. Shitballs. Tough choice. I’d say (on the subject of assvice), if knowing that you’re kid will have no residual affects because they weren’t given a fast-tracked (and thus perhaps shaky) vaccine is worth a week from hell of flu… well, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Yeah, not very helpful, am I?
As I understand it, the mercury is in the H1N1 vaccine because it is being produced so quickly. Thimerosal is a preservative, and since the H1N1 vaccine is being produced under a shortened timeline, there simply isn’t enough time to do the usual extended stability and sterility studies that the production of a safe vaccine without thimerosal would require. So there is a reason for the thimerosal being in there, and I’m sure it’s the smallest amount possible. I think it would be best to do the H1N1 as a stand-alone shot, not in conjunction with another vaccination. That’s my plan, anyway.
I do hope that the swine flu does turn out to be a non-event, but if it is bad, the younger you are the more at risk for a bad outcome you are. If we can prevent a pandemic, we should.
I don’t want to get into a vaccination battle, but the vast majority of pediatricians do NOT own large amounts of big pharma stock, and members of FDA approval boards do NOT sit on company boards.
Sorry for the long comment!
I agree with what Hilary wrote: “I think people tend to ignore real risks (measles, H1N1) for not-proven risks (vaccinations might somehow harm my kid but nobody can prove it).” But I am going to try to get the preservative-free H1N1 vaccine for my son, if possible.
I didn’t get to read all the comments, but both my kids (ages 1.5 and nearly 5) will get the H1N1 vaccine – they both have asthmatic issues and are considered very high risk. Last year w/ “normal” flu/colds my son was at children’s hospital while on vacation twice fore breathing difficulty.
I know that people argue that vaccines MIGHT
not be safe, but I know my kids will struggle if w catch H1N1 – my husband and I plan to get both flu vaccines as well.
My son is almost 18 months, and I don’t think we’ll be getting the H1N1 vaccine either. I even held off on the MMR until he’s a bit older. He’s not in daycare, but even if he was, I think I would still make the same decision. We did get him the flu vaccine last year..but this H1N1 thing is so new, and the whole mercury thing freaks me out. I’m interested in reading everyone else’s opinions, but I think in the end, we all have to trust our instincts and go with our gut. I would hate to get him the vaccine and then be a worried mess about it.
Will get my 3 year old the regular flu shot, piggy shot – not so much. Too fast and like another commenter posted, years from now they could says ‘oops, that vaccine causes cancer’ Thanks but no thanks, I’ll take my chances.
I spoke with my ped about this last month at C’s 15 month appt. We are opting for the regular flu shot this year and possibly the H1N1. It is sort of a we’ll see thing because 1. it isn’t even available yet and 2. they are not who will even be eligible to receive it. I completely understand the concern about lifting the mercury limit and when I saw your tweet I was all WTF? but then I think, well how much mercury is in the albacore tuna I eat. I would like to see the comparison to that and then I could decide. Because trace amounts doesn’t mean anything to someone who isn’t a scientist you know?
Oops, I meant to add that if I can’t get the preservative-free vaccine, I’ll still get him the H1N1 vaccine. I think the risk of flu is too great not to, especially considering that my son goes to daycare every day.
No one in our house is getting the vaccine. My kids aren’t in daycare, and aside from a couple of teething-related low-grade fevers, neither child has ever been sick at all. My husband and I never get sick, and rarely does anyone in either extended family. We all eat very well, exercise, and, I believe, have naturally been lucky enough to get strong immune systems. I’m not trying to brag; I just think that our risk factor for our personal family is quite low. In fact, because I have multiple little ones napping in rounds all day long, we hardly ever even get out of the house. Pathetic, yes. Are we likely to get sick? No.
I’m concerned with the lack of testing, the mercury, etc. I don’t think our chances of getting the flu are very high at all. We’ll boost our immune systems with vitamins D and C. I really think the Swine Flu is being blown out of proportion, much like Swine Flu in the 70s and Bird Flu.
Our ped office is pretty conservative as it is, and they haven’t decided what their stance is on it yet. I trust them and if they recommend it, the boys will get it.
I hope they do recommend it, because my boys all have asthma, and they go to daycare, so I really don’t want them to get it.
I don’t work for any health related agencies, but I have to agree with Jess just based on my own thoughts and feelings. Last year I made my entire family get flu shots because we were bringing home baby during February- the month that is usually cursed with sickness for us. Last February was the first time in four years we were not sick. We will be getting the flu shot (mist for kids). If the swine flu shot is also available, we probably will get it.
both boys had the flu shot last yr. they are now 23mos and 12 mos. my FIL (an oncologist) does not recommend flu or swine flu vaccine for either one since they are not in daycare. he said def. no to swine flu vacc. bc of the newness of it. we will be skipping the swine flu vacc and so far getting the flu shot (in oct) bc we go to a shared play space for the kids. but am having doubts and may just cancel out membership there….so many concerns.
Wow…it’s like I didn’t even read my comment before I hit submit. 2. should read they don’t even know who will be eligible to receive it (i.e. who is defined as high risk if it is to be limited to that?).
My husband and I don’t get flu shots. My children will not be getting the H1N1 shot. I haven’t decided if they will get the regular flu shot (they are 3.5 and 6 months). I don’t have any medical reasons for why I don’t get the shots, I just dont feel comfortable doing so. The people I know that get flu shots always get sick anyway.
I actually think the flu shot is a conspiracy, but that’s just my opinion.
I had the swine flu & couldn’t breathe for a week (I also have asthma). It was awful & am awaiting the vaccine with trepidation. The CDC keeps changing guidelines (2 shots for all, no 1 shot, no 2 shots for kids under 10, WTF?) & that makes me nervous that they’re making it up as they go along. Hopefully the germ farm my kids attend will be swine flu-free!
Not that this would have changed my opinion because I wouldn’t prob get the flu or H1N1 for me or my kids but my husband ended up in the ER because of an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine a few years ago. It was one of those random things–he was the “one in whatever number”. Kind of like anyone who has a reaction to an immunization, has complications from the flu, etc. The risks go both ways and no one wants to be ‘that’ statistic on either side of it.
My kids are 16 and 19(one has asthma)….and have NEVER had the flu shot….I work in the healthcare field and forgo the flu shot. I got it one year(a year the were predicting a major flu season)…and it was the sickest winter of my life….caught every virus, cold, puke bug going around….swear the flu shot wiped out my immunity….just my thinking. Also, most doctors and nurses I know, not big flu shot getting type people either.
The problem with relying on your pediatrician is that they can be biased. Given the legal system in this country, doctors are forced to always err on the side of covering their butts.
If they recommend to parents that their kids not get the shot and god forbid a child dies, they are in for a boatload of shit.
If they recommend parents do get the shot and god forbid a child dies, they aren’t responsible.
Which way would you go?
I’m not saying that all pediatricians think this way, but it’s certainly a factor. I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times that our children have gotten sick on the weekend and I cringe because I know what comes next. My wife calls the on call doctor, and 99 times out of a 100 the doctor utters the 6 worst words you can hear: “Take him/her to the emergency room”.
And 98 out of those 99 times, it’s a totally useless trip. You spend 3 hours (if you’re lucky) at the hospital only to be sent home with the “it’s a virus, nothing we can do, give them pedialyte and call your doctor on Monday”.
I’ll throw in my two cents but it’s probably not even worth that. H1N1 is alive and well at my office and at this point I’m more concerned about being exposed to the mushroom clouds of Lysol and the fumes from the hand sanitizer. I am constantly amazed by the number of adults I see not covering their mouths when they cough and sneeze and not washing their hands after using the bathroom. GROSS. I wish we’d spend more time educating the adults, who think this behavior is acceptable, than all the time and energy spent freaking about the swine. Because really, when peeps are among us in society behaving like that, Lord only knows what else they are spreading. The swine might be the least of our concerns. Get the regular flu shot but don’t get the H1N1. It’s too new, roo rushed, too scary. The peeps I know with the swine say it is a week on the couch with a fever and a cough and the cough will last for a week or two beyond that. I can do w/o the fever and cough but I’ll take one order of a week on the couch, please.
I am with you on this one, though I don’t have kids so I only have to worry about my own personal self.
My mom works at a medical school–not as a doctor, as an administrator–so she feels she is hip to all the most recent medical news. She is ADAMANT that I get the H1N1 vaccine. I am 26, so I am right in a prime age group for it, and I have asthma, which apparently puts me at a bigger risk. She says one of the residents at the medical school–a person with asthma, but otherwise healthy–is currently in the hospital on a ventilator from H1N1.
So why do I feel so hesitant about getting the vaccine? Why do I resist getting the regular flu shots every year? It’s what the doctors say is best. I understand, from a community health perspective, that when more people get the vaccine, it helps to limit the overall spread of the bug, thus helping to limit the total number of deaths and whatnot.
Yet, I feel so icky about the idea of getting the vaccine. I think part of me wants to believe I’m stronger than that the flu, and stronger than H1N1, and part me of is afraid of what could be lurking in that vial. I don’t know which of those fears is the more foolish.
I have always gotten the regular flu shot for my kids. My youngest ends up on the nebulizer just from a cold and had RSV as an infant so god only knows what the flu would do to her. My oldest got the flu one year at Christmas because it ran out. She was incredibly sick during the first Christmas she was really aware of the holiday (I think she was three). Giving a small feverish child suppositories is NOT my idea of a merry christmas. We have never had any side effects from the vaccine and recently they’ve gotten the flu mist when it was available.
As for swine flu, I don’t know. It takes two doses, I’ve read, which means three separate trips to the doctor (45 min away; driving in rush hour traffic). I understand the swine flu is less awful than the regular one. I’m on the fence about it.
Oh, and I have never had a flu shot. Neither has my husband. I think we have each had the flu once in the last 10 years. I did get my daughter the flu shot last year, only because she had just started preschool. The month before she got the shot, she had the flu.
“Some Canadian studies suggest that the regular flu shot will make one more susceptible to contract H1N1 BEFORE that vaccine is even available.” – this was from an unconfirmed, unpublished study of only 2,000 people. It is not reliable information.
I’m pregnant too (20 weeks tomorrow!), and I’ve never gotten any type of flu vaccine in the past, mostly because I don’t go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to. Not out of fear or anything. I just don’t like strangers. Anyway, my doctor did recommend both vaccines for me, especially since the baby will be born during the middle of flu season. I am pretty set on getting the thimerosol-free version, but not because of any supposed link to autism. I just figure if they don’t want me eating fish more than once a week because of the mercury content in it then getting a shot that contains it if I have another option seems kind of silly.
Also, I agree 100% with Jess – the H1N1 vaccine has been developed the same way the seasonal flu vaccine is developed every year. If they had known it was going to be an issue in time, it would have been included in that vaccine.
Crap. Forgot to enter my info. Anonymous at 1:33 was me.
I’m almost 15 weeks pregnant, and I just got my seasonal flu shot today. When the H1N1 vax comes out, I plan to get it as well.
I agree with others who have noted that the known risk of complications from flu, especially the at-risk population such as pregnant women and small children, outweigh the unproven, alleged risks from vaccines.
(As the New York Times pointed out today in an article about vaccine fears, people drop dead and get into car crashes within a day of having a flu shot, but it doesn’t mean the flu shot CAUSED the sudden death or the car crash.)
Although the scary stories and the news about mercury/thimerosol give me that niggling worry, too (whether or not that’s rational, based on available scientific evidence), I’m not a biochemist or a physician, and the people who have been working their tails off to develop this vaccine (in the same way, as others have said, they developed vaccines in the past) — not to mention my own doctors — know a whole lot more about this than I do. You know? Not that I blindly follow medical advice, but in the end I defer to their expertise.
Anyway, bottom line is that so long as my OB/GYN and my primary doctor continue to recommend the H1N1 for me, I will get it.
P.S. Centers for Disease Control quietly revised their current autism statistics to be one in 100 children in the U.S. in the autism spectrum. More in some parts of the country. I’d consider THAT a pandemic.
I work at home, I keep our two year old at home with me. We also have a first grader – who lovingly delivers illnesses to us from time to time. My husband works in an outside office. My husband may get a flu vaccine. I am not getting myself or my girls the vaccine. Regular or H1N1. Personally I’m not convinced that the vaccine makes much of a difference (because they guess the strain and so far most people I know get ill after getting the vaccine). I’m sure I’m in the minority but I’d rather risk getting the flu. As a side note, we do all other child vaccinations as scheduled.
Thimerosal (the mercury stuff) was taken out b/c of the theory on it linking to autism. Obviously autism has not decreased since they started taking it out of shots years ago, but now the limit is in place, there it is – for no real reason. This type of mercury doesn’t build up in the system, unlike douche Piven’s and is perfectly safe. Here is some info from the W.H.O. http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/thiomersal/statement_jul2006/en/index.html
I’ll be first in line for the H1N1.
Try reading VACCINATED, by Paul Offit. It squashed a lot of vaccination myths for me, particularly those regarding autism.
For example: My understanding is that the mercury in vaccines is different from mercury in thermometers — sort of like the way liquor is different from rubbing alcohol.
Well not to pick on one post, but it struck a chord. I too was of the “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” I was proud of the fact that my twin daughters, at age 3, had never been to an ER and had only gone to the doctor for vaccinations and regular checkups. All was well.
One of my girls was diagnosed with Leukemia July 21. She had abdominal pain for 5 days, no fever and trouble walking/sitting down. We thought it was a virus, and associated Guilliame-Barre. Turns out we had classic symptoms of Leukemia.
We are in week 9 of a 2.5 year course of treatment, with the first 6 months being chemo every week. She has a 90% surivival rate if we follow the protocol and listen to our doctor.
We already got our flu shots, and you better believe it we are all getting H1N1 as soon as it is available.
There are far worse things than the flu. Protect yourselves from what you can, and IMO, be grateful that medicine has come as far as it has.
If people hadn’t listen to their doctors, the disease that my daughter has would kill her. 30 years ago there was a 1% survival rate. Now the same thing has a 90% survival rate because medicine has evolved over those years. Your doctors are not fools. Listen to them.
I have a 22 month old daughter, and I’m currently 20 weeks pregnant. I have asthma. According to what I’ve heard in the media, I should be first in line to get the H1N1 vaccine. However, when I went for my annual physical, my doctor told me to skip it. He said that they don’t test these things on pregnant women, like most drugs…pregnant women aren’t included in clinical trials. He said the risks are unknown, and the strain we’ve had is much more mild than many other flus we’ve had.
I still plan to talk to my pediatrician about it the next time I go, but for now I think I am content with not getting it myself. (I will get the regular flu shot though) I will take my ped’s recommendation on my little one. I trust my particular doctors, and in the past it has always served me well that they are pretty hands off when it comes to medicating, etc. That’s why I choose to go to them.
We do regular vaccinations (MMR, etc.) but not the flu shot. The fact that they have to be gotten each year and even then, don’t cover every single flu option, AND the shot can give you the flu? Seems a lot of risk for not a lot of reward. Granted, the autism link has been dis proven, and I wasn’t worried about that either. But the flu? Not too worried.
That, and my husband is a SAHD with our daughter and I work in the front office of the building and rarely come in contact with anyone. So the fear for the swine flu is low.
I’m getting them. I’m also pregnant, if that counts for anything. The risk of H1N1 for pregos (death) outweighs the risks from the shot (er, zero, if you look into it, and minor risks if you want to be extra paranoid). I’m married to a public health PhD, and the whole “It hasn’t been tested much” thing isn’t relevant here. It HAS been sufficiently tested (CDC website for more info), and further, the H1N1 shot is basically a tweaked flu shot, which has been around for a zillion years. The worst thing that could happen if I do get the shot is that it doesn’t work. Christ, there are zillions of talented, concerned public health professionals working their asses off for pennies to try to help save our communities from needlessly dying from preventable illness, none of whom are linked to any pharma company or government or money-mongers. They just genuinely don’t want you to die, and take great care with their work and research. By all means, do your own research and follow your own comfort level, but don’t call it a fricking conspiracy.
After reading Mrs Soup’s comment, I feel the need to clarify: the flu shot cannot give you the flu. The injected flu shot contains inactivated (killed) viruses, and the nasal spray contains attenuated (weakened) strains that are too insignificant to cause flu illness. Full stop. If you get the flu right after getting the flu shot, it means you had already been exposed to the virus (probably three to five days earlier), because it can take your body up to two weeks post-vaccination to build full immunity.
Linda, I am strongly pro-vaccination, and suggest that you do some more research if you’re really concerned. Here’s something you might want to check out re: mercury — http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/thiomersal/statement_jul2006/en/index.html.
If it were my kids, I would absolutely get the shots. But, at the end of the day, the decision is yours and don’t let anyone, including me, make you feel shitty about it.
I’m vaccinating everyone. Me, Adam and the baby. With H1N1 AND the seasonal flu shot. I am, however, very pro-vaccine, have done my own research (research I realize that other people have done THEIR own research to refute, and I’m okay with that), and I’m comfortable with all of it.
I’ve read countless studies on Thimerosal and discussed it with my doctor at length, and am comfortable with my decision. And dude, this is Vermont, where a larger than normal portion of the population does not vaccinate, and our pediatrician is supportive of that.
Thimerosal is processed completely differently in the body than other types of mercury and is actually excreted before it builds up in the body. As others have said, the autism link is non-existent, in my opinion, because even after its removal, autism has not decreased — and in fact, continues to rise.
What I do NOT understand, however, is the people who will get the regular flu shot and not the swine flu shot. People! Yes, it was developed quickly, but you know what? So is the flu shot, every year. Same process. True story. Same additives. True story. And because the swine flu is done with a *known* strain, it is expected to be very effective. Versus, you know, the flu strain that they GUESS at every year.
Jess said my feelings best, as well. I am a big old vaccinator. I do not believe that autism and vaccines are linked, and I am relatively vocal about it when asked, although I don’t come out with it regularly, as I know people are touchy.
So next month, Adam and I are getting two shots. The baby is getting four — two shots, one week apart.
Just for full disclosure…I am not pro-vaccine. I follow a modified Dr. Sears alternative vac schedule. I was not planning on getting the regular flu shot for my son or the h1n1 but after all of the h1n1 scares I’m considering the regular flu shot now. I will not be doing h1n1 because of all the reasons you mentioned but feel like maybe the fully tested flu shot is a “risk” I’m willing to take in such a high risk flu year. My logic may not make any sense but I will be talking to our ped about it.
Well, our group health Dr here in Seattle said that it would be fine to NOT get the shot for our almost three year old and that even if she gets it, just to treat this flu like any other. I was not totally sure until I read the news about the thimerosol and then my husband and I both said OH HELL TO THE NO we are not giving her that shot…we’re just washing our hands a bunch and eating well and staying out of playgroups for a bit.
It’s just my husband and I and our two dogs…no kiddos yet… We do not get the regular flu vaccine and definitely not the H1N1. Like so many others, we eat clean, work out often, wash our hands, throw away our dirty tissues and then wash our hands again. We both work in 1000+ employee cube farms which is just as disgusting as the petri-dish daycares. We might get a bug here and there but we haven’t had the flu in the 10 years we’ve been together. If I had kids, I would probably do the seasonal one for them, but no H1N1.
I always get a flu shot, because I commute by public transit, have a deadline-heavy job that makes missing work difficult, and also, THE FLU SUCKS. REALLY REALLY HARD. I think a lot of people don’t realize how awful the flu can be. The last time I had it, I was sick for three weeks, and came down with all kinds of secondary infections. It was awful. I can’t imagine having a kid go through that.
I have a 10-month-old daughter who is in daycare and her pediatrician was strongly recommending the H1N1 shot the last time we were in. She (the ped) said that H1N1 was the most contagious virus she had seen in a long time–if one person in a family got it, the whole family would get it. I don’t want my baby girl to get sick like I did the last time I had flu. I don’t want to get sick because she picks something up from daycare.
The swine flu vaccine is tested just as much as the regular flu vaccine–as someone else said, both are new this year, and every year. And considering that this is likely to be the only vaccine she’ll receive that has thimerosal in it (because all other kids’ vaccines don’t have it), I’m really not concerned, even if I did think there was a causal link between thimerosal and autism. Which there is NOT.
Is there a guarantee the shots will prevent you getting sick? No. Do I plan to use every tool available to me to avoid getting sick, and to avoid my daughter and husband getting sick? Yes.
My kids are in day care/school, I work with in the court system and get coughed on all day long. We have never had flu shots and won’t be getting a brand new shot. We vax for everything else but not flu. We go to a chiropractor and get adjusted regularly and since we started doing that, we rarely get sick. We started probiotics in addition to our regular vitamins. I will worry that they’ll get sick this year just like every other year, but will take that over the worry of unknown effects of a shot that may or may not even work against the flu.
First – an honest request: I didn’t read through all of these comments, so I’m kinda hoping you do a follow-up post to talk about what the majority of us say.
I’m terrified of the H1N1 vaccine. I firmly believe that if I had girls, I wouldn’t even flinch. But knowing that boys are more likely to develop autism, and they haven’t 100% cleared the connection of vaccine to autism.. well, it’s gotten me spooked.
I just kind of feel that we’ll all be getting the seasonal flu vaccine. We’ll take our chances on H1N1 until it’s been around for a few seasons. And if the daycares start requiring it?
.. we’ll just cross that bridge when we get there, I guess.
And you know what? I can handle people who don’t like vaccinating their kids. I can handle the fact that some people don’t like the vaccine or the preservatives or whatever.
What I cannot handle is the people who think it’s a CONSPIRACY. Oh for CHRISSAKE. A CONSPIRACY. This isn’t a TV movie. We are not on 24. It’s the FLU. A STRAIN OF THE FLU. IT HAPPENS.
I am going to try and get my kids vaccinated for H1N1, unfortunately my pediatricians office said they are not expecting to get the vaccine until quite some time AFTER its released, so she suggested going to my county health clinic when its available and getting the kids vaccinated, but please when I tried to get my son in for vaccines there in 2005 (back when my health insurance only covered the first $200 in preventative care) I waited over 2 1/2 hours and NEVER DID receive any shots, gave up and took my distraught child home.
My kids have, however, already received their annual regular flu shots/flu mists….. and my worry level for the h1n1 vaccine just isnt that high, I choose every year to get my kids the flu shot and EVERY year its new so why flip out over this one? I generally do what my pediatrician says to do, if I didn’t trust her, she wouldn’t be my kids doc.
any side effects from any vaccine, including the H1N1 are better than DEAD. which is a side effect of any flu, and the H1N1 is more hard on child then the season flu. so i am vaccinating my 2 year old, and my husband, and myself as we have a 3 month old and any side effects are better off then having my child in the hospital.
the H1N1 had been tested on 44,000 people in china. 44,000! at least that is what i remember reading in the NYtimes story. i don’t think that is a small sample size for testing.
chance of bad side effects from vaccine<< chance of death from flu
though both are VERY small, i rather not take the chance.
I have no idea. I’m trying very hard to walk the line between responsible and panicky parent. We have all gotten our regular flu shots, and my gut says get the H1N1 since it is supposedly is created the same way as the regular flu shot.
That being said, I am worried about this mercury business. And worried about the media coverage. Are they making it out to be worse than it is? Or are they simply trying to help us make informed choices. Ugh. I just don’t know.
My pedi is recommending it, said to call back in October to see if they have it, and if they are still recommending it. My son has post-bronchiolitis asthma and possibly exposing him to the swine flu and all the horribleness that goes along with it for someone in the “risk” pool – well – I don’t feel good about that. So …I will probably get it for him [22 mo] and probably get it for my 4.5 yr old daughter as well.
Yeah. Basically I am no help at all. :)
I’m a mother to an autistic son. And I, too, am on the fence over the H1N1 vaccine. All I can think about is whether or not there really *is* a connection between the vaccines and autism. What if my high-functioning autistic son turns into a low-functioning, non-verbal autistic boy? I’m not sure I can live with that. So I think that we’ll skip this one. But I’m willing to hedge my bets because he’s never had a flu vaccine.
I, on the other hand, had a flu shot last week. I may also get the H1N1 shot if it becaomes available to me. I work in childcare, and those little ones are always getting me sick!
First of all, ask your doc if they will be administering individual doses or using the multidose vaccine. Only the multidose vaccine contains thimerisol. I am 32 weeks pregnant and my OB strongly recommended both vaccines, but also assured me that they would be receiving the individual dose units w/o thimerisol.
On the other hand, I have heard that the amount of mercury in a vaccine is about equivalent to the mercury in a can of tuna. I would encourage you to research this particular statement though as I am unsure of its accuracy.
All that being said, I have heard from parents that H1N1 is really no worse than the regular flu (maybe even not as bad) for an otherwise healthy child. However, I do agree with the person who commented that “The swine flu vaccine is tested just as much as the regular flu vaccine… both are new this year, and every year.”
Linda,
I’m a Registered Nurse in a Medical ICU in TN and this weekend there was 4 patients (all under the age of 40) that were relying on a ventilator to breathe because of H1N1. So, I will be the first one in line to vaccinate myself and my three year old daughter. Yes, it’s scary, but to me not nearly as scary as what I witnessed Saturday night. Just my two cents.
I’m exactly where you are. I’m mostly concerned with the limited time with which companies have had to complete the vaccine.
It IS a shitty decision either way.
Undoubtedly I will get one, as will my husband. But it’s our daughter that I’m still worried about…
I’m wavering between feeling like this is all a scam from the media to freak everyone out to worrying that my one year old son is at risk when I let him sit in a shopping cart without sanitizing the rails. I have never gotten a flu shot before and I don’t plan on getting either vaccine for me or him, unless my hesitant to medicate doctor tells me I should.
I have 3 kids (6,4, and 2) and am pregnant. The older kids have asthma and we always get our seasonal flu vaccines. But the H1N1?
We are sitting it out. We live in Texas and the swine flu is already making the rounds in our area including some of my nieces and nephews. It seems to be a few days of fever, achy misery then over.
I’m a nurse and think that the vaccine is being rushed and I don’t want my kids to be guinea pigs. Frankly I don’t trust much that the government (both Rep and Dem) does and especially when they hurry.
Also, my dad work at a local hospital and is part of their emergency management team. They’ve been having lots of meetings with the health department over H1N1 and were all cautioned NOT to get the vaccine.
Here’s my highly illogical response: I’ve been sorta wishing my kids just get the H1N1 already, if it’s going to go around anyway, and then we’ll be DONE with it. Natural immunity before it mutates ETC. Because if they DID get it, it wouldn’t be my “fault”- they are in public school all day and all, and then we’d just be able to quit fretting about the vaccine.
I am clearly one of those people that should have never been allowed to raise offspring.
Since my kid is behind on shots in general I am getting him the h1n1 when it’s available. ‘Cause ya know his ummune system is already less protected. It’s such a hard thing to wrap yourself around in re: to shots. It pisses me off in some respects because it’s also a cash cow. My pedi won’t cover the flu shot for Levi under insurance. Pay outta pocket. WTF? I don’t know. I wouldn’t feel an ounce bad for whatever you choose. Honestly I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer to it, it’s almost whatever your situation is, act accordingly. :)
Jess said: “The H1N1 vaccine is developed using exactly the same methods as the seasonal flu vaccine, so even though it seems like it’s scary! and new! it is really just like a seasonal flu vaccine for a different strain. The H1N1 vaccine is being extensively tested, just like the seasonal flu vaccine is tested each year.”
Same methods, different time scale…
I believe that this makes a huge difference in Quality Assurance.
I’d love it if the companies addressed, honestly, what ’shortcuts’ they took for the swine flu vaccine vs ‘regular’ vaccine. I’d love it also if the gov’t explained why it lifted certain restrictions on swine flu content only. I don’t believe in the hype about thermisol and autism, and maybe ‘regular’ thermisol limits are un-supportively low, but I do believe in adequate review and science-based decisions regarding health policy, and a temporary lift of a typical restriction doesn’t sit well with me.
Penny: I think that’s a great point. But I actually think you answered your own question. The time scale is different but not that drastically because a big portion of the seasonal flu vaccine development is spent trying to identify which strains are likely to be prevalent the following season. This is not a concern with the H1N1 vaccine as the strain was already clearly identified. As well, as I think a couple of people have stated before me, the sacrifices made to accommodate for the somewhat shorter time frame are in the arena of the production method and the preservation and longevity of the vaccine, which is why they are using thimerosal with this vaccine when normally it is not used.
I think it makes perfect sense for Washington state to lift the thimerosal restriction in this case, because the restriction was implemented in response to concerns about autism that have been shown to be unfounded. Therefore, lifting a restriction that does nothing but placate a vocal minority in favor of increasing access to a vaccine against a disease that can cause serious health problems makes perfect sense to me.
Pete received his regular Gulf War newsletter (for Marines in that war) warning against taking the H1N1 vaccine because it is tied to Gulf War Syndrome? Something in it is the same thing that caused that shit ass ailment I guess. Google this: H1N1 vaccine gulf war syndrome, and read for yourself. On another note, our Dr is only giving them to compromised kids, she told us that it is no different than any other flu, as long as you are healthy to begin with. Those things combined have us not getting them.
I work at a hospital (but not in direct patient care) and they are pushing HARD for everyone to get a seasonal flu shot. I got mine the other day at a “roaming shot station” in one of the halls. They are already starting to push the H1N1 shot for when it arrives, but uhhh…I’m just not sure I want to do that. I’m in one of the “high risk” groups so the push is hard but when I read your tweet about the lifting of the limits on thimerosol and read more about that I started thinking otherwise. If I can get the mercury-free shot I think I will be more likely to do it. Same for my daughter, who is getting her seasonal flu shot on Sunday when our Ped is holding a walk-in clinic (with all thimerosol-free shots). She’s in preschool so I am concerned, but not enough to rush into it – I think for the whole family we will wait for the mercury-free shots.
also – re: sarah’s comment:
” they haven’t 100% cleared the connection of vaccine to autism”
YES THEY HAVE! numerous studies have cleared vaccines (and the mercury in vaccines) as a connection to autism!
In fact, the whole myth of a vaccine connection to autism was created by a guy in england who admitted that he had no data. he admitted he made it up. and he lost his medical license.
please get your facts straight. talk to your doctor. and don’t listen to celebrities. or bloggers. or people who comment on blogs.
My kids are 7 and 16 months. Neither has ever had a flu shot.
With the big scare this year I am considering it for all of us, but we will not get the H1N1. I just don’t trust something developed so quickly. They used to say Paxil was safe during pregnancy along with a host of other drugs and we see how well that turned out. I just don’t trust this new vaccine yet.
My biggest frustration with H1N1 is that even pediatricians are calling symptoms of regular flu the swine flu. Oh, you’ve had these sudden symptoms, you must have it. By the time the test results come back, you are over it and only then do you know for sure if you had it. I don’t understand this. They say you do, you tell everyone around you that you’ve contracted this new flu strain, then might find out a week later the diagnosis was wrong – it was the regular flu.
I don’t play into the media hype around it. I believe it’s another push from health providers to scare people. It’s a serious problem, but it’s so new, how can they be sure their vaccine protects against this particular strain? Ugh!
Weeeeeeeell, my ped. told me to get it at least for my son, because if he got the flu (swine flu aside), he could get really sick and may require hospitalization. So, I got it for kiddo.
My friend who has a child the same age said her ped. told her it was NOT necessary, and that if the kid got the flu it would be no big deal, she’d be fine.
Pretty sure you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t and we just have to make our best judgment based gut feelings and all the research our heads can hold.
I didn’t even know about the whole mercury thing until later, I thought that was a different shot. Parenting sucks.
because of your comments and links on Twitter about thimerosal, I called in the local radio station (Ocala, Florida’s WIND-FM) and brought it to the attention of the listeners. I think it’s scary, and our family certainly won’t get one. They ban it even though they claim it’s safe? then bring it back? I love waffles!
Jess: hilarious that we are ‘conversing’ on Sundry’s blog when we live in the same city. I should just friggin’ call you.
Actually there was a case in 2008 where the MMR vax was found by US federal claims court to be linked to a specific child’s autism. Wakefield isn’t the only scientist to question the link, there are some actual credible ones out there too. But, moving on…
As a pregnant woman about to move to the US from Canada, I admit I’m a leetle worried about H1N1. But not scared, per se. It’s funny that I’m a vax candidate for the exact reason that makes me hesitate to get it! This particular vax makes me nervous as it is, for all the reasons you and your commenters have already hashed out.
I don’t typically get the seasonal flu shot, either, nor do my kids. (We do vax the kids, just delayed and well-spaced, as well as selectively) I’m focusing more on proven, natural immune system boosters (echinacea, astragalus, glyconutrients, vit D, etc) and having a store of that oscillo-whatsis homeopathic on hand if we do fall ill.
I will be keeping my eye on the info about the vax to see if my opinion on getting it for the kids changes. I doubt it, and I really really doubt I’ll end up changing my mind and getting it myself.
It may be moot; the flu is barreling through our area and my dotter has something that is sure acting like the flu but does not test positive, and is being prescribed Tamiflu.
Anyway, the issue of the thimerosol in the vaccine is because they are preparing multi-dose vials, and the thimerosol is to protect against cross-contamination from multiple needle sticks into the same vial. As others have said, it’s the same flu vaccine that is done every year; the only reason it’s rushed is because all the vaccine companies had geared up for the *expected* flu vaccine, and had to re-gear for H1N1 vaccine, too.
There’s plenty of debunking of the thimerosol-autism link available. The main one that nails it for me is that thimerosol was removed from kids’ vaccines back in 2002, but the incidence of autism has still continued to climb.
Also, for those who say H1N1 is a “mild flu”…even “regular” flu causes around 35,000 deaths per year in the U.S. The differences are (a) H1N1 is “novel”, hasn’t been around in any form similar since 1957, so most people are susceptible to it, (b) it seems to be affecting kids, teens, and young adults much worse than adults in general, whereas “regular” flu hits senior citizens hardest. The incidence of H1N1 is skyrocketing now that flu season has started; some hospitals are setting up tents outside the ER to help with the crunch, and one hospital pediatrician has said that 1/4 of all the cases in his pediatric ICU are H1N1.
So, I’d get the shot…but it’s very likely that it’ll be available too late, in reality.
We asked our doc at my son’s 3 year well check. We’ve decided (and he agreed) it’s a no go for our family. Mostly because we’re 90% sure my husband and son had a mild case earlier in the summer, but also because I’m…well, wary. We’re being extra cautious (purell everywhere we’re out, etc…) and go from there.
Already got our flu shots. Last year, my husband and I missed a combined one week of work taking care of our ridiculously sick son when he had the flu. I will do anything to prevent a repeat this year.
This issue is so huge. I live in WA too and understand their reasoning for the thimerisol inclusion, but do NOT in any way agree with it. My kids are 7 and 5 and will get the regular flu shot (last year was the 1st year they had ever had a flu shot) but not H1N1. I’ll get a flu shot and my husband never gets one.
I think, for the most part, health care workers don’t get flu shots as much is because they are continuously making antibodies to every germ they come across every day in their jobs and develop some pretty good immunity after a few years. If I was around sick people on a regular basis, I wouldn’t get the flu shot either.
Michelle – The one case in the U.S. was related to mitochondrial disease, not autism. They have similar symptoms, but one is definitely genetic; the ruling in that case was that the vaccine MIGHT have aggravated the “underlying mitochondrial disorder, which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of autism spectrum disorder.” In other words, the child had an existing condition–a mitochondrial disorder that affected her mentally. She got a vaccine, it caused a fever, the fever aggravated her mitochondrial disorder.
That’s the one and only case–among hundreds brought–that has resulted in any hint of any connection between vaccines and autism-like disorders.
I think we are going to get the H1N1, but I’m not 100% yet. We already got our regular flu vaccine a couple of weeks ago, knowing that it didn’t contain thimerosol.
I think whether or not our pediatrician’s office has the H1N1 vaccine with thimerosol will be the deciding factor.
Me: RN in an adult ICU. Will get both regular and H1N1 shot, despite the fact I’m 90% sure both baby and I are on the tail end of H1N1 as I type this.
Baby: 13 mos old. Daycare 3x/week. Will get regular flu shot. Due to above statement, will skip H1N1 vax for him.
Husband: Never gets flu shot. Never gets sick. Works at computer-geek office. Will let him decide what he wants to do.
MD who I really admire and trust at work: says to just skip the H1N1 vax cause it’s too little too late, but make sure to get the regular one.
I don’t have children so don’t have to make that decision. But because I’m compelled to throw my 2 bucks in the hat….:)
These two babies here, my niece and nephew, they just got over it. Caught it on a plane and the way they were tearing up Red Robin I would say they survived it just fine.
http://valria.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/just-in/
They were great, thoughtful children and shared with the parents, so everyone got to feel miserable all at the same time.
However I do have to make the decision for myself and I will be doing exactly what I always do and skip the flu vaccine, N1H1 and other.
YES to the regular autumn time flu shot.
NO to the H1N1. too much mercury for me! my brother is autistic. if autism is part genetic, part vaccine induced (I mean, no one can figure out why so many kids are autistic nowadays) then my child is too high risk for me to risk it. no thank you!
Debating the potential, statistically unlikely pitfalls of a vaccine is the luxury of a healthy family. Though I’m not a parent, I’m with Jonna in being very pro-vaccine and making educated choices. However, within that, I believe it’s unwise to get hung up on hypothetical situations when the pros and cons of reality already give clear answers.
I don’t think I’ll be getting either vaccine as a healthy person not in a risk group, and it didn’t come up with my doctor last week. But I would still consider it since herd immunity is beneficial to society as a whole. And because airplanes are giant germ tubes and I have to fly regularly for work.
But if I were in any type of risk group or close to anyone in a risk group? I would be the first person at my doctor’s door.
I have been wanting to post about this for a few weeks, but was scared that I’d come across all crazy and paranoid. I am not getting the vaccine and neither are my kids. After doing some research on it, I am scaaaaared to death of that vaccine. It contains squalene, which causes all kinds of scary stuff.
Mercola.com has a video up right now (under the Flu Vaccine Exposed link) that you might want to watch. I don’t know how reliable the information is, but it’s enough for me. My family is staying far away from that vaccine as well as the regular flu vaccine.
Mercola.com is a notoriously anti-vax site that has had a LOT of information on it debunked. I’m not saying people don’t subscribe to those theories, but know that you’re getting your information from a very biased source.
Nic: that well may be, but it doesn’t mean we don’t worry anyway. Worrying about the quality of food we give our children is the luxury of a family who has access to food, right? And yet.
I’m really grateful for everyone sharing their opinions, it’s been good to read through all these different points of view. I wish I had the conviction of some of you, either way. It might be easy to eye-roll at people who feel hesitant about a decision that seems black and white, but it’s not easy to be the hesitant person in question.
Thanks for keeping all of this discussion so civil and awesome.
Disclaimer: I work for one of the companies providing vaccine in the US. I will be getting the nasal spray H1N1 vaccine next week.
I just wanted to say that all of the standard safety measures have been followed while producing and testing the H1N1 vaccine as are done for the yearly seasonal flu vaccine.
Things have been rushed but that just means our workload has increased for the last few months; not that we are skipping any steps.
I think what you’re already doing (asking the pediatrician and mulling it over) are the sensible things to do. Maybe do some reading on the CDC and WHO webpages if you need more info. Good luck with your decision.
I have a 14 month old daughter and am 13 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. My OB has recommended against getting the H1N1 vaccine for me and I probably won’t get it for my daughter either.
My daughter is home with me, so she’s not exposed to that many other children except when we do playgroup.
My OB showed me the literature that comes with the regular flu vaccine and it says that it has not been fully tested on pregnant women and they are unsure if there will be fetal harm caused by it (either in the womb, or later issues). The H1N1 vaccine has the same literature attached to it. I understand that the H1N1 vaccine is similar to the regular flu vaccine, but I personally don’t feel that either one is “safe” for pregnant women. It’s a hard decision for me because I have to weigh the risk that the vaccines could harm my baby or I could get the flu and that could harm me or the baby.
I’m opting to not get the vaccine after discussing it with my OB and multiple other medical doctors. My daughter’s pediatrician said she was not getting either flu shot for her daughter because it is 2 shots for regular flu and 2 for H1N1 if they’re under a certain age. She thought that could just be too much stress on a little body.
Sundry: I totally understand that. I should note that right before I posted I saw the note about Mercola, who among other things is anti-: pasteurization, SPF, soy and fluoride, and is widely debunked, which made me rephrase the first sentence.
Re: Autism and Vaccines
There are SO MANY OTHER THINGS more prevalent in society now than they were 80 years ago. Processed foods, pollution, media/tv dependance, lack of outdoor time, chemicals in drinking water, various plastics, other manufactured materials, synthetic cloth, pesticides….
Thiomersal has been in vaccines since the 1930’s. The drastic increase in autism diagnosis began in 1996. That’s a pretty big time gap, there.
Ah-ha! you say. There could be just as many cases in the 1930’s, but no one knew what it was! It could be the vaccine! Yes, but there could have been just as many cases in the 1800’s, the 1700’s, before thiomersal was introduced, who knows?
The compound has been largely removed since 1999, yet the number of diagnosed cases is still rising. And even before the link was alleged, autism tended to manifest itself around the age children were receiving their vaccinations.
It just seems everyone is stuck on this one, simple-sounding cure – no more vaccines! – when it seems that a huge number of likely factors go completely ignored. And in the meantime, scary diseases like smallpox, scarlet fever and measles are bouncing back.
Neither really here nor there, but in checking our pediatrician’s website (http://www.mypediatricassociates.com/) I see that they aren’t offering seasonal flu vaccinations yet because there’s been a delay as resources shift to the H1N1 vaccination. Which is weird since they’re doing seasonal flu shots elsewhere, like Safeway.
Nic: That set me off, too. In fact, a LOT of the information I’m reading about the swine flu vax has been linked back to Mercola. And yet the dude is sort of off his rocker a little, and is a total extremist. Yet that little tidbit is never offered when people present him as a valid source of information.
Again, if that’s your philosophy, that’s cool. Just don’t present it as though it’s not exactly what it is, which is a VERY biased, VERY natural approach to medicine.
Both my kids were vaccinated on schedule, even though I had some reservations about it. However, they’ve never had the flu shot. They’ve also never had the flu. (They are 5 & 6 years old). I haven’t had the flu shot or the flu since I was 12 (I’m . . .much older than that now). I know we won’t get the regular flu shot this year but I’m waffling a little bit on the H1N1, though I think we’ll probably skip it. I think. I don’t know, it’s such a crap shoot. Our neighbors get the flu shot every year and they also have gotten the flu for the past 2 years running so I have that glaring reason NOT to do it rattling around in my head. Probably I’ll just waffle until they run out of it and then my decision will be made for me.
I don’t have children, but I do have an opinion. I’ve got little to nothing against vaccines. Yes, they have side effects, some of them nasty, but they are rare. I do not believe that vaccines are the cause of autism. However, I also believe in letting children build a good immune system. When I was young, bringing your own wipes and disinfecting a table at a restaurant never happened. Hand sanitizer wasn’t seen everywhere or in the hand of every parent I see at my job.
I say get the vaccine and also let children run around with their infectious friends and play in the dirt.
My son is allergic to egg and can’t get the flu shot. Not sure if the same holds true of the H1N1 shot but my doc is finding out. He’s already at 3rd percentile for body weight so if he can get the shot I’m going to give it to him: he just doesn’t have the energy reserves to deal well with illness.
I’m a doctor (primary care for adults) and will be getting both the regular and H1N1 flu vaccines. H1N1 laid waste to my hospital and ED last spring. In my own practice I had several young, otherwise healthy patients with severe, in some cases life-threatening cases of H1N1, and our pediatricians were working 14-hour days, 7 days a week. In addition a bunch of our medical residents came down with it, causing a severe staffing shortage and compromising the care of our patients without flu. Everyone I know who had it (even mild cases) said they felt horrible. I would prefer not to repeat any of those experiences.
I’m not rah-rah for the vaccine, everyone should get it, put it in the water, but I think that people with identifiable risk factors like day care, asthma, etc, should consider it pretty strongly.
Others before me have pointed out some of the issues: the fact that the H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as the regular flu vaccine (which, yes, is re-configured every year). The use of thimerosol, which has never been demonstrated to be harmful, but which I, frankly, would prefer not to have in my vaccines. And the usual amount of paranoia, as if the novel viruses that come our way from industrial farming and easy air travel aren’t scary enough by themselves.
just a reminder: nasal mists won’t contain thimerosal. they plan on distributing that to healthy people ages 2-49. The multi-dose vial shots will have the thimerosal, because it keeps contaminants entering the bottle via needle puncture at bay. know your options!
I worried about this myself. I don’t have children, but I was very leery of the vaccine and after much research, decided that I wouldn’t get it when it became available. I ended up getting the H1N1 two weeks ago anyway, and it wasn’t all that bad. I’ve been sicker from the regular seasonal flu. So, crisis averted?
I’m so happy after reading all (ALL) of these comments to see so many people coming down in FAVOR of vaccination! that’s a big shift from what i’ve seen till now on blog postings with similar subjects.
re: the ruling that autism was linked to a vaccination, and the mention of a Paul Offit book, and my lawyer friends – lawyers ain’t scientists, either.
We’re hesitating on the H1N1 vaccine. I got a regular flu shot when I was pregnant 2 years ago and DH did not, and DH got one at work last year and I didn’t. We got our then-18-month-old twins the regular flu shot last winter. In all that time, none of us has gotten the flu, though in prior years DH and I had each gotten the shot once and coincidently came down with wicked flus. I know the shot didn’t cause it, but it’s just like coming down with a stomach bug right after eating a particular food — you can’t help but mentally associate it.
I read an article a few weeks ago from the UK that said the H1N1 vaccine manufacturers there had been given governmental immunity to any possible lawsuits from patients who receive the shot there. That may or may not be factual, but that sure sounds suspicious to me.
It’s the flu — the symptoms are the same as the regular flu, and it would suck if you got either kind of flu. The girls are in daycare but health-wise, none of us is high risk (asthmatic, etc.)
I’d say we’re still leaning away from shots this year, for either type of flu.
The vaccine scares me a little, but my kid has asthma, so the idea of her getting H1N1 scares me a lot more. So yes, getting the vaccine. No question.
Ooooooooooooh nooooooooo not a vaccination discussion! I am skipping ALL the comments—ALL!
What I’m doing about it right now is procrastinating even though I got a little postcard from the pediatrician saying It’s Time. I’m hoping that if I put it off long enough, the answer will come to me in a vision, or else we will all get the flu this year and it won’t make me regret anything.
I’m coming from a different place than most comments so far… I had been planning on vaccinating both my kids for H1N1, and have now had it taken out of my hands as BOTH KIDS ALREADY HAVE IT. We’re in lockdown at home and I’m watching my 3 year old and 8 month old deal with an illness that their small systems are not equipped to handle. I would vaccinate them, absolutely.
Ok this actually relates to Jeremy Piven. I love him as Ari on Entourage, but saw him on Dave, and yes, insufferable Dbag is quite a propos. I think Hugh Laurie sort of has the same problem – plays really cool character but is sort of le suck IRL. What is up with THAT? I mean, they’re ACTORS. Why can’t they just act cool in real life?
Hope you get the swine flu stuff figured out.
I have an 8 week old and our pedi told us to get both flu and swine flu shots. I’ve never had a flu shot. I’ll probably get one, but I’m nervous about H1N1 flu shot an breastmilk. I’m also not doing daycare, just a sitter two times per week…and I’m still terrified. We’re his “first line of defense” but it scares the crap out of me…we’ll see if I’m swayed once I read your bajillion commenters.
I’m 36 weeks pregnant and I’ll be getting both flu shots-already had the regular shot-for both me and my two year old. Like others have mentioned, the H1N1 shot may seem like it has been developed quickly but since the regular flu vaccine is developed every year, I don’t think it is all that different.
Although it might be preferable to have a vaccine without thimersol if at possible, there has been no link discovered between this adjuvant and autism. This supposed link has been studied to death, buried, resurrected, and then studied 1000 more times. There is no link.
I’ve never once had the flu and I don’t want to start now. Now that I have a kid, and another on the way, I take my health much more seriously than I used to and for me that means flu vaccinations.
Like you, Jen, I have no intention of getting the H1N1 flu shot. I’ve never had a flu shot and – crossing fingers, knocking on wood – have not had a flu or a cold for years. I can’t recall the last time I had the flu.
I met someone who has had H1N1 flu and said it was no different from any other flu experience (for her). Not pleasant by any means, but it didn’t damage her. From what I’ve read, how it affects people depends on the strength of their health and immune systems. Like every other flu, H1N1 will kill some people (the elderly, the already sick, those whose immune systems are weak or severely compromised) and leave other people barely affected.
Have to add, I’ve met several people who get flu shots and get the flu anyway, mainly because most flu vaccines can’t keep up with the viruses and/or their mutations.
There may come a time with viruses I change my mind on this but for now, I’m not interested in getting flu shots. (If Ebola ever shows up, I’ll be first in line though!)
I have a healthy 13yo and he’s never had a flu vaccine and neither have I. He’s had the normal 3-4 day cold about once a year-18 months, recovers quickly and is never totally weakened by it, i.e. he’s sick – but still okay enough to play on the computer, his instrument, etc. Maybe you should get a second opinion – I think you’re instinct is important and I would be worried to if my son’s pediatrician were so pushy about this very new drug.
long time reader, new poster. the New York Times had a great article about this today
/www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/health/policy/28vaccine.html?_r=1
People who are leary of the flu shot might want to read it as part of their decision making process.
I’m not getting either shot because I’m too scared of needles.
I am so with you on this. What to do? I’ve totally been putting off any thought on the matter until my son’s next check up which is about 3 weeks away.
I’ve heard multiple stories about people who go to work, school, etc while they are sick. I think we’d all be better off if sick people would freaking STAY HOME than if we all got the vaccine. Sheesh.
PS – Pardon my few grammatical errors, I wrote that with one eye on Dancing With the Stars. ;)
Since we are all relatively healthy people- 2 year old included- we’re going to skip the H1N1 for all the reasons you listed. My daughter got the regular flu shot last week, and I’m going to get one for myself soon (thinking of gettin’ ourselves all knocked up in the coming months, so I want to be protected against at least the regular flu, just in case) I asked about the H1N1 last week at the pediatrician, and they said they’re not even sure who in PA is going to even get the vaccine, so we’re supposed to call in a few weeks to find out. I don’t think I’m going to call.
No thank you for either one.
For those who do choose to vaccinate- ask for the package insert before any shot. It will list everything you want to know.
Just thinking about this topic makes me feel sick… b/c I’m worried about my family getting the flu and about the potential side effects of the vaccine. I work at a well-known US Pharmacy corporate mktg office & hear about the flu vaccine program ALL DAY EVERY DAY, which challenges my husband’s & my decision to skip both flu vaccinations for ourselves & our 2 year old son. I read through all of these comments b/c I’m interested in what the “community” is feeling on the subject. I completely understand the concern about the potentially hokey “naturalists” out there. But I can also tell you that some of those natural approaches have worked well for us in the past. On the brink of my son needing ear tube surgery for a 5-month long double ear infection that none of the antibiotics would clear, we tried the natural approach, including homeopathic remedies & diet changes…. viola! The ear infection finally cleared & no surgery was needed.
My son is in daycare & gets sick often during cold/flu season. But we’re sticking to our gut feeling of skipping the shots – instead we’re going to pray for the best & try using some of the natural approaches to boosting our immune system (Vit D, C, Probiotics, Fish Oil) and fighting off infection if/when it hits us (echinacea, homeopathic, zinc, neti pot). Good luck to us all!
Me: 30 weeks pregnant-should I get the Swine flu vaccination?
Ob/Gyn: We’re not recommending the H1N1 vax shot for ANY of our pregnant patients, 1970’s issues, scary! scary! scary!, don’t be a guinea pig, and here, sign this form that says I told you not to get it.
Primary Care Doc: Get the shot! Get the shot! Come in as soon as we have it and don’t forget to bring your ridiculously large co-pay.
So, yeah. For the most part, I am pro-vaccination, and WILL be vaccinating this little girl once she gets here. And yet.
I know I will wrestle with the majority of decisions I make for her, so whether or not to receive this vaccination is just the first in a very long line of sleepless nights. Sorry I can’t be more help, good luck with your decision.
And, Lindsay? “Why can’t they just act cool in real life?” Ha!! My thoughts exactly!
OMG, sorry as I perk up out of my hole. There is such a thing called Gulf War Syndrome? Holy Jacobs Ladder I never saw anything about that in the news.
I just saw this article on NPR, which makes the question an even harder one–what if the regular flu shot (which I was definitely planning on for both my pregnant self and my 20-month-old son) makes us both MORE susceptible to H1N1? Yikes!
-By Kristian Foden-Vencil
Preliminary findings of a Canadian study suggest that people who get the regular flu vaccine are twice as likely to contract the H1N1 Swine Flu.
The study still needs to be peer reviewed, but it’s prompting health experts in Canada to suspend flu shots for people who aren’t senior citizens.
Here in Oregon, Christine Decker-Stone of the Public Health Division, says they’re not making any changes.
Christine Decker-Stone: “We are in touch with the Centers for Disease Control and will be taking our lead from their advice. We are looking into it. But we are continuing to advice people to get their seasonal flu shot.”
Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia have suspended seasonal flu shots for people younger than 65. New Brunswick will continue vaccinating younger people.
The flu season in the U.S. is now well underway. 26 states, including Oregon, are reporting widespread infections.
A friend who is an ER nurse and on the LA H1N1 Task Force had convinced me that the whole family should get the vaccination and then another sent me then another friend forwarded this to me from her pediatrician:
http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=0016xDS-I4m8wzdniZnu7ssg_jXizdJ2UGuSkeL424Qh7qcKyEDjdD6Z_ejNYbNNuQkzeandkWrFpcNl4ZxDRz7FT8QpImjiHAo9c13asjLvtK1gKredJgQTLZeM_WouHHQfJ-geK17cB0%3D
Conflicted.
I just went to my doctor last week for flu-like symptoms. She said it was likely that I had H1N1 but they aren’t testing everyone for it these days. She did advise me not to return to work until next week (this was last Thu, and I had already missed Wed).
I asked her about the H1N1 vaccine, and she said that whether or not I have it now, she wouldn’t jump to recommend it at this point. I was pretty gung-ho, but she did cite problems with previous untested vaccines.
So I would say that as long as you have good access to immediate care if you should need it, maybe it’s better to sait it out? (Especially since H1N1 seems to be less severe in many cases than the seasonal flu.)
Now, this is all not a responsible medical opinion, and has nothing to do with young kids. Maybe I would call a few friends’ doctors offices to get 2nd and 3rd opinions?
Sundry:
I live in Minneapolis, and we have already had a large outbreak of “swine flu” My 4 y/o actually just got over it about a week ago, same symptoms as flu, but only with added cough, now I asked if I should still get him the flu shot (since he has asthma) and of course they say yes, but he has gotten 2 every year since the year he was born, and has gotten the flu almost every year anyway..
So I would say “go with the mom instinct gut”
me personally,I would say, their kids if they don’t have low immunity for any other reason the kids should be able to fight it off easily, my kid sure did, I just had to keep him home for a week because of recommendations..
I work as a chaplain in a children’s hospital. When it becomes available, I absolutely plan to get the vaccine – I do not want to be a vector for disease!
Dang, I just read all 128 comments and then hit refresh before commenting and had another 20 or so comments to read.
This is a tough topic to tackle (say that five times fast). Traditionally in my home country we do not receive yearly flu shots, but rather rely on naturally building your own immune systems. So even if my son’s pediatrician raises an eyebrow at me, we have opted not to get him the regular flu shots and therefore will also not get the h1n1 either.
Did anyone else see the common thread in these comments that people with asthma get the flu shots. I know that it makes sense for them to get it seeing as they are vulnerable to begin with but just now reading the comment it kind of struck me as if you get the flu shot you will get asthma. I think I’m getting cross eyed from all this reading. There’s a lot of info to digest.
Anyway Linda, whatever you decide, don’t feel bad about it, and I hope everyone will have a healthy winter.
I, too, live in the Seattle area (Bothell, HOLLA!) and was a bit dismayed to see the lift on the mercury requirement here. That said, we’ll likely get both our kids – 4 and 6 vaccinated. What scares me the most about H1N1 is the way the way that it is behaving in kids that have asthma and only lung issues. Hello? Both my kids have asthma (otherwise healthy), and while most flu illnesses don’t scare me, the combo scares the SHIT out of me. We’ll take the small, small, almost non-existent and unproven risk from the mercury.
Apparently we can’t get the flu shot in Ontario at the moment, and I won’t bother with H1N1 either as it is not available yet. I go to a naturopathic dr in addition to my mainstream dr, and will take my daughter to get her immune system a boost. So getting all round healthy in a preventative manner is all what I can do, and then I’ll see once the vaccines are available. BUT we are all healthy with no respiratory issues, so fairly low risk…
I have decided that I parent by convenience … I will get the H1N1 for my 3-year-old if it’s easy to do so. The regular flu shot is easy (for both her and me), so we’ve gotten that done every year. If the H1N1 is hard to find around here (SF Bay Area), I’m going to trust that the reports of the symptoms being relatively mild are true. Bad mother? Maybe…
Um, yeah. We’re not doing it. No flu shots and no H1N1 shots either.
My daughter is having major surgery in 21 days (holy crap, it’s in three weeks — excuse me while I panic for a second), and is not to get any vaccines of any kind from this point until at least a month after her surgery.
My son is not in day care, not in preschool, and is basically in quarantine so we can keep his sister from becoming ill before her surgery.
Add to this, I have what my doctor politely refers to as idiosyncratic reactions to medications (read that to mean that I have super-scary reactions to some really benign drugs) and he’s in no way willing to risk me getting vaccinated and has strongly advised against it for the kids because, well, apples and trees is his comment.
So yeah, the gist of this is no thank you. Oh, and one of the things I’m highly, highly allergic to? Thimerisol. Yay.
I currently don’t plan to get the regular flu nor H1N1 vaccines for myself or my kids.
I reserve the right to re-evaluate if things turn scary in my geographical area. But from what I’ve heard, H1N1 isn’t that bad, and I’d never do the “regular flu” shot unless we were in a high risk group.
I am going to get vaccinated ASAP, and think you and your kids should also. Nothing could be worse than actually getting the virus itself.
Interesting discussion. I work in a hospital and we’ll probably be offered both shots, tho nothing is available yet. I usually do take the regular flu shot since I work on a patient care unit, but I’m not sure about the H1N1. We’ve already had one patient with it, but since I don’t do direct patient care, I’m not sure.
As for my kids, my 4 yo daughter has her WCC this week so I’ll ask the pediatrician what he recommends. I think I definitely will try to get them the regular Flumist but not sure about the H1N1 for them either.
Was offered and rejected a flu vaccine for my daughter today, who is no longer a toddler, but still, who wants a mercury laden child.
I had the flu last week and since all flu cases, statistically speaking are H1N1, I figure I was once again the victim of my profession as a special educator in a large middle school.
I was a miserable, head achey, had a slight fever for several days. It wasn’t fun but most colds/flus fall into that category. I’m over it and hoping that was my brush with pandemic. Hopefully this bug is a one time deal and if your children are healthy and not at risk, I would let the disease process proceed.
You will hate the sad, pitiful, mewling beings that the boys (husbands included) become when sick no matter what strain of virus they harbor.
My son began college in August. Shortly after, his college was hit terribly with Swine. He got it a few weeks ago. Although he’s 18, he is a severe asthmatic so it was a major concern. The campus health center gave him tamiflu within his first 24 hours of having a fever. He felt like shit for about two and a half days and then the fever lifted. He used his asthma meds from the minute he got sick. He was sick for about 5 days but once the fever was gone it was fairly mild. Of course, without the tamiflu it could have been much more serious.
I will, and my kids will, and my grandkids will, all get the shots.
And we all had vaccinations.
And there is no autism in our families whatsoever.
It amazes me that everyone has bought into the vaccinations cause autism theory, that has not been proven to be correct.
However, what has been proven is that flu can kill you, as well as measles, tetanus, diptheria, smallpox, polio, and shall I go on?
You have kids, you take your chances on so many things, but their health? I think I would still rather have an autistic kid, than a dead one.
I would definitely not give my little girl the vaccine, (she’s 3) for all the reasons you say, but also because I know children who’ve had swine flu and it didn’t sound too bad, 24 hours of very high temperature and that’s it, like the flu really. Your kids are old enough not to be in the high risk category.
Nope, we’re not going with this flu vaccine. We don’t do flu vaccines at all, even for the regular flu. We’re not at a high risk for complications from the flu and I’m not trusting any vaccine that has been rushed through testing.
I’m unsure about the H1N1 vaccine. We have our 18-month well-baby check up coming up next week and we always get the regular flu vaccine, so I’m waiting to hear what my pediatrician’s opinion is on the issue for my boys. I’ve had my regular flu shot and don’t plan to get the H1N1 vaccine myself. It does worry me that it hasn’t been tested for long and contains higher amounts of mercury than is typically used in vaccines.
Conflicted is right. I have the added complication that my 15 mo is allergic to eggs. Which allergist and ped say “get the vaccine-everyone” b/c they’re running the numbers and of course the risk of a small # of egg allergic kids reacting badly vs. an outbreak is worth it them. But when my kid is the one being put at risk…I don’t know. Why would I inject him with something I’m 100% sure he’s allergic to (and gave the most severe skin test reaction)? Might as well smear him with peanut butter and call it a day.
Add to this (http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/News-children-h1n1-vaccine-equal-092209.aspx), that says early studies show the vaccine is only 36% percent effective for his age group, and I’m even more on the fence. I will definitely check the latest clinical trials once it becomes available, but I’m leaning towards husband and me taking both flu shots for the team and hoping he doesn’t get it. (Marie Green-I feel you, I’ve had that same thought…if he had it before the shot became available, well, out of my hands and we wouldn’t have to make a decision re: the vaccine…)
This has nothing to do with my kids (of which I have none) but about my Mum. She had the flu vaccine, and I really don’t understand how it works, but she was allergic to the egg that it was incubated in. It has made her quite sick for the rest of her life, she hasn’t been able to touch dairy since (well she has pills she can take, but yeah). I never had the vaccine for that reason, and I still won’t, because I’m terrified the same thing will happen to me. I don’t think I’m allergic to eggs as such, but sometimes when I eat them I feel really ill afterward, so I’m not gonna risk it.
That being said, when I get the flu I always get it REALLY badly…like hallucinating/migraines/the worst pain I can imagine every single time (and I get it at least once a year, I’ve been vigilant on the hand sanitizer this year, particularly working in tourism, ’cause I can’t afford the time off work), so it’s not like I haven’t weighed up the idea. Plus I always get complications (bronchitis) even from a simple cold (thanks asthma) so it’s hard to say which is the lesser of two evils for me, really…
Sorry if this didn’t make much sense, I’ve done like no ACTUAL research into it :)
MAN, I took KT to the doc yesterday for a lingering cough (diagnosis: sinus infection) and forgot to ask about H1N1 vaccines. *forehead slap*
Both my kids got the regular vaccine (nasal mist) and I heard, too, that it could make them more susceptible to H1N1. Anyone ever read “Wickett’s Remedy (Myla Goldberg novel)?” About the flu epidemic in 1918? I’m a little scared of THAT scenario so if our pediatrician gets some H1N1 vaccine, we’ll probably go get it.
Guess I need to discuss w/the husband. Thanks for the reminder, Linda.
My kids have never had the flu vaccine. Not because I don’t believe in vaccines…they’ve had everything else. MMR, Polio, etc. The reason I’ve not given them flu vaccines in the past is because they are a crap shoot. I mean that the scientific community gets together and takes an educated guess at what strain(s) of flu will be in the forefront during the next flu season and then they go ahead and make the vaccine for that strain(s). Hence why I say crap shoot, it’s a guess. Yes an educated one, but still a guess. Instead I reinforce hand washing, not sharing foods, coughing into their inner elbow, etc. To date that has worked for us.
We will be getting vaccinated for H1N1 because it isn’t a crap shoot. They know what the strain is and we know it is actively circulating in the population. I have considered the option that H1N1 may (or may have already) mutated, but then with my very unscientific background I would think they would change the name of it….
In the end whatever you decide is what is best for your family! Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
I am considering skipping both for all of us this year. Definitely without a doubt in my mind we will all skip the H1N1 shot. It is untested and I think that part of the shot is being entirely downplayed esp. by the mainstream media which is weird since that bunch of yahoos hype EVERYTHING.
The reason I am thinking about skipping the regular flu shot has to do with last year. And the year before. Last year we all dutifully went and had our shot. And then promptly spent the rest of the winter sicker than dogs. Stomach flu. Flu. Flu. Flu. Head colds. Flu. Possibly the stomach flu again. Hmmm. The same for the year before.
I am calling these shots over hyped BS. We will likely all end up getting the regular flu shot because I will feel bad if we do not but I am still doubtful about it, and its effectiveness.
I’m allergic to chicken eggs so I’ve always passed on any elective shots. Not certain son is allergic because we can’t get him to eat them in the first place. I also suspect we’ve both had h1n1 already (spent a few days really sick, miserable, and a couple unable to breathe), although I don’t think hubby got it – or if he did it was very mild.
Anyway, unless our Ped gets nasty about it, we won’t be getting any flu vaccines. Vigilance with hygiene and watching symptoms has gotten us through in the past.
My husband’s immune system is compromised owing to illness, so our entire family already got the flu shot and will get H1N1 as soon as we can. I think all your concerns have merit, I share many of them. At this point, though, I’m more worried about my husband getting sick and being hospitalized yet again, or worse. I hope it’s the right decision.
Sorry in advance for this, but…
1) there is no vaccine controversy. The whole thing was kicked off by a study that 6 of the 7 authors have now recanted, given that it was funded by a group with expectations that the investigators would find problems. Since then, vaccines have been the target of public health investigations orders of magnitude larger than anything else in history, and no link between vaccines and neurodevelopmental outcomes has ever been found. Eventually it must be accepted that this is because no link exists, and the “controversy” exists because of the actions of a few very vocal, very heartbroken individuals justifiably looking for answers that may not exist, but certainly aren’t the fault of vaccines.
2) people are exceedingly bad at estimating risk. St. Louis Childens’ has had at least one H1N1 related death. LeBonheur Childrens has had at least two. Nobody has reported any GB, a condition that often remits over time. In 1918, twenty million people died from influenza, a condition not know to remit over time.
3) H1N1 vaccines are prepared in precisely the same mechanism as every other seasonal flu vaccine, so the argument that it has “only undergone 3 months of testing” is fallacious.
4) the biggest benefit to vaccines occurs when a large percentage of the population is vaccinated and the virus cannot establish a reservoir in the first place. People who fail to get vaccinated – against flu, measles, polio, chicken pox – are piggy-backing on the good will of those who do, and increasing the risk for everyone with whom they come in contact.
Sorry for the rantish response, but this is serious business. If you get worried about vaccines, find somebody about 70-80 and ask them about polio epidemics, go read about 1918, or go ask a 45-year old pediatrician about haemophillus meningitis, and how much they see any more after Prevnar. Don’t ask a centerfold model and a comedian.
I’m currently attending nursning school and we discuss H1N1 at least twice a week. Many, if not all of us, will be getting the regular flu shot, but I’d say that maybe only a 1/4 of my class at the most will be getting the H1N1 vaccinatino. We feel that the vaccination was rushed into the market and adaquate testing was not done on it- it normally takes 5 years of testing before a vaccination is approved for use.
So, if you don’t feel comfortable getting your kids immunized against H1N1, then DON’T do it! I too am worried about side affects and even though I work in the health care community, I will not be getting the vaccination. I’ve learned that if you are a healthy individual, your chances of contracting H1N1 are very slim.
A correction: The Prevnar vaccine is directed against streptococcus pneumoniae. The “HiB” vaccine is directed against haemophillus.
Very interesting discussion here…couldn’t read through all of it but here are my 2 cents. I’m 11 weeks pregnant, have a 3.5 yr old (who is in preschool) and a 16 month old at home. I’m a stay-at-home mom. Linda – I was just like you – gung-ho about getting vaccinated and now feeling nervous. First of all – I don’t want anyone to get sick in my family. But my daughter’s in school so it’s likely she’ll be exposed…then we all will. I’m pregnant so I feel more at risk of getting swine flu and having it be much more serious. I had pneumonia last year and I feel like I just cannot be out of commission like that again…especially if my kids need to be cared for while sick. I agree with you that this is not an easy decision. I think there have been scare tactics used on both sides of the argument in the media so it’s very hard to make a decision wholeheartedly. That being said, I do think I will get the swine flu vaccine and I am still mulling it over for the kids but leaning towards getting it for them. We all will be getting the regular flu shot as we do each year. My OB recommends the swine flu shot for pregnant women and my pediatrician said she will be vaccinating herself and her 3 young kids.
I find it a little funny that last year when the H1N1 started that there were people begging for a vaccine and now that there is one, people think it is the gov’t or pharm companies trying to get them.
I’ve read enough to wonder about the timing of regular vaccine’s and their effect on autism and I think that I would probably space out the vaccine’s if I had kids.
But I think I would still get the H1N1 shot since it is just one shot and a one time deal.
I have a 2 1/2 year old, and I’m 9 weeks pregnant. I have been urged to get the vaccines for myself and my son – I have never had a flu shot before. I will probably get one; I hope to be able to trust those who are supposed to steer me in the right direction, but yeah, still a bit of a question mark. Good luck with your decision.
I got a flu shot for the first time last fall when I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t get the flu for the first time in years. Coincidence? Perhaps.
I work at a university and am around tons of people everyday, so I will probably get the regular flu vaccine again this year. Our pediatrician recommends it for all three of us. As for H1N1, probably not. She is not pushing that one, and it’s not available up here anyway. No reported cases of swine flu near us. Our daughter goes to a day care with just a handful of kids; I’m not that concerned at this point.
I don’t have any kids, but I think Jeremy Piven is hot. Priorities.
I’m going to get both vaccines myself, though I’m a little nervous too. It’s good that we’re thinking about these things, but I do believe our doctors have a lot more information than we do and give the best advice they can. If you trust your doc, you should follow his/her advice.
I have to admit that I started reading your comments then had to stop because I was getting freaked out. I posted about this about a month ago. I’m fretful as well. To complicate matters, I’m pregnant and they are saying pregnant women are in the highest risk group for H1N1. Not to mention that we’ll have a newborn in January when the flu (both of them) will still be going around. I got my regular flu shot and my husband and 3yo will, too. I’m on the fence about H1N1 for everyone and am now going to look into that mercury issue. I hadn’t heard of that before.
There was a great article in this past weekend’s Time mag about the H1N1 shot.
As others have said above, the process for creating the vaccine was the same as the seasonal flu shot- the only reason it wasnt packaged with the seasonal flu shot was that they already had tons of the seasonal one created – anyone notice how all of the health clinics/pharamcies/doctor’s office had the seasonal flu shot in stock way earlier than normal (or in years past, when theyve run out?) They prepared well for that, at least.
My 12 month old has gotten his first seasonal flu shot, and im taking my 6+4 year olds back with him to get their flu mists when he gets his booster of the flu shot.
Then I get to take them all back again if I want to get the H1N1 for them, since it may not yet be at the ped’s office when we go in two weeks.
But i probably will, better safe than sorry- my kids fall into high risk by BEING little kids, and thats enough for me. My ped also recc’ed it for us.
My son is 11, so no daycare. But I asked my son’s teacher directly what extra measures she would be taking this fall to prevent her classroom from becoming *more* of a petri dish. I also asked how the principal was preparing the teachers for it, if he did at all. That helped me decide whether the shots would be necessary, because truthfully, every flu shot has given me the flu – and every year I go without one, I skip the flu. Same with the kiddo. The H1N1 flu shot is probably just fine, but I personally don’t think they’ve perfected the old one – so I have a hard time trusting something that new when it hasn’t really been out of ‘beta’ for that long. (Oh my god, I’m a geek.) Good luck!
I got the regular flu shot and got the flumist for my 4 y/o daughter (It doesn’t contain the thermerisol). I’m probably NOT going to get the H1N1 or give it to my daughter. IF they have a non thermerisol version I will consider it. If not, I won’t get it for her.
I haven’t read all the comments…because there are a ton of them today!
I work for a medical device company and deal with the FDA for approval of many of the devices which are on the market. I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it took less time to approve the H1N1 vaccine than it does for a low risk medical device! The time line is just not realistic. How do they know about all of the side effects that could be caused from the vaccine? I think I heard that they got the vaccine approved in something like 13 weeks. I’m not comfortable with it at all. The ‘regular’ flu kills many more people in a year than the H1N1 string. My step-son lives with us and he will not be getting this vaccine. He has already had his standard flu shot but the H1N1 vaccine won’t be given to anyone in my household until further testing is completed.
For those saying “I never get sick!”, I feel annoyingly compelled to point out that it means nothing — absolutely freakin’ nothing — in the case of H1N1. That’s why it’s so scary and frustrating. Humans have no — zero, zip — natural immunity to it. NONE. So while your normally strong natural immune system may be what keeps you from getting sick every year, and why you never need a flu shot, it will do Johnny, Jack and Shit for you when it comes to the swine flu.
So don’t get it for your own reasons, but if the reason is that you never get sick, think twice.
There is a huge difference between how medical devices and flu vaccines are approved. The timeline was short, but the same steps and precautions were taken as with the normal seasonal vaccine. New vaccines; like for HIV need to be tested for 5+ years, but the process to make seasonal or H1N1 vaccine are the same and haven’t changed since they were originally approved by the FDA. The virus strain is the only thing that changes; there is no reason to believe that by changing the strain there would be new or greater side effects.
Another point above that bothers me is that there have been fewer deaths from H1N1 than from the the seasonal flu last year. I believe this had a lot to do with when the virus began to make its rounds. For whatever reason people get the flu during the colder months of the year. H1N1 started circulating last spring, after the “flu season.”
I just think that each person who has to make this decision for themselves or their kids needs to take be active in educating themselves. Discussions like this one can be useful but they can also be filled with misinformation. Don’t trust me or anyone else on here; find the information you need for yourself.
Phoebe: I think what’s most useful in a conversation like this is that it provides—at least for me—new points of view to think about and anecdotal experiences to consider. Absolutely agree we each need to do our own research, and I think this kind of discussion can spark some good jumping-off points for doing so.
I like reading all of the different points of view during this discussion and the many others your site has hosted. I know that people’s anecdotes help me remember information by allowing me to relate to the facts on a more personal level (I think I could call it the People magazine effect… I will remember the details of whatever break-up is on the cover but anything out of a textbook just doesn’t stick that easily).
I totally agree that this is a great jumping off point to get people reading and asking questions.
Also, thanks for the response (totally made my day). I love your blog and look forward to every post. (I hope you don’t think I’m some kind of jerk or something…)
Phoebe: not at all! And this: “people’s anecdotes help me remember information by allowing me to relate to the facts on a more personal level” — yes, EXACTLY.
i have to add in that im really impressed that this hasnt gotten nasty in the slightest. kudos to your fabulous readers :-)
I’m really torn about this, particularly because Wombat DOESN’T go to daycare, which makes me feel like he’s more at risk from vaccine-related illness than from catching the flu from an actual person. If he left the house more and came into regular contact with people besides his parents, I think it’d be an easier decision for me, and although my M.O. is to trust in my pediatrician’s recommendation (and she said to wait for the official go-ahead from the APA, sometime in mid-October), I still just…I don’t know. I’ve never had a flu shot, and I’m still alive, right?
1. My 11 yr old is high func Autistic and we do think the MMR shot (with thimerisol) flipped a switch of some kind in him.
2. My 6 yr old tested pos for H1N1 2 weeks ago. I caught it and the 2 yr old caught it. We three took Tamiflu. The 11 yr old started to show syptoms so I gave him all our leftover tamiflu and he was fine. Hubby never caught it.
3. Our H1N1 experience was bearable. Tamiflu (50 bucks a pop was our copay!), OTC meds, etc. I slept for about a day and a half straight. We have had colds way worse than that. It is being all blown out of proportion by the media and medical pros.
4. I know I am cynical but I think this vacc was rushed and there is no need to pump every single body- any size and age- with any more man made chemicals. And who exactly is making a fortune on this? Someone somewhere is rolling nekkid in a big pile o’ cash. Sorry, I no longer drink the govenment mandated kool aide.
5. This is an interesting read: http://www.chiroweb.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=31730. I am not a concpiracy theorist. I do think this shows that there is “stuff” in shots that we do not understand. We are so careful what we eat and how we treat our bodies. Maybe we should ask a few more questions about what exactly we are injecting into our (and our babies’) bodies.
It is fine if folks wanna do it but I’ll take a pass on this one. It really was not that bad.
But this is from someone who got the chicken pox shots for her kids and is now seeking a chicken pox party for them to attend (so they can get a little exposure and catch it just a little bit now as kids).
Tough decision everyone has to make on their own.
Ack. Totally on the fence about the H1N1 vaccine. I have a three week old, 4 year old, and 2 year old. My husband and I and our oldest daughter have already gotten the regular flu vaccine, and my son is due for his next week at his well visit. I’ve been pretty relaxed about it the last few years, but since there’s a newborn in the house and my daughter is now in preschool I wanted to give her some protection since she’s not old enough to get vaccinated herself.
Most of the time with all these vaccines I feel as if I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. So far we’ve been lucky and haven’t had any reactions but you never know. Being a parent is impossibly rough sometimes.
I’m scared of the H1N1 vaccine. I already had my regular flu shot. In 2 weeks I am marrying a man who had Guillian Barre and let me tell you it is no joke. I don’t think I’d get GBS from the H1N1 vaccine, but I am very leery of this fast track business by the FDA. I’m going to take my chances. My mom just had H1N1 and she was really sick, but no worse than she is with the normal flu. It just lasted a little longer.
[...] not the only mom who feels this way. One of the mommy bloggers I follow, All & Sundry, just posted something about choosing to get the vaccine (or not). She got almost two hundred comments and every single one made me think “Oh good [...]
I’m 9 weeks pregnant and my OB expects to have the vaccine in next month so I’ll get vaccinated. My 1 year old daughter will probably get vaccinated if our doctor recommends it. I’m one who feels the risks of not getting vaccinated outweigh those of getting vaccinated.
I’m not going to offer an opinion about H1N1 vaccination in children – I just don’t know enough to say boo about it. But as an epidemiologist, I am completely comfortable saying that the evidence shows that there is no association between thimerosal and autism. I even know some of the people who did the studies, and I would trust my life and the lives of those I love to their science.
At the personal/anecdotal level – I learned last night that a college friend of mine, also an epidemiologist, died of something that sounds an awful lot like H1N1. I’m very sad about this. I’ve also been watching people around me who’ve gotten sick with it (I think my seasonal shot did give me some cross-protection) and it’s definitely worse than the regular flu *here* where it’s winter – longer course, more secondary infections, more malaise and worse respiratory symptoms. I’ll get the vaccine as soon as it’s feasible.
I work in an area of health care.
And frankly? For this? It is no worse than your typical every day flu. And it’s not like the shot will INSTANTLY protect you from H1N1. It still will take your body a little time to build resistance.
With all that blah blah blah out?
If your kids (or any adult really) have a medical condition that compromises their immune system, then yes.
If they don’t, then no.
I had H1N1 two weeks ago. I was lucky to have it fairly mild. It still sucked for about 4 days…but it wasn’t like I felt like I was on my death bed. :p
Oh that poor Jeremy Piven.
I actually caught Dr. Oz on Letterman (maybe it was last night) and when Letterman asked him if he was getting the H1N1 vax he looked a bit hesistant and said “I’m waiting.” My guess is that it’s not well tested just yet.
I’m not going to jinx myself discussing the flu vax that my kids got last year and then somehow ended up with a seriously nasty case of stomach flu just a few days afterward with a new baby in the house.
Ahem.
I work in health care and my spouse works in a day care administration, so there’s no question that we’re getting the normal flu vax. We may or may not get the H1N1 vax, depending on when it comes out and (frankly) how much it costs.
Our kiddo (2 yrs and change) goes to baby school with a bunch of Waldorf kids who are all entirely unvaxed, so he’s getting whatever his pediatrician will allow us to pump into him. I’m not scared that he will get sick and die, but winter in the city is bad enough without one more hideous virus. Even though he’s a healthy kid, we all get sick a little too often for my comfort, October-April.
As a nurse and 20 weeks pregnant, I feel that it’s imperitive that I get all vaccinations. I felt conflicted about the H1N1, but I’m trying not to panic or let paranoia influence my decision. I am also a student in a college, where the swine flu has been going around. Regardless if I feel healthy, I don’t want to risk falling ill, passing the virus to others, or putting my baby at greater risk. I believe “Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.”
I think it’s hilarious all of the “my kids aren’t in daycare therefore they don’t need to be vaccinated” comments. WTF! Are you that naive people? Is daycare the only place a child is exposed to germs? Do you not leave your house? Sit them in a shopping cart? Let them play with neighbors? Cousins? Older siblings who go to school? Please. Don’t be so f-ing self righteous to think that your kids can only get sick if they’re in daycare. Kids are more susceptible to germs. Period. They spend all day with their hands in their mouths or up their noses. Do they wash their hands constantly? Use hand sanitizer? Cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze? Wake the F up. If you think your child is too damn precious to risk getting a vaccination, come talk to me when they’re in the hospital with influenza or some other ocmmunicable disease becaue you chose to be a lemming.
Oh…and PS, H1N1 or any other strain of influenza do not equal stomach flu. Gastroenteritis (stomach flu) and influenza are two TOTALLY separate viruses. Not even remotely related. You don’t throw up with the real “flu”.
Got my flu shot yesterday. Fish (age 2) got her flu shot on Monday. If the H1N1 is available to us, we’ll get that too.
Fish does not go to daycare, but we live in a large city, and I have a sister-in-law in college who’s over a few times a week. Universities are hotbeds of flu/piggy flu/various illnesses. So all the folks refusing the vaccine because their kid is not in daycare….y’all need to stop and think for a minute. You leave your houses, you go to the grocery store, you have playdates and go to the park and the library and maybe to Gymboree. What’s more, people who come into your house have all been different places and you don’t KNOW that they’ve washed their hands and sanitized their clothes, etc.
My aunt is a public health nurse. Despite the fact that no one in my family is really high risk, we get vaccinated because we know we can at least contribute to herd immunity. Taking one for the team, as it were.
Over here in Australia, they are not releasing the shot to any children under 10 because it has not been tested enough on that age group.
It is also not recommended for anyone with egg allergies.
As the company that is supplying us is also supplying half of the US market I figure you are getting the same vaccine – but obviously our health authorities sing of different song sheets.
I am 30 weeks pregnant, but am waiting until at least birth before getting the shot because I want there to be SOME MORE research – but I am also lucky in that (a) I live in a regional centre and (b) we are at the other end of the season to you, so I am betting on the roll of the dice to not get so hugely worse until next year.
Our peds think it’s unethical (medically speaking) the way the H1N1 vax was fast-tracked without appropriate testing. They are not ordering any or recommending it. They do recommend the FluMist nasal vaccination for kids over 2 since it is 90+% effective and offers some overlap protection for swine flu because of how it works through the nose rather than through the bloodstream like the standard flu shot.
Recent research about live virus issue and concerns about shedding have lifted a lot of the restrictions form eligibility. Kids with asthma can have it now, as long as their asthma is well controlled.
Our peds are super conservative about vaccines, and this is the first year they have even stocked FluMist — they wait that long for ample research to be compiled before they make it available to their patients.
And no, I am not a marketing drone from FluMist. Just a mom who went to the ped today for a well baby visit for my 2 month old and chatted about flu shots for my 3 year old. My doc has never given her own 3 year old a flu shot, but will be goin’ nasal this year for her.
[...] with that, I will contradict myself MIGHTILY and mention the swine flu vaccine issue, which Sundry hosted a really awesome discussion about earlier this week. Truly, I was riveted by all of the comments, and in full disclosure, I [...]
My dad does a lot of work with the CDC and just got back from a week out there. He called and told us to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
He has never recommended a vaccine before. We spaced out our infant vaccines and were very careful.
But we are getting this one, after talking with him.
I think it is simply a case of comparing risks. I think that every vaccine has *some* risk. And every illness has some risk.
So, each individual needs to figure out which risk is worse to them. My dad is coming down on the side that this flu strain is not behaving as they expect and there is a risk that it could be really, really bad this winter. It could turn out to be nothing, too. But we don’t know that right now. So, we are left with weighing the risks and making the best decision we can with the information we can get.
As far as I’m concerned, I don’t believe in vaccinating against things that can’t kill you. (I’d be happy to see links to any information that confirms otherwise, but as far as I’ve heard, no one who wasn’t already immuno-compromised has died from H1N1) I guess it’s conspiracy-theory-esque, but I often wonder if vaccinating against everything is part of why all these viruses are mutating and become more persevering. I got the first round of the chicken pox vaccine for my oldest son, and he got full blown chicken pox. I’ve gotten two flu shots, and each time I got the flu so badly within two weeks that it persisted into pneumonia. I won’t be getting the chicken pox vaccine, flu or H1N1 shot for either of my boys.
(besides, what if it creates ZOMBIES? THEN HOW DUMB WILL YOU ALL FEEL?)
I know that I am late to this discussion, but I want to put my two cents in none the less. I am a biologist and it troubles my greatly that people are so distrustful of scientists. We are not perfect and certainly do make mistakes, but we have a system of review in place that does a pretty amazing job of making sure that research is accurate. Therefore, why wouldn’t you get vaccinated if every respected scientist says that you should. There are absolutely no (I repeat, zero) credible reports of vaccines causing autism. I can cite you a dozen anecdotes, but can find alternative explanations for every one. In my opinion, the risk of getting a side effect from the vaccine is 1 in 100,000 or 1 in 1,000,000. The risk of getting seriously ill from H1N1 if you are not vaccinated is more like 1 in 1000. Why wouldn’t you risk a one in a million chance to prevent a one in a thousand chance of getting sick? My kids (2 and 4) had their flu shot, and will get their H1N1 as soon as we can. I hope that everyone else will as well, so that in the spring we can all laugh at how worried we were about this when it H1N1 was so minor, because we prepared for it.
I’m taking the wait-and-see approach. I will probably have to get the girl the regular flu vaccine…NJ state law requires it for children under the age of 5 in daycare or preschool.
My pediatrician has been very hesitant to recommend the H1N1 virus. He remembers the last one. He doesn’t agree with the states requirement to have healthy, not-at-risk children get the regular vaccine, so I’ll wait…and see how this flu season develops. The girl’s 4-year check-up is in early December so I have time.
So, totally forget what I said in my previous comment. While my GP told me not to bother with the H1N1 vaccine, my OB was absolutely adamant that I get it. Now I’m on a waiting list. The kid is getting it too. And you know what, I’m totally okay with it, I can’t afford to get sick and hope that I’m doing my best to avoid it by getting the vaccines.
Had my kids vaccinated with H1N1 nasal mist and exactly 7 days later they are very, very ill with heavy flu like symptoms. Ped says they cant cofirm its H1N1 and they think it’s a coincidence. I think not. I was uneasy about the decision to vaccinate and now I greatly regret that we did. I think the hype and push to vaccinate is only creating more sickness.