Swine Flu - Eastlake,OH

I heard on the news just this morning that the shots coming into Ohio soon are only for the health care workers. I think the shot is too new for anyone to take a chance. I believe that americans are over vationated. What is this world coming too? A lot of people took the flu shot last year to only find out the shot was bad. No thank you!!!

My 9 month old just got the flu vaccination but I am going to pass on the Swine shot for now...too much risk

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Dr. Sears website is a great place to look up medical questions. He also has a great book out The Vaccine (or vaccination) Book.

Hi Lori,

We selectively vaccinate anyway... and this is not one we are getting. Not only is it too new, but there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that in general flu vaccines just don't work anyway.

In addition, the medical community will try to scare you into believing that somehow the swine flu is 100x more serious then any other strain of flu.

Yes, it is highly contagious. And yes, it is SLIGHTLY more serious then the 'regular' seasonal flu, but at this point, not even to raise the number of hospitalizations over what is expected at this time of year. (CDC website)

There are many things you can do to protect yourself.

Boost your vitamin C and particularly vitamin D. There is evidence to suggest those who have DIED from the flu are also those who have a vitamin D deficiency.

You also have to keep in mind, the reporting on how many people actually die from the flu are skewed. The CDC reports flu AND pneumonia together and lists them as "flu deaths". If you really dig down, you find the ACTUAL flu deaths are significantly less then what is reported.

www.drsears.com has some good information about the swine flu, and other items of interest.

www.mercola.com is also another good source.

The thing to remember with the flu and kids is dehydration. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate if they get sick. My pediatrician recommends giving gatorade, even diluted, to replace the electrolytes.

Washing your hands regularly with soap and water (and your kids), washing their shared toys, getting enough rest, balanced nutrition, and ensuring they are getting a GOOD multi vitamin will go a long way to keeping them healthy.

You can't avoid ALL illnesses. But you can boost your immune system to ensure your body can handle it if you do get sick.

They develop a new flu vaccine every single year so the fact that it's "new" doesn't bother me at all. Every flu vaccine is "new" each year! We always get the normal flu vaccine and no one in our family has gotten the flu in the past 5 years.

My concern is that I haven't been able to find out if they are making a thermisal-free version of it. The normal flu vaccine is available without thermisal if you ask for it. We refuse to get any vaccine with it in (luckily all the other normal childhood vaccines have the 'free' version available).

This is a very personal decision. I will say this much about it. I have been following the information released about the components in the vaccine since they started working on it and the test results as well. Please understand even a seasonal flu vaccine only protects for about 10 different strains when there are approximatly 100 different strains of flu. Also the death rate from flu is generally from the complications/side illnesses like pneumonia that occur than from the flu and our death rate from car accidents annually is far higher than those who die from the flu. I am not satisfied myself it is safe. When some sections of Canada have pulled their Seasonal Flu vaccine because individuals who have the seasonal flu vaccine are more likely to catch swine flu even from just the vaccine they are given than not I find it concerning. While this strain is supposedly more dangerous than the other 4 Swine Flu scares I have survived in my life I am concerned about some of the misinformation we were given by our Board of Health regarding the contents in the injection. You would have no way of knowing if your child has ever had a serious reaction to a regular seasonal flu shot, has an allergy to eggs, or any of the other ingredients in the vaccine. Then there is the light sterilant included in the vaccine as well. Know, as well, if you or your child has a reaction to the vaccine your ability to sue is limited by law and they have set aside federal funds to help pay for medical care and other specific expenses of certain persons who have a serious reaction to the vaccine. Any vaccine as quickly made and whose testing has been as limited makes me more than a little nervous. Please confer seriously with your physician before making any decision, present all of your questions and make sure you are comfortable with his answers.

Here is a great website article someone sent me because I was wanting to know what other moms thought about the vaccine.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5237185n

It explains a lot. But I agree with the other moms. I'm not getting the H1N1 shot nor is my daughter. It is no worse than the regualr flu except the diarrhea. That is all. All these people die from the seasonal flu and you don't see them saying it is a pandemic. You have the right as a parent to question something for your child even if the drs think it is best. We don't know what the side effects are from this drug. Nor do we know if it will actually prevent you from getting it. I mean you can get a seasonal flu shot and still get another strane of the flu...how do we know that won't happen to this? Plus the makers of the drugs are rushing to make the drug how do we know the drugs are safe? I hope all this information helps you make a informed decision. But good work on questioning this vaccine.

I too am not going to be vaccinating my kids. I don't think that something right out of the making of it needs to be tested on my kids. Granted, they will have some subjects that they can get stats from, but in my opinion, it won't be enough. My pediatrician is not having her patients receive it unless their amount of test subjects are over a certain number, and even then, she said she's not sure if she's comfortable enough to give out to her patients. I still believe that it's not going to be any different from a regular flu outbreak.

My children, that small, were not in daycare and were still breastfeeding... I did not work in healthcare, nor with 'at risk' populations. No one in our family was immuno-compromised (from chemotherapy or anything), and that pretty much takes care of the major risk groups. I never even considered getting a flu shot... for me or my kids.

If your little one is in daycare, or frequently in contact with children who are in daycare or school, if you or people you're in regular contact with work in health care... it probably makes sense for everyone in your house to get the shot.

If not, it's a toss up: are you likely to be exposed? Is it likely to create health problems? Those are largely unknown issues. If you fear that there will be the pandemic the media seems bent on reporting even with no evidence at all, it's probably worth the peace of mind.

Some people elect to have the flu shot because they've ever had influenze and found it to be a completely horrible experience they will go to considerable lengths to avoid in the future. Others have had the flu and didn't think it was a big enough deal to act on.

I, too, am on the fence. My pediatrician has not formulated an opinion though both kids received their 1st of 2 regular flu vaccines yesterday. My oncologist has not made a recommendation either but does support the normal Flu Shot.

Though it was tested and approved by the FDA, there are always issues that arise when you move out of clinical trials and into the mainstream that the trials can't detect.

Keep seeking information, sister. I hope none of our kids get it as their immune systems appear to be most fragile and susceptible.

Having gone through chemo during flu season last year and basically having NO immune system, the advice I got was to "wash your hands" and use sanitizers on a regular basis.

Vaccniate your children.

The swine flu is very similar to the regular flu virus and if they would have had the outbreak a few month earlier, it would have been included in the regular seasonal flu vaccine. The CDC reccomendations have come out and if you have children in school or in college, it is really important to get it. ALTHOUGH IT IS JUST THE FLU, there is no reason to put yourself, your children, and OTHERS at risk. This is what I don't udnerstand about people who don't vaccinate. Especially if you are aruond someone who is pregnant, it is imperative to take care of them.

There will be plenty, just call you pediatrician every week or so.

ADDENDUM
THE REASON THAT THIS FLU WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD IS BECAUSE YOU PEOPLE REFUSE TO VACCINATE. There is no mercury and no thermerasil (spelled incorrectly) in this vaccine or any others. Why put your children, their classmates, your co-workers at risk? It is absolutely irresponsible!

My sister works in a major hospital in Virginia, and she was informed that once the vaccine is made available, there most likely won't be enough of it for everybody. It will go to the "high risk" people first. That will include pregnant women, hospital workers and ped offices. Your ped will most likely be the one to decide if your child fits the "high risk" catagory for children. I would think that would be based on weather or not the child is in daycare, and if the parents work in a hospital setting. If the answer is NO to either of those questions, your child might not even be offered the shot. The doctor will save what shots he has for the high risk children, and the rest of us won't even get the chance for the shot. So you might be worried for nothing.

But if your child IS offered the shot, then you need to decide if the risk is worth it. I read online that the shot does contain mercury. Depending on how you feel about vaccines, that may worry you or it may not. It worries me.

Other than that, I really don't have any other advice for you. Good luck!

I was listening to a doctor on talk radio who said absolutely DO NOT get your child vaccinated for this. It is brand new and they do not know the long term side effects yet.

It's very scary though.

Nobody in my family is getting the vaccine. I refuse to put something in myself or my children that has no long term testing done. We're not in a high risk area and neither of my children go to daycare. I guess you just have to decide how "at risk" you and your children are for the swine flu, just like the regular flu. We don't get seasonal flu shots either. It seems like every time they release a vaccine, the strain mutates, making the vaccine obsolete. Seems silly to get a vaccine that doesn't work!

Lori,

There is so much miss information out there, and many people are engaging in scare campaings for this vacine, and vacines in general, that you will likely not get accurate information from us.

Follow your doctors instructions once you get them, they will be the best source you have for your circumstances and you should only be going to this person if you trust them anyway. Second guess them at your own (your child's) risk. If you get advice you don't like, then consider doctor shopping for one that agrees with your brand of wellness phylosophy, there is one out there for every flavor, no matter how mainstreem or wacky you want to get.

The predictions are that about one third of us will contract this virus. 30%, three in 10, one in three, how ever you want to say it; that is a lot of people, and someone in your nuclear family will liekely have this virus. People pass it on before they even realize they have it, and since you have not had a school aged kid yet, you don't know that parents regularly send their kids to school with a fever, ask any school nurse or teacher how often they find a child has a fever at lunch time and the child says that Mommy took it in the morning and gave them tylenol so that they could attend school. Scary how fast this will spread at school.

Not being in daycare or working in healthcare will not prevent you or your child from getting this, a trip to the park or the grocery store or to church will be all that it takes for most. People will get it, and some people will have a very bad outcome. That is true for infulenza every year.

Try not to listen to the scary talk, and get your education from the one person you pay to help you sort this out.

M.

Hi Lori, I am a flu shot nurse this year, and we are still waiting for the final word from the CDC, but the news at this point is that our county health department will decide where the H1N1 shots will be given--most likely in large public clinics (meaning your peds office won't get their own supply). The first batches available will be the flumist (goes up the nose), and you have to be 2 or older to get that. Once the shot serum is available (mid October or later), you'll have to decide what you want to do. I talked to the Nurse Practitioner in my peds office and she's having the same dilemma about getting her own kids vaccinated for H1N1. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and 6 month old, and we've all gotten the seasonal flu shot. I've decided not to give them the H1N1 only because I worry about the limited amount of time they've had to test the vaccine. I'm not even sure I'd want to have it myself--if so, I'll watch and wait until later in the season to see if there are reports of side-effects from the 1st folks who get vaccinated. I'm going to take every measure possible (good handwashing, keeping kids home at the first sign of illness, avoiding germ factories like the mall playgrounds, cleaning shopping carts and highchairs before we use them, avoiding people who are coughing/sneezing in public), and if we get the flu we'll just tough it out. Anyway, that's my 2 cents, hope it helps you =-)

Lori, please listen to a couple of the other moms about following your doctor's recommendations. I wish people would do a little research about vaccines and they would realize that IF the vaccine has mercury in it (the vast majority do not), it is not the same type of mercury found in fish that collects in the brain. It is a different type that is not absorbed by the body and is expelled as waste.

You do need to weigh your risk of contracting any type of flu vs. possible side effects. Yes, some people do have an adverse reaction to the shot and a sick for a while. However, those people are in the minority. I know I have had the flu before and I would rather be a little sick than chance the risk of being a lot sick later. I will be getting my 2 y/o son both an H1N1 and regular flu vaccine this year. I refuse to help spread something I can help prevent.

I work in a hospital. I have talked with several nurses in several departments, including Pediatrics about this. I was told that right now, this flu is not any more serious than any other flu. I was asking due to the fact that treatment (Tamiflu) needs to begin within 48 hours. They told me that if they can tolerate the stopped up nose and coughing, then I will probably be ok letting it run it's course. They told me that it is starting to become resistant to medicines because so many people are taking it incorrectly. I am a firm believer that if my kids can fight off something on their own, I would rather let them strengthen their own immune system rather than vaccinate for every possible sickness. If H1N1 morphs into something more serious, I will re-evaluate the situation. Since I work in a hospital, there is a chance that they will make it mandatory for employees to get the vaccine. If that happens, I will be able to make a much more informed decision as to what to do with my boys after I have had the vaccine myself. There are still too many unknowns.

Me and my children will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine. I do believe the question (of all vaccines) deserves a lot of research including but not limited to your pediatrition's opinion on the CDC recommendations and info. Not all MDs are comfortable with vaccines including this latest vaccine.

a great article by Jay Gordan, MD: http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/news/h1n1update.asp

http://www.nourishmd.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp...

a homeopathic flu prevention remedy and tons of other great resources on nourishmd --check them out
it's another MD opinion any way.

Dear Lori,
I received an email saying that the nurses don't want to take it. Also, it mentioned on the video that it harmful to children. It contains mercury which causes a host of other damage to the body. My family will not be getting the Swine flu shots.

NOT getting it for any of us. Besides the fact that it hasn't been tested enough, many ppl below have already pointed out several other facts. What we need to be doing is treating our bodies right so that they can work to fight off these viruses and work the way that they were meant to be. Eat right (low on processed foods, sugar, and bad fats etc). Get enough sleep. Wash hands. And for me, my immune system is better than most I know b/c I've been taking the best nutritional supplement for the past nearly 7 years; I've rarely ever been sick during that time(even though I have room for improvement in my diet and need to get much more sleep!)

I'd like to know where the woman got her info that was making it sound like the mercury in vaccines is safe???

I asked my 12 mo. old son's pediatrician about this recently and his recommendation was to get the shot. He said that scientists have been making different flu vaccines for years. My family will get this vaccine once it is available. We have already received the regular flu vaccine. My advice is to go with your child's doctor's recommendations.

We're doing it. Reactions to vaccines are rare, catching the illness is likely which is probably miserable and possibly really dangerous.

I think the kids under 10 need two shots for it to be effective, done four weeks apart.

And the CDC has recommended it for kids 6 months to 24 years because they're so likely to catch it:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination...

I'm in the same boat. I have no idea what to do. On one hand, I don't like to administer "unnecessary" vaccinations, and the safety of this one is particular is pretty unknown. On the other hand, I had the flu (just the regular influenza) about 4 years ago, and not only was it so hard for the week that it lasted, but my body was physically weakened for MONTHS afterwards. I do NOT want my baby to go through anything like that any time soon. :-( Unfortunately, I don't think there is anyone who can give you a solid answer, because the science just isn't there yet. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision.

It's really a tough call, isn't it? Such a scary thing, this H1N1. But, my husband and I have talked about it, and we're choosing to not get it for ourselves or our children. (None of us have ever had any kind of flu shot, and so far we have been blessed to never catch the flu.)

Remember that in order for it to be commuicable, the pathogen needs a way to transmit, and a susceptible host. We do our best to make sure we are not susceptible hosts. We will continue to be fanatical about hand washing, carry our Purell everywhere, get exercise, lots of sleep, and eat really healthy foods to build up our immune system. (And, I'm sure we will be praying a lot for the Lord to keep us healthy.)

Good luck with your decision.
Blessings, J.

I agree with other moms in that I'm afraid of what the long-term effects of this H1N1 vaccine will be. I, along with my husband and two girls will be getting the regular flu vaccine but not the swine flu vaccine(we all got the seasonal shot last year, and all got the flu in Nov., but weren't sick again the rest of the winter). My sitter set us straight - wash their hands and don't take them to any unnecessary public places during the flu season. We shop alot and go places alot. My husband has started carrying Purel everywhere for their hands, and as soon as we walk in the door from going out, we wash hands. I think that's the best we can do. Now, I'm still questionning my decision to not get the H1N1 vaccine (am I a bad mom if they do get the swine flu?; am I a bad mom if in 20 years my girls have some negative side effect from getting the vaccine?), but will not be getting it on any of us. Good luck....

My family will not be getting the swine flu vaccine - they won't know exactly what the side effects are for another 3 - 6 months, and they are doing the same thing with this that the government is doing with everything else right now - rushing it through. I don't trust it enough to inject my kids with it, and although it speads quickly, the death toll is so much lower than the regular flu that kills over 34,000 people a year, it just is not worth it to me at this point.

best of luck!
~T.

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