Monday, October 12, 2009

vaccinate?



I realize I may be opening a can of worms here, but I'd like a friendly discussion on this. The swine flu vaccine.. are you going to give it to your children? yourself? why or why not.

I've been reading a lot of literature and articles. I think we've survived our first (Lily) and now second (Ryan) case of the H1N1 virus. I'm still on the fence. There's pros and cons to both sides. So which will you choose, vaccinate or take your chances?

33 comments:

  1. not vaccinating. never have done flu shots for my girls. too much questionable things I have in my mind about it. and by too much i mean too much to even go into...

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  2. Here are just a few of the articles and websites I have read about the vaccine.

    http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=3635

    http://www.newswithviews.com/Ellison/shane151.htm

    www.thinktwice.com

    I think we will definitely pass. Pretty scary stuff!

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  3. We are not doing the H1N1 vaccine or the seasonal one, either. Our girls are not in daycare or school, and I have many concerns about vaccines. My mother's family doctor has young children, and so when she was in for a visit recently she asked her if she'd be vaccinating her kids for H1N1. Even the doctor said no, because the vaccine was too new. I feel it's a perfectly reasonable decision to make. I can also understand why others, especially parents with children in school, would choose to get the vaccine. It's just not for us.

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  4. I was wondering the same exact thing too. I've done regular flu shots to my kids but the Swine flu shot gets me all scared. I think I'm going to pass on this one as well.

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  5. I plan to vaccinate. My husband works in the immunization program at the state health department and I trust his advice, and coupled with both my OB and my kids pediatrician's advice to get immunized, I'm going for it. I'm pregnant, and have young kids. Over 30 pregnant women have died from H1N1 and that makes me really nervous.

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  6. I'm not vaccinating. I suspect my kids have already contracted it anyways, so it's a moot point in our household. But I hear it's better to catch the virus and have your immunity built up before the next, more vicious strain in expected to hit in January/February.

    If I were pregnant, however, this would be a much more difficult decision. But in general, I'm a little cautious of vaccines. My children are fully vaxed (minus the flu vaccines) but we had followed an alternate schedule.

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  7. Will likely vaccinate.
    Have vaccinated myself and our boys every year for 8 years and we have never had adverse effects.
    An infectious disease expert who is a friend of ours told us that the vaccine is not to prevent you from GETTING the flu, it's to prevent you from DYING from the flu.
    Just my two cents.
    I figure I want to take advantage of the free vaccines that could prevent my family from getting very very sick.

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  8. i vaccinate but have not, up to this point, gotten flu shots for my 3 girls. i am a firm believer in vaccinating and every (reputable) medical journal/academic institution agrees. i cannot believe that all doctors are "out to get us" or trying to hide the "ugly realities" of vaccines.

    however, i feel with any medical treatment one should weigh the benefits and risks. are your children at high or low risk of contracting a flu? (frequent contact with numerous people, etc.) are they at risk for complications from the flu? (asthmatic, very young. . .) if so, then the benefits of getting a flu vaccine probably outweighs the remote risks.

    here is one article that presents both sides of h1n1: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/17/earlyshow/health/main5246940.shtml

    i will be getting the h1n1 vaccine and so will hubs and my 3 girls. good luck making your decision!

    (and thanks! i really enjoy your site.)

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  10. I truly believe it is up to the parent to vaccinate and it is a touchy subject but I am ICU nurse at a Children's Hospital and I will vaccinate myself and my children. I also dont take the risk and allow my kids to play with unvaccinated kids. I saw a baby die of whooping cough a year ago because the older sister brought it home and wasnt vaccinated.

    If you are worried about the mercury, there are mercury free vaccines if you are pregnant. I have done a ton of research and I strongly feel the benefits outweigh the risks. More people die from not vaccinating, then vaccinating.

    We just had our first bought of flu with the kids and ended up with our 10 month old in the ER with pneumonia! Still sick as a dog and taking forever to get better. I def. want to keep my kids out of the hospital. And the pneumonia will prob. cause long term effects for him as well.

    But, it is totally a personal choice. This winter is going to be a rough one! Our hospital is already full!

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  11. i was just having this discussion with a friend today. we are both 30 weeks pregnant and she plans not to vaccinate. i think that i will probably do both my son and myself when it becomes available here.

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  12. I originally wasn't going to, until I saw a woman advocating FOR it on Good Morning America. She is one of the head's of the program for it and she made an interesting statement that this vaccine is exactly the same thing as the flu shots they've always made...the difference is the strain of flu that's in it. But it's made up of the same stuff the flu vaccine is made of that's always given out. So, there's no reason to think the vaccine for this would be hurtful when people always seem to get the flu shot. I figure, it's not like this is a brand new medication that has been developed from scratch...

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  13. we will all go against the needle. my hubby, 5 month old (as soon as he's 6 months) and me.

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  14. Hey Brittany, I hope everyone is doing ok.

    To vaccinate or not to vaccinate - that's such a hard question. I'm a little nervous on being quick to vaccinate. It seems that whenever a new vaccination comes out there are a ton of side effects that you just don't know about til years later. However, I am totally on the fence w/this one - Thanks for opening up the discussion

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  15. I have three children, ages 12, 10, and six. I do not vaccinate them for anything at this point in their lives.

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  16. We will be. I am 34 weeks pregnant and both my OB and my ped. told me that they would in a heartbeat if their wife were in my shoes. They also said that this H1N1 vaccine would have been combined with the regular flu shot if they had the time to put them together. We have always done the flu shot and already gotten it...as soon as they make it available here we will be there in line.

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  17. Kate knows what she's talking about. I am not going to argue with reputable research. Our family gets vaccinated.

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  18. I have been very much on the fence about this and doing a lot of research and I am now leaning towards vaccination. I have two small children and I will discuss this with their pediatrician and get some feedback from other friends in healthcare.

    I thought this article was beneficial: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/health/10primer.html?_r=1&ref=health

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  19. Yes, definitely. I'm pregnant and have 2 kids under 4 with one in preschool. Also, my husband works in a large company where lots of people have kids. Not to be alarmist, but my mom told me about 2 cases my small hometown, where young children contracted the swine flu, went to the hospital, were airlifted to a larger hospital overnight and died by the next morning. Yes, it's a guess as to which strains will be most virulent, but I can't condone taking chances with my health or that of my children's.

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  20. Nope, to both in both my case and my childrens.
    The "studies" that prove that vaccine are safe are FUNDED by pharma companies!
    http://parentingourkids.com/?p=270

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  21. I found the discussion of the H1N1 vaccine on The Diane Rehm show (NPR) last week to be very informative. Here is a link to the archived broadcast.

    http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/10/07.php#27155

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  22. Your kids have gotten H1n1? Seriously?
    If they've already contracted it, don't they build up immunity to it?
    We've done the seasonal flu vaxes. I am planning on doing swine flu, as we have a newborn in the house. My husband is a healthcare worker, so I worry about him contracting/bringing something home. Ironically, he's anti-vaccines (when it comes to flu shots)...

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  23. This is such a hard question and choice. I'm 19 weeks pregnant and my dr. advised the regular flu shot but not the H1N1. However, since i've never in my life had a flu shot I'm going to skip it just out of fear of having some adverse reaction to it. I've already lost my first child when I was 8 mos. pregnant (due to other issues) and am now too worried and paranoid to actually get this vaccine for fear of any reactions to the baby I'm now carrying. Best of luck to all of you deciding.

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  24. I'm 29 weeks pregnant and had decided to go ahead and get the shot but when I called the doctor I was informed that there is a huge government waiting list and my ob doubts they will even recieve any vaccines. So I just decided not to worry about it and avoid crowds :)

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  25. Hooray for vaccines!!! I am definitely going to be vaccinating my children and myself. I don't have a choice to get vaccinated as I am a Pediatric Resident and am required to get the vaccine (or not be allowed to work). However, I am choosing to get my kids vaccinated. I have seen the how sick H1N1 can make kids. It's not just the initial flu virus that makes kids sick, but many are getting a horrific bacterial pneumonia immediately afterward that is getting kids admitted to ICU's.

    Please consider vaccinating your kids, at least for the seasonal flu, as it will provide some protection against H1N1.

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  26. I am 26 weeks pregnant and will probably get the vaccine for myself and 3 older kids. I appreciate all the comments. It's comforting to know there are other pregnant women out there trying to figure all this out.

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  27. no h1n1 vaccine for us. regular flu shot yes, though. we wash our hands often, keep surfaces clean. stay away from other sick kids as much as possible (my husband is a teacher), and eat balanced diets.So far not even a case of the sniffles! too many unknowns with the swine flu vaccine. I do stay up to date with all other vaccines.

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  28. We (kids and parents) are using a homeopathic vaccine. It is in dropper form and tedious (you use it daily for a week, every other day for a week, daily for a week, every other day for a week, and then every other day for the remainder of flu season), but I feel that's a small price to pay for something I feel is safe.

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  29. We all got seasonal flu shots. My pediatrician said there was no need for us to get the H1N1 vaccine. Ironically my 5 year old got H1N1 last week. She was very sick. You have to be aware of their symptoms and take action. My child was dehydrated and the situation could have gotten very bad. My doctor saw the signs put her on iv fluids for a day, prescibed zofrain for her stomach, and tamiflu. It did take about 6 days for her to be back to normal. If I hadn't had taken to the doctor right away it probably would have gotten much worse. I think the key is to not assume anything and if you child is sick take them to the doctor!!

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  30. My kids (7 yrs., 5 yrs. and 20 months) all have their regular vaccinations. We're a homeschooling family, so I'm not worried about the older kids bringing something home from school.

    I'm thinking I'll get the youngest a regular flu shot (he has a heart problem that makes him a bit more susceptible to stuff going around). But for now, I think the rest of us will steer clear of the flu shot... especially the H1N1 vaccine.

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  31. One of the pediatricians where I take my kids was saying that next year they are going to do a 2 in 1 vaccine - H1N1 and flu shot all in one. Does anyone know if this is true? I asked her if we will have the choice of doing just the flu shot and she said no, it'll be H1N1 and flu shot in one. This sounds crazy to me and I do not like the thought of that. Has anyone heard this?

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  32. I know this an old post, but I figured I'd put my two cents in. We did not vaccinate because my husband (the conspiracy theorist) did not think it was safe. We have our son vaccinated for all the regular things though. Having said that, my husband's cousin, an otherwise healthy 32 year old, died of H1N1. He went into the hospital for routine back surgery and did not make it out alive.

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  33. (Just came across this old post and wanted to share my post-flu story...)

    I did vaccinate my kids for h1n1, but it was too late in the season (in Massachusetts, we had a terrible shortage) and we got hit anyway. The symptoms of h1n1 varied throughout our household from terrible to meh. My son had a 103+ fever for SEVEN days. My daughter had only a cough. My husband and I coughed and felt sore but that was about it. So no biggie, BUT...

    My issue is that I have asthma, and the flu piggybacks with pneumonia. I got both, back to back, and I swear, I was never, ever so sick in my life. For THREE MONTHS. A pulmonology specialist told me he saw many, many people hospitalized, and some die, from post-h1n1 pneumonia.

    In otherwise healthy people, it's probably not that big a deal. But it is insanely contagious. So if exposed, you will get it. It shut down our elementary school-- twice. I'd say that if anyone in your household has a chronic condition, especially asthma, best to all get vaccinated.

    This year, I don't care if I have to fly to Canada, I'm getting the vaccine. And the pneumonia vaccine this year as a precaution. This season, it will be a combined flu/h1n1 for the kids.

    Good health to you and your family however you go!

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