H1N1 Flu Shot

This news article debunks a lot of the swine flu vaccine worries: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=649&sid=8199427

I have asthma and have been getting the flu shot for myself for years. As soon as my son was old enough last year, he got one too, and this year. As soon as the H1N1 is available, we will both be getting it. It is so widespread right now, I just hope that we get it in time. His life isn't worth risking to this debate.
As far as having to have the shot twice, it is like a booster for any other vaccine. There is always a window after the shot, before the immunization kicks in, that he could get sick, but if he had no shot, he could get sick then, and afterwards too.
I have heard that there needs to be spacing between the regular flu shot and the H1N1, but I don't know if that is relevant for kids or not, and I don't know how that works with the booster...just something to ask the ped about. I know that I was concerned since my son has his 18 month shots too, but I was told that the flu doesn't have problems mixing, and just added to the list.

My kids will not be getting it. I dont feel its safe and far to many Doctors will not take it or give it to their own kids.

http://www.youtube.com/v/E1z7KSEnyxw

Hi J.,

As for mw and my family, we won't be getting any flu shot. What is all this hype. I never received flu shot when I was a child, so many vaccinations, scary! Find out the fact before you decide. Here are some website to check out and search for "H1N1" for more articles:
http://www.naturalnews.com/027222_swine_flu_flu_vaccine_s...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...

Steps to prevent the flu:

http://askdrsears.com/html/8/t082201.asp

Add Juice Plus to the diet:
www.denverjuiceplus.com
It has been scientifically proven to support the immune system at the University of Florida, Univerisity of Arizonia and the Medical University of Graz.

I hope that helps!
L.

I would not take the shot myself and would definitely not allow anyone to get near my child with the shot. Why?

1. The shot contains Thimerosol (sp?), which is half mercury. Mercury is one of the most toxic substances known to man. When I was young, autism was almost unheard of, and childhood vaccinations were in their infancy - we took very few. Now, there are somewhere between 36 and 42 childhood vaccinations and somewhere between 1 in 90 and 1 in 60 children have autism now. Amish children, who do not get vaccinations, do not have autism. These correlations plus additional evidence I have not cited strongly suggest that mercury/thimerosol in vaccinations is associated with autism.

2. The vaccination contains 1,000% (or more, I may be understating this) more squalene than the experimental anthrax shots given to Gulf War I soldiers. Squalene is used as an adjuvant to create a greater immune response than the amount of virus or attenuated virus used would create on its own. Squalene is a lot like the fatty component of the myelin sheaths surrounding human nervous tissue, and while not toxic to eat, creates a huge irreversible autoimmune response when injected intramuscularly. The body develops immune responses to the squalene, and then turns around and attacks the myelin sheaths of the nervous system, resulting in MS, Lupus, Gillain-Barre Syndrome, and other devastating auto immune diseases. Squalene is the compound that has been linked to Gulf War Syndrome, which has killed and disabled many returned Gulf War I veterans, who received only a fraction of the amount of squalene that the H1N1 shot contains.

3. There is growing evidence that live cancer cells are in vaccinations as a result of the normal process of creating the vaccinations. Many of the viruses for vaccinations are grown on monkey kidneys which contain live cancer viruses which result in soft tissue cancers in human beings 30 years down the road. For example, there is substantial evidence that polio vaccinations in the 50s were contaminated with such cancer viruses, which have resulted in the explosion of breast and prostate cancer in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

4. The Mayo Clinic just completed a study recently that showed that persons who got the regular influenza vaccine were two times more likely to get the flu than those who were not vaccinated. Correlatively, your child may be more likely to get the H1N1 flu if vaccinated than if not.

5. Those persons who are getting the live virus nasal mist are shedding live virus for 20 days, thereby exposing everyone they contact to the flu, as well as being more likely to come down with the flu themselves than if they didn't get it.

6. As if these are not sufficient reasons to avoid the vaccination at all costs, news was made last February when Baxter Pharmaceuticals, one of the major suppliers of the H1N1 vaccine, sent 72 kilos of regular influenza vaccine to Eastern Europe which had been contaminated with live H5N1 virus. A major outbreak was averted by alert technicians at a satellite lab in Eastern Europe who injected ferrets with the vaccine and found that the ferrets died almost immediately from the shots. Ferrets are used as test animals for vaccines because they react to vaccines similar to humans. Experts in the field have indicated that this contamination was probably not a "mistake." There is, accordingly, a possibility that you and I could be similar victims of such a "mistake".

In short, without even going into the issue of whether vaccines, in general, are actually effective in preventing disease (there is substantial evidence that they create, rather than prevent, disease), there are several solid reasons why you and your children should run, not walk, away from these vaccines. Bottom Line: If you value your child's health and your own, do not take these vaccines.

No one seems to know much about it. BUT in my opinion if our family hadn't already had H1N1 we'd be getting the shot(s). But, they aren't available in my area yet. Even if he is a healthy kid with no underlying complications, H1N1 can be extremely bad for him. It doesn't attack the elderly like the regular flu, this virus is more severe in pregnant women, children and toddlers. It can put HEALTHY toddlers into intensive care. Even if he gets exposed after the first shot, it should give some protection to moderating the severity of it (his body will have already started creating the antibody's to fight the disease instead of having to learn how once he is exposed).

Good luck. I hope you don't get the H1N1.

I just went in to our pediatrician yesterday. He said that 99% of all cases of the flu have been H1N1 so far this year. I had my kiddos get the shot. Good luck in your decision!

We worried about this as well, but from what I have read, the H1N1 would have been part of this year's vaccine, except this strain was collected too late. So my opinion is that, if you were planningn on doing the regular flu shot, it wouldn't hurt to do both. I went ahead and had my older children get the mist (the shot wasn't available yet for my under 2 child), and lo and behold, the very next day I found out that my sister-in-law and all of her children (out of state) have contracted H1N1. My bet is that the shot/mist is a lot better than contracting the virus itself. Good luck with your decision!

Personally, I don't know why children have to have two doses, but last week we had our 3 year old get the nasal mist H1N1 vaccination. Then this past Monday we heard that one of the kids in my daughter's kindergarten class had swine flu. Unfortunately, my children have become friends with the family who came down with swine flu. So far we have seen no symptoms of the swine flu, because of the vaccination. So in my opinion, the first dose did help my son. He will get the booster in a month. I see it like the other vaccinations that young children receive and with some of the vaccinations they have to receive two to three boosters at certain times. Anyhow, just food for thought. I don't want to spend a week or two confined to my house. So, we all have received the vaccination. So far no side effects. I believe it helps. Im pregnant so I hope it helps since the statistics are showing that 8 in 10 women who are pregnant end up in the hospital. I don't want to be one of them. Also, some other food for thought, most people don't realize, but every year the regular flu shot is a different shot, made the same way every year. They do miniamal testing. I find when I get the flu shot; Im healthier because of it. So, being a volunteer for united way in a mother baby program, I get well trained to tell parents to get those shots. I truly believe the best way to safe guard oneself from any strain of flu is to get the shot, wash hands and all that normal stuff. Good Luck on your decision.

I'm sure you'll get lots of different responses on this. For my part, my kids will be getting the H1N1 vaccine. This particular strain of H1N1 is affecting kids more than the elderly. I don't want to risk my babies getting it.

The single shot and the FluMist (for kids 2 and older) do NOT contain Thimerisol. ONLY the multi-does vial does.

We have decided not to give our three year old or myself (pregnant) the shot. Simply because not much is known about it. I'm uncomfortable with the whole thing. I feel that sometimes it is best to go with the gut instinct.

You have to do 2 shots the first time w/the regular flu vaccine too, no worries. I think that you need 2 shots because the first introduces the vaccine into your body & the 2nd boosts it. Once you've had the intial 2, your body has it floating around already, & there's no need for 2 shots. I'm not sure how effective the first shot is, just practice good hygiene w/him til he's able to get the second one-hand washing, he can be taught to cough/sneeze into his elbow pit rather than his hands, lots of fluids, wiping down the germiest surfaces regularly (switchplates, doorknobs, etc).
They've not offered the H1N1 shot to us on post yet, at least not at this one, but if it will help my kids, I'm all for it! JMO of course

I did get the H1N1 shot (actually the nasal spray) for my daughter. We are leaving the country on vacation and I didn't want to risk the possibility of getting the flu and not being near our doctor. She is young enough to require a second dose, but I've had several doctors tell us that even the first dose provides some protection.

The CDC has a lot of good information on this vaccine, especially if you check the site for information listed for health care providers. It tells you what options there are for H1N1 vaccination and what vaccinations can happen in combo with others. For such a small kid, I would be careful to be spacing out vaccinations anyway.

We don't get any flu shots, never have. I am a teacher in a school where we've already had an outbreak. All of the kids (and parents) who have had it say that it is the worst thing ever but they would rather have the virus than get the vaccine.
I just can't willingly put those ingredients into my body and potentially harm my unborn fetus. They only began testing in late March and don't know any long term effects...it's just much too new for me to feel safe.
Good luck with your decision!

We're probably not getting it. (Moot point for my 15 year old, who is just recovered from H1N1!) I was initially considering it, especially when I heard this strain is also airborn, which is why it's easier to contract. Handwashing isn't too helpful, which is normally your very best defense against the flu! I started hearing that when there was an outbreak in the 70's, more people died from the vaccine than rom the H1N1 itself! Then I started hearing that it has been shorter lived and milder than the seasonal flu this time around. We decided to take our chances! My middle daughter contracted it a few days ago, before we could have gotten the vaccine. I did keep a close eye on her, because if the fever doesn't start to come down after a couple days or if it goes away completely and then returns, you may be looking at more serious complications. For her, it came and went, and the rest of the family managed not to catch it. It's definitely running rampant, but I'm glad it's been so mild for the most part. I guess the bottom line is that you should do what you're most comfortable with. Good luck!

The H1N1 vaccine is prepared and tested in the same way as the seasonal flu shot and, like it, is very safe. There is a lot of misinformation floating around about vaccinations in general, but the research just doesn't back up the allegations. Imagine if everybody opted out of vaccines for their kids: we'd have a resurgence of diseases like whooping cough and chicken pox and measles and SOME kids would have lasting damage (or worse, die) from them. Vaccines have changed our world for the better and I'm opting in for every well-tested vaccine they make available for my daughter. In fact, I wish they still vaccinated for small pox, it makes me nervous that none of us are immune anymore and yet they have strains of it in labs in various places. So, yeah, we're getting the H1N1 vaccine, as soon as we can. Best of luck making your decision!

Hi J.,

We have twins who will be 2 in December also. The media has definitely scared me on this one, but I am trying to keep perspective. We have neighbors who just had swine flu and said it's terrible, just like the regular flu, and they were all down for a week. BUT they are fine now. Our children are very healthy and we have all started probiotics, vit A and D and Influenzinum (a homeopathic flu product made in France-we take it every year). I am wary and frustrated that our vaccines are not "clean": both flu shots contain thimerosal, aluminum, along with other cheap ingredients. So should you decide to get either vaccine for your son (or yourself!) definitely request the mercury-free shot (call ahead, it may take time for them to locate it) and ask to see vial/packaging insert to verify. Best of luck, I don't think this is easy for any of us.

This makes me so grateful to be staying at home with my wee ones and not have to consider all the other people's health habits and exposures at such a young age.

I will not be getting the shot or spray for me or my children. Quite simply, there has not been enough testing of this vaccine to begin trusting it, in my opinion, as it doesn't follow the normal course of action for development prior to entry into the general population. We have no way of knowing what to look for in the way of side effects or adverse effects.

Nasal spray will keep you somewhat contagious for up to 21 days but will be easier to deal with as far as administration, so keep that in mind. The injection will be less contagious to others but involve more tears and pain.

One thing to keep in mind is the advice given to neurologists this last month (you should be able to find it on WebMD or Medscape) to be watching very carefully for Guillian Barr Syndrome as a adverse side effect in the coming months. The last notice I read said they expect an significant rise in diagnosis due to the new H1N1 vaccine. Let's just hope they do better this time around versus the results we got in 1976 when the greater population of those receiving the vaccination died from complications of that rather than the virus itself.

As far as Utah, I would take the general statements of H1N1 with a grain of salt...Last I knew the doctors here weren't even performing the actual H1N1 test but just categorically stating if you have the flu it's the H1N1 ;virus without actual lab confirmation. SOoo...the rates on that aren't so accurate.

At any rate, this whole thing is highly controversial. This great debate is filled with lots of truths and myths on both sides. For me, I'm taking a wait and watch approach...I don't ever like to be the testing subject and I refuse to do so with my children just because a few people with titles say it should be ok...the same people that were a fan of VIOXX, and Phen fen, and many other miracle drugs/vaccines that have since been pulled for their dangers.

I don't think either choice defines a good mother, the risks are great on both sides...it all depends on which outcomes you feel most apt to handle and work with.

At first, My family and I were going to get the H1N1 shot. I'm pregnant, my husband is an asthmatic and we have a 17 month old daughter. Seemed like the "right" thing to do. Now as we hear more and more about it, we have decided NOT to get it. We've gotten our regular flu shots (going to get my daughter's booster today) and we're going to try to do the best we can to stay healthy. I know they say it's "safe" for pregnant women, but it hasn't been around long enough for me to justify knowing that it will NOT harm my unborn baby. Good luck with your decision! Ultimately, I think listening to your gut feelings as a mother is always best.

They are still waiting for results of side affects from the vaccination. Even if your little guy contracted the swine flu...it is a lot like regular flu. Most people I know that have been diagnosed and gone through it...weather just fine. Give him plenty of vitamin C and make sure he gets lots of sleep.

I agree with Heather. Also, the news media are reporting that about 80% of the people being treated for flu in the hospitals in Colorado are ill with H1N1. There are always plenty of people on both sides of the vaccination question, no matter which vaccine it is. My thought is this, if we have the capability to stop or lessen the affects of a disease, we should. Think of it this way: the United States had eradicated polio in our population in the mid 20th century through the use of vaccines. The world is a much smaller place now, and many people are not vaccinating and cases of polio are being reported in all 50 states with alarming frequency. Good luck with your decision.

My uncle is an immunologist, so I asked him. He had some good points. He personally knows the immunologist who has worked on this vaccine. That man said the vaccine is very good. It's the delivery method that could be risky. He had some guidelines-
1. has the child had flu symptoms (fever, respiratory illness...)? If so, no vaccine necessary as they have had the flu.
2. Have they had a vaccine in the last 4 weeks? If so, make sure you wait in between (any vaccine - not just flu).
3. If your child is under 6, do not get them the live flu vaccine.

I don't know why your son would have to get 2 vaccines, unless this is his first flu shot. Maybe you and your ped should decide which he would get first - regular flu or H1N1 twice and the flu a month later. That puts you at January before your last shot and things may be better H1N1wise by then.

I will vaccinate my children for this - there are people dieing from it with little or no warning or previous health conditions. If my kids get sick from the vaccination, it will be hard to deal with, but if I chose not to vaccinate them and they died, I would not be able to forgive myself.

It's a tough decision! Good luck with it.

Jamie,

It depends how you feel about shots. I know they are suspending the usual limit on the amount of mercury (aka thimiserol) in the shots because they are trying to make enough doses of what they believe to be the effective vaccine in time. 85% of the vaccines offered will have higher levels of mercury than the law presently allows in vaccines. As a result of this slackening, I have seen a lot of backpeddling on how mercury isn't really considered dangerous as they try to justify their methods. It took lots of years to get mercury limited & now big business is still trying to minimize the dangers of it. It's insulting really, especially to all the people that worked so hard to limit it.

The right thing is the best thing. And there is no best answer. It depends on what you believe & the research you do. An educated decision is the best you or I, or anyone can do in this situation. Should anything happen to anyone, may the Gods forbid, we will be able to live with ourselves better knowing we did all we can to come to our decision. We are all in the same boat.
Good luck.
K.

In fairness, the youtube video that was posted in both old and from a bias source. I work with doctors, in a college health clinic, and EVERY SINGLE ONE of the doctors and nurses are getting the shot and they all intent to give it to their children. Second, the "mildness" of the strain is an assumption based on minimal data. Yeah, most cases are mild. But this is one of the mostly highly contagious flu viruses seen in generations and the volume of people getting sick is also an issue - if you get the vaccine you are likely to reduce the strain on the health care system. Finally, the argument of the preservative in the vaccine is nothing new. It is made in the SAME way as every other flu shot. Get the mist, it has none of the thimerosal. And, from everything we know at our clinic, the actual vaccine here in the US was made without the thimerosal. I am going to get it (as a health care provider and person who has asthma and a child under 6 months I am near the top of the line) - I have a 5 month old who is nursing so he will get the antibodies from me. My 4 year old will get the mist if he does not get the virus before it is available to him and my husband will just have to wait and see.

Also, you begin producing some antibodies within 10 days of the shot, so if you get the flu after only the first shot (if two are required) you are likely to get only a VERY mild cases.

Good luck with your decision... we all have to do what is right for our families.

EDIT*********
The mayo study was only for children with asthma and in NO WAY implicated the flu vaccine as the reason children were in the hospital. Also, those who get the shot are also more likely to be at higher risk, in general, so yeah they are at higher risk for the flu. If everyone got the vaccines, like with polio or other standard vaccines, those at high risk would be less likely to get it than they currently are.

Finally CNN has a great little video talking about how very healthy children are getting VERY sick from this disease.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/10/15/ldt....

There is a lot out there on the web about the H1N1 virus and vaccine, and a lot of it is scare tactics to keep people from getting the vaccine (mostly from well-meaning people who are worried)

I went straight to the source - the CDC's website. They said that the vaccine is highly recommended for people 6 months to 24 years old. Children under 9 should get a second dose 4 weeks after the first - it can count after 21 days but no sooner than that. It doesn't say about the level of protection of the first, but it doesn't say to take extra precautions either; it sounds to me like the 2nd is a 'booster' just like other vaccines our kids get. They also reccommended that, unless you had a confirmed case on H1N1 this year, you get the shot (there are a lot of viruses that can cause flu-like symptoms).
I also talked with an ER doc who told me the vaccine is MUCH safer than taking the risk with the illness. And, a friend of mine (adult, over the 24 highly recommendd age) who got the swine flu, and she is MISERABLE. I would hate to see a child go through that.

Ultimately it is going to be your preference. There are a lot of ways to prevent the spread of the flu - hand washing, people staying home when they're sick, etc. But in daycare it's not that easy to control and puts him (and the teachers - hope they're getting vaccinated too!) at higher risk.
My kids are all school age and I want to get them vaccinated (depends on cost without insurance). I don't want any of them to go through the misery of a flu.

After reading some of your responses, you may be even more confused. Our family won't be getting the vaccination. I vaccinate my kids but only 1-2 shots at a time instead of up to 4 at a time. I can and will stay home with them should we get infected and I worry about how quickly this vaccination was put together. half the amt. of time eof usual flu shots and back in the 70's when there was a swine flu, the vaccination caused over 200 cases of paralysis in children. It isn't worth the risk when we are generally healthy w/out major health concerns. When I talked with my Dr. about this, he was glad I had researched it and supported my decision as I could be home with my little ones if they get sick. The Dr.s want people who use daycare and out in the public to try the shot so as to limit how it is spread to high risk people. We are boosting our immune systems to try and combat it. Wish me luck and good luck to you.

For anyone under age 9, the first time they get a flu shot, they have to have it done twice. So, that's not unusual.

As for this particular shot - we're NOT going to have it done. There is no guarantee this shot will work, as a matter of fact there is quite a bit of question as to how well it will work, or if it will work at all.

My husband is the director of purchasing for a hospital and he has been very closely watching this - we've discussed it. I have 3 kids - 9, 3 and 6 months and we've come to the conclusion that we're not going to have our kids get the shot.

I'm not sure that will help you - but that tells you what we're going to do (or not, as the case may be)

I don't feel that this shot has been tested enough. I won't be getting myself or my kids the shot. I just told my kids to not touch their face and wash their hands often.