H1N1...to vaccinate your kids or not????

[luvwinnie]

Unfortunately, we can't say that anymore. I live here in texas and over the past week, I can'y tell you how many kids have died from just the flu. it's scary.

I was about to post the same thing. That story of the 14 yr old girl who got sick on Wed. and died Sunday is terrifying.

 

[klj27]

I was about to post the same thing. That story of the 14 yr old girl who got sick on Wed. and died Sunday is terrifying.

I have been wavering between yes and no, but that is the story that is making me say yes right now. My pediatrician told me last month that she thinks the kids should get the vaccine. My friend's husband is a pediatrician and he is on the fence until he has more info. My son has an appt next Friday with his asthma doctor and I plan to ask her opinion also.

 

[Lucky4me]

Yes, our whole family will get it as soon as it's available to us.

 

[ORMom2Four]

I'm still on the fence about it for the kids.

My Perinatologist is pushing me to get it, but I worry about the effects it might have on my growing embryo(s) (we saw 2 sacs at our 1st u/s Monday). I would hate to get it and then find out 10-20 years later that it damaged my baby(ies) somehow.....

 

[krcit]

I'm still on the fence about it for the kids.

My Perinatologist is pushing me to get it, but I worry about the effects it might have on my growing embryo(s) (we saw 2 sacs at our 1st u/s Monday). I would hate to get it and then find out 10-20 years later that it damaged my baby(ies) somehow.....

Congrats!!!! I have no advice on the shot but wish you all the best with your pregnancy

 

[ferris198]

First off pretty well all of the major drug manufacturers have an H1N1 vaccine.
My husband works for one of them, and they have been tested and have had no problems.
These vaccinations are researched created as soon as a flu is detected, so there is usually a fair amount of time to test them.

 

[Frye7127]

My kids will be vaccinated. We live in a town that was a part of the vaccine trial, we know a few family's who participated and they have not had any complications. This vaccine is very similar to seasonal vaccine, it's just not a bunch of strains, just one. You can still ask for the Thermasol free.
We always get the flu vaccine, not just to keep our own family from getting ill, but to help stop transmission to those who can not (and are often at a higher risk) The flu may be just an inconvenience to many of us, but to the two week old baby you held at church? it could be the worst thing that ever happened to their family. Especially considering people are often contagious before they have symptoms.
At two weeks my son was rushed to a hospital hours from our home barely breathing because of RSV virus, to us the virus felt no different than a common cold. He was in the PICU for a week. If there was a vaccine for that, we would get it too.

Actually, there is a vaccine for RSV, but is only available to babies that are premature. My son was two when it was recommended that he get it due to reactive airway disease and subglottic stenosis. He had chronic croup every six weeks and we could not chance him getting RSV. The shots are not offered to everyone becuase they are very expensive and only stay in the body for one month. My son's were $2,200 per shot and he had to get two shots each month for six months that year. Needless to say, the fight with the insurance company was not pleasant. They did not want to cover it since he was not premature and the fact that he was two years old. We had a nice chunk of a bill afterwards, but so totally worth it. He never got RSV, thank goodness. We as his parents and the doctors who cared for him knew that his little body could not have handled that illnesses.

I hope that your little one is doing better now.

 

[HERSEY]

We are planning on getting the H1N1 vaccine as soon as it is out. We did get the regular flu shot last week.

From all that I've read and heard it is as safe as the seasonal flu shot.

 

[lukenick1]

any more opinions????

 

[lukenick1]

found this.....could help make a decision.

watch it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1z7KSEnyxw&feature=player_embedded

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

My DH has asthma. He does not want the H1N1 vaccine, but I'm thinking of putting my foot down on this. My girls are getting the seasonal flu vaccine at school next week free, and they are supposed to offer the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. I am not in a high risk group for H1N1, so I may skip this one, but I am getting the seasonal flu vaccine at work next Friday. I've never had the flu vaccine before, but I decided this year better to be safe than sorry. My neighbors son has H1N1 and so does my neices daughter. My husband is feeling really sick tonight, but it may just be a cold. I don't buy into the whole hoopla about the swine flu, but since my DH and my kids are in the risk category, they will be getting the vaccination.

 

[acename]

I'm pregnant (due in Feb) and have asthma so I'm going to get it. I asked my OB and my ped for my daughter and both were pretty adamant about getting it and about my Dh getting it too along with the seasonal flu shot.

 

[livie1205]

YES!! we are all getting it.....it is JUST a flu shot, they make a new one every year and I am sure they have tested it WAY more then the reg flu vaccine.I am more afraid of one of my kids getting really ill (my son already had it) then the vaccine itself.

 

[Nette]

All flu vaccines are new, every single year. This vaccine was produced in the exact same manner as the seasonal vaccine.

Wrong. This vaccine was fast tracked and ingredients are included that are not usually approved by the FDA. Besides, the FDA approved drugs like Vioxx and we all know how well that turned out. Do you really want to trust the FDA?

The vaccine underwent testing on both adults and children.

Wrong... sort of. Testing in children has only just begun:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/09/21/encouraging-test-results-for-swine-flu-vaccine-in-kids/

That article is only dated 9/21 (so what 9 days ago they still were doing studies?) I'll tell you it took 10 weeks for my CIDP (a GBS varient) to start after my last flu shot (in 2004).

It uses the same ingrediants as the regular seasonal flu vaccine and has been approved by the FDA.

Wrong. This vaccine (shot form) contains 25 micrograms of thimiserol per dose. Also, this vaccine contains some sort of adjuvant (a compound that increases the immune response and therefore requires less antigen (disabled virus)).

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/swine-flu-vaccine/MY00816

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/2009/09/four-swine-flu-vaccines-approved-by-fda.asp

 

[monkeybug]

Wrong. This vaccine was fast tracked and ingredients are included that are not usually approved by the FDA. Besides, the FDA approved drugs like Vioxx and we all know how well that turned out. Do you really want to trust the FDA?



Wrong... sort of. Testing in children has only just begun:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/09/21/encouraging-test-results-for-swine-flu-vaccine-in-kids/

That article is only dated 9/21 (so what 9 days ago they still were doing studies?) I'll tell you it took 10 weeks for my CIDP (a GBS varient) to start after my last flu shot (in 2004).




Wrong. This vaccine (shot form) contains 25 micrograms of thimiserol per dose. Also, this vaccine contains some sort of adjuvant (a compound that increases the immune response and therefore requires less antigen (disabled virus)).

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/swine-flu-vaccine/MY00816

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/2009/09/four-swine-flu-vaccines-approved-by-fda.asp

You can ask for thimiserol (now I know how to spell it, thanks!) free vaccine, like any other vaccine. It may cost more, but if you are concerned about it then it's probably worth the cost.
I know that the testing for the vaccine started on children in August, they were recruiting for in in July (at least here it did). I called to sign my kids up for it right after school started, and they were already full for my kids age group.They had already completed the study for adults at that time. The trial we were trying for was being done by the University of Maryland. I know two family's personally who's children were a part of the vaccine test, and they had no side effects. I bet there are more than a few parents who's children have had side effects from the actual flu...some that a lot of us probably never want to think of.

 

[jfoofj]

Nope. I don't get any flu shots, ever. And I work in healthcare, with direct patient contact. It has caused some issues with my supervisors, but mostly because I prevent them from getting the pat on the back from Infection Control for having 100% of the department vaccinated. My DS doesn't get it either. DSS does get it, but it is his mom's choice, DH is fine with that, but won't get one himself (more because he is a big baby and doesn't want to get a shot).

My reason is that I have personally seen patients who become ill with Guillain-Barre syndrome with in days of getting a flu shot. Also, my cousin became ill with Transverse Myelitis within days of getting a flu shot 10 years ago. To me, I would rather take my chances with the flu than introduce something into my body (and lets face it, many years the flu shot they concoct isn't even the right strain) that could potentially give me a neurological disease.

As for the H1N1 flu shot.... I do think that it is being rushed out, and I would hate to be someone who gets it and gives it to their kids only to find out down the road that it causes some horrific problems. Because that DOES happen, the FDA is not infallible. There is treatment for the flu and the majority of people getting sick are getting better, we are hearing about the minority of people who unfortunatley do die from the flu. It happens, all the time, and yes it is happening MORE with H1N1 but I do feel like the media is really scaring people and that is causing people to over react and flood the hospitals with an illness that they would have just spent a week on the couch for if it didn't have a big scary name.

It is a risk either way... but I think that people need to think about it, weigh their options, talk to their doctors and make it a calculated risk. The reasons I choose not to get it are based on my opinions, and I don't think anyone is more right or more wrong than anyone else.

 

[PixieDust32]

Nop!

 

[findmewdw]

Our pediatrician says yes to get regular flu shots, but she is not recommending the H1N1 since it is so new and was rushed out. She said that the doctors in her practice are split. Some are telling their patients yes to get it, while the other half are not recommending it. I trust her judgement and will not be getting it.

 

[PixieDust32]

I saw doctor Oz this morning on our local news and he said he would not give his kids the h1n1 vaccine because it was so new and rushed out.

 

[mhsjax]

All flu vaccines are new, every single year. This vaccine was produced in the exact same manner as the seasonal vaccine.The vaccine underwent testing on both adults and children.It uses the same ingrediants as the regular seasonal flu vaccine and has been approved by the FDA.

And the FDA is so trust worthy as is the rest of the government.