76 replies to this topic

[harrmill]

I get very upset when parents utilize completely irrational reasoning or unscientific research to put their kids in harms way. They might as well blow smoke puffs in their kids face because the evidence of second hand smoking is overblow too per some crazy conspiracies theories out there.

Right, but it is their choice, not yours, on what is best for them.

I think we should accept that there are differing views on this and there is merit in each of them. Every family should discuss what they will plan to do, but do not judge other's decisions and do not take it so personally if they are different from your own.

[palango]

Right, but it is their choice, not yours, on what is best for them.

I think we should accept that there are differing views on this and there is merit in each of them. Every family should discuss what they will plan to do, but do not judge other's decisions and do not take it so personally if they are different from your own.

Great post . I agree and I apologize. I will stand down. The topic of witholding the H1N1 vaccines from kids hit a nerve with me. Obviously I feel strongly about this as I have conducted exhastive research and I have an infectious disease Dr (Harvarad and Stanford grad) that I talk to on a regular basis.

At the end of the day, its the parents that will make that decision. They have to live with that decision either way.

[bordercolliefan]

Well, there is another consideration here.

This was brought home to me at my daughter's gymnastics lesson. The coach is pregnant. She circulated a notice pleading with parents to keep their kids home from practice if they exhibit any signs of runny nose, cough, etc. She is pregnant and is terrified she will be exposed to H1N1, which has been very deadly for pregnant women (SacBee just had a front-page article on this).

So... even if you feel your body is strong enough to withstand H1N1, there is the issue of putting other people at risk. As we all know now, flu is communicable even before there are symptoms.

I feel so badly for those who are pregnant through this crisis... especially those who are teachers, coaches, etc. and are exposed to the germ factories we call "kids."

[harrmill]

For comparisons, Australia is coming out of their winter and their flu epidemic is winding down. They had 185 deaths attributed to the "swine" flu out of a population of 21+ million. They had no vaccine available during their winter, and depended on air masks and personal hygene. I think it is a fair comparison since their society and lifetyle is close to ours, at least in CA.

I am not saying this should sway anyone one way or the other, but it is interesting just for comparisons.

[bordercolliefan]

For comparisons, Australia is coming out of their winter and their flu epidemic is winding down. They had 185 deaths attributed to the "swine" flu out of a population of 21+ million. They had no vaccine available during their winter, and depended on air masks and personal hygene. I think it is a fair comparison since their society and lifetyle is close to ours, at least in CA.

I am not saying this should sway anyone one way or the other, but it is interesting just for comparisons.

It is interesting. But California had already had 188 deaths as of two weeks ago (according to the Cal. Dept. of Public Health website), and our flu season is just beginning. So, it seems we will outpace Australia in deaths, even accounting for our higher population.

Still, if your point is that a very small proportion of the population will die from this thing, that is a good reminder for us to keep things in perspective.

[ducky]

The CDC appears to be unclear, at best, on this question. According to the University of Pittsburg Medical Center website:

If I was vaccinated against swine flu in 1976, am I protected?
Older adults might have some pre-existing immunity to H1N1 (swine) flu, according to the CDC. Lab tests showed that some adults, particularly those older than 60, had antibodies against the new strain, but the CDC cautioned that it is not known what this will mean in terms of actual immunity or clinical protection.

I was vaccinated, along with my parents and siblings in 1976 in South Jersey. I'll never forget it. That year, the flu started at Fort Dix, in NJ. We lined up with hundreds of people at a community college in s. Jersey and were vaccinated with what was then a "new" air gun. Surreal. My mother was recently at the doctor back home and was told that if we were vaccinated in 1976, that we were likely fine.

So - the information is conflicting . . .

Hey, what do ya know. I came up with a better question than there is an answer for. Thanks for answering that for me.

That must have been scary for you after the GB cases started happening after the vaccine.

I have another question. Does anybody know if you can get a test to see if you've already had the swine flu many months later so that you don't have to worry about getting the vaccine, or does the test only work if you are actually sick with it?

[mary56]

It is interesting. But California had already had 188 deaths as of two weeks ago (according to the Cal. Dept. of Public Health website), and our flu season is just beginning. So, it seems we will outpace Australia in deaths, even accounting for our higher population.

Still, if your point is that a very small proportion of the population will die from this thing, that is a good reminder for us to keep things in perspective.

I am really confused about the lower number of deaths in Austrailia as well. I have not looked at population. Yes, we have already had 188 death in California and I am not sure if this because we have such a high illegal immigration status here. If you look at other states some have no deaths and very low incidence of this h1n1. I know we are the largest state, but anything goes here and I am not sure how well our Health departments are here compared to other states. Arnie is more worried about gay rights and water than us, so go figure.

[palango]

1 out of every 5 kids had flu like symptoms earlier this month.

http://cbs13.com/hea....2.1264765.html

This flu season is unusually high

[wreathlady]

You don't need to insult people, Palango. Parents do their best to research the pros and cos of immunizations. It is not unanimous even within the medical community whether these shots have been rushed to market or not -- so we don't know what impact the immunizations themselves will have on our health. You may agree with what you hear from some medical professionals, but some of us are listening to both sides. My children are young adults now and can decide for themselves whether they want the shot, but if they were younger I don't know what I'd do. As I've pointed out before, my doctor isn't getting the shot and I'm not either. You are entitled to your own conclusions and your own actions, but to insult people and call them child abusers is way out of line.

I think the wait and see attitude is good. It is scary, as there are many more dying from this.
I do not know anymore.

[wreathlady]

1 out of every 5 kids had flu like symptoms earlier this month.

http://cbs13.com/hea....2.1264765.html

This flu season is unusually high

Palango, this is the media. If you read further, Frieden came out and said that he did not know if it was from H1N1 or other things. So get you and your kids the vaccination.
I am not against you. We are struggling with the decision. It is not a no brainer. I do not care what they say. It is very different than the regular flu. So do your homework and lets us know how it goes. We will let the brave go first, so go for it.

[wreathlady]

1 out of every 5 kids had flu like symptoms earlier this month.

http://cbs13.com/hea....2.1264765.html

This flu season is unusually high

Yes it is, but if the government cared, they should have waited and not opened schools, until we had a vaccination program in place. It is very irresponsable of the government to let the hurricane hit so to speak without the proper procedures in place.
Please, we are the richest country in the world. Why then is there so much death in the US? Look at France and other European Countries, they do not even a quarter of the deaths. That should tell you something right there. So keep on trusting the government. They knew about this 6 plus months ago and now oh we are sorry we just cannot get the vaccines fast enough or no we cannot close schools, due to money. Please, if people die blame it on the good ole USA. Because the dollar means more than lives.

[mac_convert]

I wonder if there really are more deaths from the flu or if the news agencies just feel the need to create mass hysteria? I take care of myself and plan to get the regular flu shot as I have done for the last fifteen years.

[palango]

On a very personal note, my 18 month old daughter was just diagnosed with "possible" H1N1. The tests take up to 2 weeks to confirm. The pediatrician immediately put her on Tamiflu and another drug. She is doing better now, but still weak. She has this cruppy (chicken like) cough. We all had the flu in the past few days, but she had it the worst.

I tell you that this H1N1 vaccine can't come soon enough. If you pay attention, the rates of deaths for kids are unusually high as apposed to the regular flu. Just go to the cdc or flu.gov website and rack the statistics and see if there isn't something unusual about this H1N1. I really hope that some of you naysayers are right and all this turns out to be another media scare like the big Anthrax scare, but something tells me that its not.

[palango]

I wonder if there really are more deaths from the flu or if the news agencies just feel the need to create mass hysteria? I take care of myself and plan to get the regular flu shot as I have done for the last fifteen years.

Just do your OWN research and go to the CDC, WHO, and flu.gov sites. You will see that this years H1N1 is unusually high and very dangerous to young kids. My friend works @ Uc davis as a nurse and she told me of a woman with no prior health issues. She came in with flu and respitory issues and pretty soon she wasn't able to breathe and they had to intubate her and put her on life support.