Are you getting vaccinated?

[Dirtbag]

Canada seems fairly apathetic to the whole pandemic (something like 50% don't plan on getting vaccinated) and noone that I've asked so far has planned to get the H1N1 vaccine. I don't understand it. This flu thing probably isn't a big deal but people have died and more are expected to die which is absurd because it's preventable. We have plenty of shots.

[Nick Capozzoli]

Particularly scary because the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic was also H1N1. The good news is that we have an antiviral Rx, Tamiflu, that can treat the flu if you get it.

[Virgil]

I think Canada is doing this just right. I think it's so over blown here that it's near hysteria. I have not seen anything to suggest the H1N1 is any different than the regular flu. If anything I think it's less severe. But I'm no doctor and I'm just going by what I see around and in the papers.

[OrphanPip]

Particularly scary because the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic was also H1N1. The good news is that we have an antiviral Rx, Tamiflu, that can treat the flu if you get it.

Tamiflu is obscenely expensive, it's more cost effective for the government to promote vaccination.

Also, Canada doesn't seem to be so apathetic after that 13 year old died in Toronto a couple days ago. Most of the clinics have had to turn people away and limit vaccinations to high risk groups at the moment because of the rush.

I'm likely going to get it, not because I'm particularly worried, but to reassure my parents. They are intimidated by the anti-vaccine hype, but they both are quite old and have severe chronic health problems. I'll feel a lot better with them vaccinated. At the least having myself vaccinated will limit their chance of exposure some.


I think Canada is doing this just right. I think it's so over blown here that it's near hysteria. I have not seen anything to suggest the H1N1 is any different than the regular flu. If anything I think it's less severe. But I'm no doctor and I'm just going by what I see around and in the papers.

The current consensus in the literature right now is that it is likely about just as deadly as the regular flu, but right now there is quite a lot of vigilance and people are seeking health care more readily. That being said, there is a distinct lack of pre-existing immunity in the population so we will be seeing a much larger impact than the regular flu. Usually in flu season 30-35% of the population gets sick, with this new strain we might see something around 50%. We've already seen it hit schools and infect like 2/3 of the students. Vaccination isn't just about preventing death, but it helps reduce the economic impact of loss labor from illness and avoidance. Think about what happens when one person at an office gets swine flu, a lot of people are going to call in sick just to try and avoid getting sick, the vaccine will prevent that kind of behavior.

[JBI]

I think Canada is doing this just right. I think it's so over blown here that it's near hysteria. I have not seen anything to suggest the H1N1 is any different than the regular flu. If anything I think it's less severe. But I'm no doctor and I'm just going by what I see around and in the papers.

The thing is though, that it all depends on one's immune system - for instance, I know people who get the flu shot every year, and get the flu every year - I never get the flu shot, and haven't as much as been sick really since 1994 or so (alright, a slight two day cough every now and then, but never anything that has ever rendered me to miss any appointments, or even alter my daily routine).

Hypothetically, certain communities are in more danger than others. I should be fine, even if I get the flu I should wager, whereas someone up north living on a reserve would most likely take it harder, based on genetic factors.

Will I get vaccinated? No. Even if I get this, the chance of me dying is slight. Better to not damage my immune system based on a "what if". When it comes down to it, if I survive this one, and get the shot, I will be more likely to fall in the next one.

Lets be honest. If people were going this hysterical over cigarettes and smoking killing people, we probably would save more lives. It's totally blown out of proportion - especially in East Asia, I would think, though I hear the spread in Japan has been rampant.

[OrphanPip]

The thing is though, that it all depends on one's immune system - for instance, I know people who get the flu shot every year, and get the flu every year - I never get the flu shot, and haven't as much as been sick really since 1994 or so (alright, a slight two day cough every now and then, but never anything that has ever rendered me to miss any appointments, or even alter my daily routine).

Hypothetically, certain communities are in more danger than others. I should be fine, even if I get the flu I should wager, whereas someone up north living on a reserve would most likely take it harder, based on genetic factors.

Will I get vaccinated? No. Even if I get this, the chance of me dying is slight. Better to not damage my immune system based on a "what if". When it comes down to it, if I survive this one, and get the shot, I will be more likely to fall in the next one.

Lets be honest. If people were going this hysterical over cigarettes and smoking killing people, we probably would save more lives. It's totally blown out of proportion - especially in East Asia, I would think, though I hear the spread in Japan has been rampant.

I agree that the media is not the greatest deliverer of health advice in any form.

The immunologist in me should hate your post though. Your behavior undermines herd immunity, the greater the number of people vaccinated within the population the more protected the population becomes. Even if you are not likely to die from the flu, you are likely to be a vehicle of transmission for the flu.

[Mathor]

I think Canada is doing this just right. I think it's so over blown here that it's near hysteria. I have not seen anything to suggest the H1N1 is any different than the regular flu. If anything I think it's less severe. But I'm no doctor and I'm just going by what I see around and in the papers.

I wouldn't say that. Two people I know (parents of friends) in my area died last week from it. And i'm from the D.C suburbs. Though I also know a lot of people who have had it and gotten over it, a lot of the people I know who have it currently are pretty damn sick.

[1n50mn14]

There's something very 1984/This Perfect Day (Ira Levin) about mass vaccinations that make me leery.

[OrphanPip]

There's something very 1984/This Perfect Day (Ira Levin) about mass vaccinations that make me leery.

Oh yes, cause measles, smallpox, and polio are loads of fun.

Edit: Vaccination is the most cost effective, and the most effective period, means of disease prevention ever invented.

[1n50mn14]

You just like to be argumentative, don't you...
That's different. We/re talking about the >prevention< of disease here, as opposed to the treatment of an established infection. Prevention is what I am arguing... Read carefully.

[skib]

Becca, I agree totally! I won't get into my sphiel, but I'll side with you on this one 100 percent.

And if I give myself an infection tomorrow butchering my family's game, I'll probly go crawling to the ER begging for antibiotics. Someone call ahead and tell them to deny me. :D

[Mathor]

You just like to be argumentative, don't you...
That's different. We/re talking about the >prevention< of disease here, as opposed to the treatment of an established infection. Prevention is what I am arguing... Read carefully.

But your point was that because of natural selection, people who would die anyway shouldn't be prevented from dying. That would go against antibiotics, like she said.

I enjoy medicine, it prevents many different things (I have seasonal bronchitis/pneumonia, and if not for antibiotics twice a year, I would not be alive). To say that diseases or illnesses should not be prevented is a pretty backwards way of thinking, if you ask me.

[Shalot]

I'm not getting vaccinated. I don't know of anyone who has had swine flu. I know of people who have had the flu, but not swine flu. At school, they have this online learning thing so that we can all keep up with the courses in the event that they have to shut down the school because of swine flu but I don't know of anyone who has actually had swine flu yet. I've heard, seen and read numorous reports about swine flu, but I'm not getting alarmed about it. For some reason, I'm associating the swine flu with Y2K. Remember Y2K? I worked for Wal-Mart at the time and I saw many people stocking up on bottled water and duct tape etc in preparation. When they closed for the evening on New Years Eve, they barricaded the front doors with pallets in case of rioters and looters. And then the next day, everything was back to normal and nothing had happened except that Wal-Mart made a killing with their bulk item sales...we joked that Wal-Mart had a direct hand in stirring up the Y2K hysteria to increase sales revenue. So, I'm not getting vaccinated and I'll either get swine flu or I won't. and then If I get swine flu, I'll either die or I won't.


But your point was that because of natural selection, people who would die anyway shouldn't be prevented from dying. That would go against antibiotics, like she said.

I enjoy medicine, it prevents many different things (I have seasonal bronchitis/pneumonia, and if not for antibiotics twice a year, I would not be alive). To say that diseases or illnesses should not be prevented is a pretty backwards way of thinking, if you ask me.

I wouldn't say it was a backwards way of thinking. At least she is thinking, rather than trotting on down to the health department with the rest of the mindless masses for the Victory vaccine.

[OrphanPip]

I wouldn't say it was a backwards way of thinking. At least she is thinking, rather than trotting on down to the health department with the rest of the mindless masses for the Victory vaccine.

Really and what about her vaccine "bogey man" reasoning and equating vaccination campaigns with Orwellian brainwashing is somehow less mindless than a reasoned argument for the benefits of vaccination on the basis of the recommendations of medical doctors.

No one is saying that you absolutely should go out and get vaccinated for the flu. If you have a chronic illness, or are in regular contact with vulnerable people, then the responsible thing to do would be to get vaccinated.

[Shalot]

Really and what about her vaccine "bogey man" reasoning and equating vaccination campaigns with Orwellian brainwashing is somehow less mindless than a reasoned argument for the benefits of vaccination on the basis of the recommendations of medical doctors.

No one is saying that you absolutely should go out and get vaccinated for the flu. If you have a chronic illness, or are in regular contact with vulnerable people, then the responsible thing to do would be to get vaccinated.

I'm not sure what you thought my post said. I don't know what you're trying to say with your first sentence/paragraph there. The only thing that comes across is condescension, which isn't the best persuasive tactic. I certainly don't see a reasoned argument for the benefits of vaccination. Also, this is The Literature Network. Wouldn't you expect an Orwellian reference wherever possible? I would be extermely disappointed if no one mentioned Orwell in this thread.

[Scheherazade]

.

R e m i n d e r

Please do not personalise your arguments.

.

[Niamh]

I think Canada is doing this just right. I think it's so over blown here that it's near hysteria. I have not seen anything to suggest the H1N1 is any different than the regular flu. If anything I think it's less severe. But I'm no doctor and I'm just going by what I see around and in the papers.
Its pretty bad in my country. Everyone seems to know at least two people who have had it. I've worked with people who have had it. I know i've more than likely carried it because i work in a very people busy athmosphere. a few weeks back there was an intire family in the hospital with it. The mother was a doctor and had caught it in the hospital she worked.

however, The Red Cross here in Ireland have stated that people who were around for the last swine flu in the 1960s? have almost a zero chance of contracting it because they would have been exposed to it before.


I wouldn't say that. Two people I know (parents of friends) in my area died last week from it. And i'm from the D.C suburbs. Though I also know a lot of people who have had it and gotten over it, a lot of the people I know who have it currently are pretty damn sick.

Yeah when one of the managers i work with fell ill with it i couldnt get over how bad she was... and this was before she found out she had it.


But your point was that because of natural selection, people who would die anyway shouldn't be prevented from dying. That would go against antibiotics, like she said.

I enjoy medicine, it prevents many different things (I have seasonal bronchitis/pneumonia, and if not for antibiotics twice a year, I would not be alive).

If it wasnt for those wonderful things called antibiotics i'd be long dead. :D I'm Quite happy to be alive. And i'm sure there are others glad i am too! There was a time i was havig URTIs up to 7 times a year, and i had a really bad Pneumonia that started it all off. Out of work for five weeks. One of my neighbours died of Pneumonia a few years ago. But we there was an underlining factor that came out after he died. think he'd be about 33 now if he was still alive.

I know i should probably get the vaccine because i'm prone to infections and catching flu's etc, but i've been exposed to it so much at this point i think i'd have had it by now... and there are a lot more important highrisk people than me that deserve to get the vaccine first.

[manolia]

I think Canada is doing this just right. I think it's so over blown here that it's near hysteria. I have not seen anything to suggest the H1N1 is any different than the regular flu. If anything I think it's less severe. But I'm no doctor and I'm just going by what I see around and in the papers.

Agreed. I am not getting vaccinated.

[Hurricane]

I have mandatory vaccinations, so I'll probably be picking this one up fairly soon.
The swine flu thing was such a big deal at my school that they set up isolation (in the basement squash courts, no less) for anybody with flu-like symptoms, quickly termed "District Swine". Some of the people down there were pretty sick. They've been very serious about it.

[OrphanPip]

I'm not sure what you thought my post said. I don't know what you're trying to say with your first sentence/paragraph there. The only thing that comes across is condescension, which isn't the best persuasive tactic. I certainly don't see a reasoned argument for the benefits of vaccination. Also, this is The Literature Network. Wouldn't you expect an Orwellian reference wherever possible? I would be extermely disappointed if no one mentioned Orwell in this thread.

Geez if you think listening to healthcare professionals with experience and knowledge is somehow mindless. Vaccines save lives period. I find saying that saying no one should get vaccinated and just die, because you know "natural selection", is just a ridiculous reason not to get vaccinated. Although, becca, or a mod, has now edited that out of her post.

From the WHO:

" Globally, teenagers and young adults continue to account for the majority of cases, with rates of hospitalization highest in very young children. Between 1% to 10% of patients with clinical illness require hospitalization. Of hospitalized patients, from 10% to 25% require admission to an intensive care unit, and from 2% to 9% have a fatal outcome.

Overall, from 7% to 10% of all hospitalized patients are pregnant women in their second or third trimester of pregnancy. Pregnant women are ten times more likely to need care in an intensive care unit when compared with the general population.

Based on these and other current findings, the experts made a number of recommendations."

If I were a parent it would be irresponsible for me not to get my children vaccinated.

[Helga]

in my opinion this has been made sound like the plague at least here on the ice. I already got the shot because I am kinda supposed to since I work in healthcare. my son is getting the shot on Monday because he has very bad asthma and the flue is very heavy on the lungs. the ER here is over crowded at the moment and the youngest patient with the flue is 2 years old. I am gonna make damn sure my boy dosen't get it. but the thing is that with kids younger than 9 they need to get the shot 2 three weeks apart.... and it's spreading far more rapidly here than in any other country in Europe..

Iceland is just getting crushed these days any way possible!

( most of the people though are good as new in 10 days or so)

[1n50mn14]

Really and what about her vaccine "bogey man" reasoning and equating vaccination campaigns with Orwellian brainwashing is somehow less mindless than a reasoned argument for the benefits of vaccination on the basis of the recommendations of medical doctors.

And that is exactly what you would say if you were working for the government who wanted us brainwashed in the first place :p

[caddy_caddy]

Cure the disease, kill the patient"
The vaccination is more dangerous than the disease itself . In my country there is 16oo cases . Two days ago one pregnant woman died .
Nevertheless ,I'm not going to get the shot .
I read many articles about the " squalene " . There is a consensus that it is very dangerous to our immune system to include it in the vaccine .

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message842145/pg1




Novartis’s proprietary squalene adjuvant for their H1N1 vaccine is MF59. Glaxo’s is ASO3. MF59 has yet to be approved by the FDA for use in any U.S. vaccine, despite its history of use in other countries.



Per Dr. Nass, there are only three vaccines in existence using an approved squalene adjuvant. None of the three are approved for use in the U.S.

[The Comedian]

I got the shot.

[caddy_caddy]

In the U.S.A they use the vaccine without adjuvants. there is not only one type of vaccine and this is the main issue .

[OrphanPip]

Cure the disease, kill the patient"
The vaccination is more dangerous than the disease itself . In my country there is 16oo cases . Two days ago one pregnant woman died .
Nevertheless ,I'm not going to get the shot .
I read many articles about the " squalene " . There is a consensus that it is very dangerous to our immune system to include it in the vaccine .

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message842145/pg1

The Gulf War Syndrome myth has been debunked.

http://cvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/13/9/1010

[Lynne50]

I am not going to get a shot because I am not in the high risk age category. I have never gotten even a regular flu shot, so I don't see the need to start now. However, if I had young children and my pediatrician recommended it, then I would definitely get it for them. Vaccines have saved lives from diseases of the past, but with this disease, since I have never gotten the flu before, "knock on wood", I really don't want to expose myself to any type of it now. Also, if I had a weaker immune system, I might consider it.

[stephofthenight]

nope got a regular flu shot once, got the flu that week. this shot is a live virus just weakend... not a good ideal. most of the doctors around here are advising against it because of how little research has been done on it.

[OrphanPip]

nope got a regular flu shot once, got the flu that week. this shot is a live virus just weakend... not a good ideal. most of the doctors around here are advising against it because of how little research has been done on it.

The nasal vaccine is a live-attenuated vaccine, but this is standard practice in vaccine technology. The MMR vaccine is a live-attenuated vaccine and works quite well.

The injectable is a killed virus vaccine made from growing the virus in chicken eggs and then killing it.

As to getting the flu, are you sure you actually got the flu? Most cases of "flu" that aren't treated in hospitals are often personal misdiagnosis. That being said, the flu vaccine is produced in advance and can't account for all the strains that will present themselves. Depending on the year you usually see 60-70% effectiveness with flu vaccines. The major benefit from the flu vaccine is that it also reduces severity of symptoms in those that do get it, and even with new strains there is usual enough cross-reactivity to protect better than nothing at all.

As to testing, all of these vaccines went through Phase I clinical trials just like any other vaccine. Besides which, they were manufactured in the same way as regular flu vaccines so I see no reason for them to be any more or less dangerous than the usual flu vaccine.

Edit: Vaccines also work much much better on children than they do on adults.

[Shalot]

Geez if you think listening to healthcare professionals with experience and knowledge is somehow mindless. Vaccines save lives period. I find saying that saying no one should get vaccinated and just die, because you know "natural selection", is just a ridiculous reason not to get vaccinated. Although, becca, or a mod, has now edited that out of her post.

From the WHO:

" Globally, teenagers and young adults continue to account for the majority of cases, with rates of hospitalization highest in very young children. Between 1% to 10% of patients with clinical illness require hospitalization. Of hospitalized patients, from 10% to 25% require admission to an intensive care unit, and from 2% to 9% have a fatal outcome.

Overall, from 7% to 10% of all hospitalized patients are pregnant women in their second or third trimester of pregnancy. Pregnant women are ten times more likely to need care in an intensive care unit when compared with the general population.

Based on these and other current findings, the experts made a number of recommendations."

If I were a parent it would be irresponsible for me not to get my children vaccinated.

There's no reason to get so hostile. You're not reading these posts...you're throwing out a list of facts and then making statements that don't apply to the people you're responding to. And where exactly did I state that listening to healthcare professionals was mindless? That statement is not in my posts at all. And, for the record, healthcare professionals don't always get it right so always listening to a healthcare professional might indeed be mindless depending on the situation (there - now I've made a qualified version of that statement - feel free to respond with another list of facts). For example, I listened to a healthcare professional who ordered a slew of tests for me and prescribed some medicine. Now I'm sitting here with a stack of medical bills and I'm still experiencing the same symptoms. So much for that healthcare professional.

[OrphanPip]

There's no reason to get so hostile. You're not reading these posts...you're throwing out a list of facts and then making statements that don't apply to the people you're responding to. And where exactly did I state that listening to healthcare professionals was mindless? That statement is not in my posts at all. And, for the record, healthcare professionals don't always get it right so always listening to a healthcare professional might indeed be mindless depending on the situation (there - now I've made a qualified version of that statement - feel free to respond with another list of facts). For example, I listened to a healthcare professional who ordered a slew of tests for me and prescribed some medicine. Now I'm sitting here with a stack of medical bills and I'm still experiencing the same symptoms. So much for that healthcare professional.

I don't mean to be hostile, I just get frustrated by anti-vaccine sentiments when most of the arguments against vaccines come from a place of anecdotal evidence or bad science like the linkage of squalene with disease. I honestly just want people to do the sensible thing and be vaccinated if they have a chronic respiratory disorder, have very young children, are pregnant, or are in contact with newborns.

Anti-vaccine attitudes have caused real harm. Polio was nearly eradicated in every country in the world until the vaccine was banned in Nigeria 6 years ago. Since then polio has made a comeback in the neighbouring countries and the West's memory of the disease has lessened, so the funding has dried up for the eradication campaign. We were within hands reach of eradicating a terrible disease, but superstition put a stop to it.

I may get a bit aggressive when it comes to the topic of vaccines, but I honestly just want people to do what the evidence suggests is best.

[qimissung]

Geez, OrphanPip, I would like to say thank you to you for so earnestly communicating with us the severity of the flu, and the need to get vaccinated.

Having said that, I also, am not getting the H1N1 flu shot. I have only had the flu once, and that was in the late '80's. My mother, who has emphysema, has already asked me not to visit this winter. I work at a high school, and it has not hit us there yet at all.

Generally I believe in vaccines. I had my kids vaccinated against the usual when they were young. As it happens, the flu vaccinations of both kinds are in short supply here anyway.

I believe it is serious-even the regular flu kills hundreds of people every year, after all.

[jocky]

Geez, OrphanPip, I would like to say thank you to you for so earnestly communicating with us the severity of the flu, and the need to get vaccinated.

Having said that, I also, am not getting the H1N1 flu shot. I have only had the flu once, and that was in the late '80's. My mother, who has emphysema, has already asked me not to visit this winter. I work at a high school, and it has not hit us there yet at all.

Generally I believe in vaccines. I had my kids vaccinated against the usual when they were young. As it happens, the flu vaccinations of both kinds are in short supply here anyway.

I believe it is serious-even the regular flu kills hundreds of people every year, after all. My wife works in the health service and she believes that this virus is not being taken seriously. The majority of health service workers, doctors, nurses etc are not going to take the vaccine. Quote, ' It is a mass cull ' Conspiracy theory gone wild. If it mutates as the Spanish flu did then we will all be in trouble. Better to be safe than sorry.

[caddy_caddy]

The Gulf War Syndrome myth has been debunked.

http://cvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/13/9/1010

Good news .
If you could read what I read ( contradictory information) , you would feel lost . I don't know who I should believe.:(
Thousands of articles are being written in forums . It is a real hysteria .
I came to a conclusion that this is a crisis of trust not of an epidemic . :brickwall

[Helga]

my boy got the shot today and I feel at ease. the doctors here say that it will only get worse in the next few months so I want to be safe. it's spreading so fast here that every school and every workplace is affected by this.... there has only been one death so far but so many have gotten very sick and are in the ICU. the youngest is 2 years old and the oldest is 69 so nobody is safe even though most of the patients are kids and young adults.

[Haunted]

Orwellian brainwashing... mass vaccination...conspiracy theory...they all sound so good! But I'll wait for the movie. ;)

No one is forcing me to get one. There's always some risk in everything. It's whether the benefits outweigh the risks. I think the benefits of saving lives is pretty compelling. I'm asthmatic and my doctor gives me a flu shot every year. This year he says get this one too. So why not, I'll get it.

[qimissung]

Orwellian brainwashing... mass vaccination...conspiracy theory...they all sound so good! But I'll wait for the movie. ;)

No one is forcing me to get one. There's always some risk in everything. It's whether the benefits outweigh the risks. I think the benefits of saving lives is pretty compelling. I'm asthmatic and my doctor gives me a flu shot every year. This year he says get this one too. So why not, I'll get it.

If you have an underlying health concern you should get a shot, Haunted. Of course, you should get a shot if you want to, in any event.

My understanding is that there is not going to be enough of the vaccine for everyone to get one around here.

[Drkshadow03]

If you have an underlying health concern you should get a shot, Haunted. Of course, you should get a shot if you want to, in any event.

My understanding is that there is not going to be enough of the vaccine for everyone to get one around here.

See, I have asthma, which is why I get the normal flu shot every year, and would like to get the H1N1 shot, but I can't FIND it anywhere. All the H1N1 shots in RI are being horded for the schools where the disease is already running rampant. I tried searching for clinics on Long Island, but none here either that I could find offering the shot. It's extremely frustrating!

I mean, I understand there are people who need it more than me and I don't want to be selfish when those other people exist, but it is also frustrating when you fall into that category of people who should get vaccinated, actually are willing to be vaccinated, and can't find any place to get vaccinated.

[Haunted]

My understanding is that there is not going to be enough of the vaccine for everyone to get one around here.


it is also frustrating when you fall into that category of people who should get vaccinated, actually are willing to be vaccinated, and can't find any place to get vaccinated.

Isn't that ironic. It happens to me every year. There's been a shortage of flu shots several years in a row here, and my doctor's office would screen me out when I called. They won't give me an appointment. They go strictly by age group and I don't qualify, but I'm asthmatic and should get one. So I learned to give them some cockeyed maniac reason to see my doctor, everything under the sun but getting a flu shot, then they give me an appointment. Once my doctor sees me, he gives me one right away out of pity.

[Niamh]

I think they are short in most countries...

[Zee.]

I don't mean to be hostile, I just get frustrated by anti-vaccine sentiments when most of the arguments against vaccines come from a place of anecdotal evidence or bad science like the linkage of squalene with disease. I honestly just want people to do the sensible thing and be vaccinated if they have a chronic respiratory disorder, have very young children, are pregnant, or are in contact with newborns.

Anti-vaccine attitudes have caused real harm. Polio was nearly eradicated in every country in the world until the vaccine was banned in Nigeria 6 years ago. Since then polio has made a comeback in the neighbouring countries and the West's memory of the disease has lessened, so the funding has dried up for the eradication campaign. We were within hands reach of eradicating a terrible disease, but superstition put a stop to it.

I may get a bit aggressive when it comes to the topic of vaccines, but I honestly just want people to do what the evidence suggests is best.



Sorry but your "science" can't explain why a friend of mine became paralyzed after receiving a flu shot.




I've never been vaccinated and i am very rarely sick. Once a year, if at all.


Edit - and this "evidence" you talk about. What about the "evidence" against it?

It's all about, money, money, money...

[Hurricane]

Sorry but your "science" can't explain why a friend of mine became paralyzed after receiving a flu shot.

That sounds like it could be Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which you can read about here:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gbs.htm

Lots of medicines and vaccines have very serious side effects, but it's an accepted risk and, like Guillain-Barre Syndrome, they're generally extremely rare.
It's like any other vaccine: the odds that I'll someday be at risk of getting tetanus or meningitis are small, but having the vaccines is a nice safety net. Besides, I don't want to potentially spread something nasty to anyone else who might be less resistant than I am.

[papayahed]

Even though I can get the regular flu shot through work I'm not getting vaccinated, I've never actually had the flu.

[OrphanPip]

Sorry but your "science" can't explain why a friend of mine became paralyzed after receiving a flu shot.

I've never been vaccinated and i am very rarely sick. Once a year, if at all.

Edit - and this "evidence" you talk about. What about the "evidence" against it?

It's all about, money, money, money...

Post hoc ergo hoc is not demonstration of a causative link. Our best understand of Guillaume-Barre is that it is triggered by a strong immune response, this could be caused by a vaccine or getting sick on the street anyway. The generous estimates are 1/1,000,000 instances of GBS being tangentially related to influenza vaccination.

To put this into perspective, the flu kills 30-50 thousand people in the USA each year, and this is with the effect of vaccines, anti-virals, and various other treatment. If every individual in the USA was vaccinated you would expect to see 300 cases of GBS. Now, I'm not recommending that kind of campaign because it would be excessive and unnecessary, but the risks are minimal.

Sure the vaccine companies want money, but that's hardly relevant to the question of whether one should get the vaccine or not.

[Annamariah]

I'll probably get the vaccination if I haven't already had the flu by the time my turn comes. (In Finland they're planning to vaccinate the whole population, starting from medical workers and those belonging to certain risk groups.)

There are many people here too who are opposed to the swine flu vaccination, though most of them base their reasoning on arguments like "I heard from my neighbour who heard one of his friends read from the newspaper..." I'm not saying that everyone should get vaccinated, but I don't think it's wise to say "no" just because you feel like this might not be a good thing rather than to study some facts and then make the decision based on that information.

[Janine]

Bad news is that my doctor's office ran out of the vacine. I will probably have to call around to find out where to get it. I get it every year and have never had a problem and I don't get the flu. I recommend getting it for anyone with chronic problems. I am very concerned now for my 87 yr old mother who does have some respitory problems.

[minanamoue]

I'm not letting the government inject me with that microchip tracking device.

[Janine]

I'm not letting the government inject me with that microchip tracking device.

:lol: Good one! :smash:

[Annamariah]

In some schools almost half of the students are ill. Of course all of them don't have swine flu, but many do. So far we have had two deaths. The first one was a young adult, who had a chronic illness, so it didn't scare people that much (though of course it was a sad thing that she should die). The second death was much more of a shock, as the victim was a healthy 8-year-old girl, who developed pneumonia as a result of the swine flu and died.

A friend of mine got her shot on Monday, because she belongs to several risk groups, but most people will have to wait longer, probably till next year (when many have already had the illness, so the vaccination will no longer be necessary).

[applepie]

I don't think we're going to get the vaccine in my house. The only thing really nagging at me is my children. I mean, I don't really think it is necessary to get them vaccinated, but I also don't really want them ill. On the same token, while they're saying that the vaccine can not make you ill (it being a dead virus and all), my kids both have issues with vaccinations. My daughter actually came down with Chicken pox after that vaccine (I'll note it's a dead virus too;)) All in all, I just don't know what to do. The media is really creating a bit of a panic around here, and you can't help but catch it...

[Niamh]

199 countries are affected and there have been over 6000 deaths globally. 370 people died because of it last week. 14 recorded deaths so far in my country.

[Koa]

Nah... if I have to catch it, it will make me stronger... Haven't had a flu since I was 16, that's over a decade, which doesn't obviously mean I'm immune but it doesn't make me think I'm so weak that I'm at a huge risk... I know two people who had it and they just were ill. A guy I know said that the normal flus we catch are nothing like the flus that killed millions in the past centuries, they are much lighter. So maybe this is a bit stronger but it's just taken care of and hyped so much more. Maybe people have been dying every year recently from flus going wrong but the media did not tell us.

[Dori]

I'm not getting vaccinated.

I'm at college now, and they sent out a notification that there will be some available tomorrow; however, they're letting University Police and First-Response get the vaccines first. Then we'll be getting more, and more people will be able to get the vaccine.

I went to a flu shot clinic a month or so ago, but the line was so long I didn't even bother. I don't recall ever getting a flu shot, nor ever coming down with the illness.

Though, I will admit, I'm rather stubborn when it comes to taking medicine. Oh well.

[Niamh]

So! I'm being dragged by my mother to get the vaccine on tuesday. I'm ashmatic, i've had pneumonia in the last three years and an prone to chest infections... or i was at least! I've only had one in a year and a half (go me) and a couple of niggly colds for a change. I've been exposed to this flu probably more than anyone else really because i work in an international airport, and i've not caught it. Personally i think i've built up an immunity by now... in saying that... I dont want my mother worrying about me.