H1N1 vaccine - has your child gotten it yet?

[traces7]

I just don't know what to do about the H1N1 vaccine.

My 10 year old DD would be able to get it free at school on Nov 10. But, I'm so up in the air about it. Has anyone else's kids gotten it yet? How have they done with it? Any side effects?

I'm leaning towards not having DD get the vaccine. But if she ended up getting H1N1, I would just kick myself for not doing it.

It's so scary either way. The main thing about the vaccine I worry about is that it's so new and long term side effect possibilities. But I don't want to lose my DD to H1N1, it's so scary!

 

[golfgal]

It's not available in our area yet so no, we haven't gotten it. I don't know what we will do yet. We always get the seasonal vaccine.

 

[Christine]

My son who is 14 will get it as soon as it is available.

This vaccine is not "new" in the sense that it is made the same way as every flu vaccine over the last few years. The only thing new is that it has a different strain of flu in it. But so does the seasonal flu shots that come out every year. It is the same technology.

 

[RitaZ.]

DH is in the high risk group; he has asthma. He decided that he won't be getting the vaccine. Right now, I'm more concerned about possible side effects from the vaccine than the flu itself.

 

[kirbydog48]

I will absolutely get it for my ds 10 when it becomes available. Kids are getting much sicker from the virus than adults, because their bodies haven't had the viral exposure that ours have. There was an interesting interview with a journalist on NPR yesterday that basically reiterated what a previous poster stated, that the vaccine is made exactly the same way as many years' past vaccines for seasonal flu. The deaths are already higher from August-present than they would be historically for a regular flu season which I believe is calculated through May. I think you can ask for vaccine without the preservative Thimerasol (sp??), which many feel has links to autism.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

This vaccine is not "new" in the sense that it is made the same way as every flu vaccine over the last few years. The only thing new is that it has a different strain of flu in it. But so does the seasonal flu shots that come out every year. It is the same technology.

Exactly! There is a lot of misinformation about this, and some people think it is something new and sinister!

DD, 14 will be getting it. They are hoping the schools will offer it, if not I will find a clinic that has it. DS, 18, is in college and I hope he is able to get it too. They have the spray at the health clinic here starting this week, but my kids are in the second priority group. So we wait. We all 4 already received the seasonal flu shot.

 

[mrsmom]

Our schools are getting it soon and i sign permission slips for two of my three kids to get it. The third child can't take the regular flu shot so she can't take the h1n1 shot.

 

[pyrxtc]

My kids will not be getting. It is new in every way possible. There are mnay Dr's reccomending not to get it and disagreeing wiht the CDC says about who to get it and not to get it. They say more than 50% of us have already had it and didn't even know it.

 

[klj27]

I signed the permission slips for my three kids to get it at school. I also agree that this is like any other flu shot and we always get those. I just wish the school would get the shots already because a boy from our bus was just diagnosed.

 

[Christine]

My kids will not be getting. It is new in every way possible. There are mnay Dr's reccomending not to get it and disagreeing wiht the CDC says about who to get it and not to get it. They say more than 50% of us have already had it and didn't even know it.

Can you tell me how it is "new in every way?" I'm not trying to argue with you on this because, admittedly, I have not spent a lot of time studying what went into the development of the vaccine. How is the H1N1 vaccine different from all the other seasonal flu shot? Every seasonal flu vaccine is "different" from the last based on the type that's out there. I need to understand exactly how this one is different.

 

[DMickey28]

I am up in the air too. My gut tells me not to but I second guess my decision all the time. We also do not get the flu shot.

I am thinking about asking DH to get the regular flu shot just because he is starting a job soon that involves more travel but otherwise he works out of the house and I am a SAHM. If DS was in school or daycare I'd have even more of a struggle with the decision but I am fairly confident we won't get them.

 

[Christine]

I am up in the air too. My gut tells me not to but I second guess my decision all the time. We also do not get the flu shot.

I am thinking about asking DH to get the regular flu shot just because he is starting a job soon that involves more travel but otherwise he works out of the house and I am a SAHM. If DS was in school or daycare I'd have even more of a struggle with the decision but I am fairly confident we won't get them.

I probably wouldn't get it either since your exposures sound very minimal. However, I think your DH might be more at risk, for sure.

 

[disney1990]

My son who is 14 will get it as soon as it is available.

This vaccine is not "new" in the sense that it is made the same way as every flu vaccine over the last few years. The only thing new is that it has a different strain of flu in it. But so does the seasonal flu shots that come out every year. It is the same technology.

You are right. It was developed and made just like past flu shots. My grandchildren 9 & 11 will definitely be getting it, as will my DD who is in college.

My kids will not be getting. It is new in every way possible. There are mnay Dr's reccomending not to get it and disagreeing wiht the CDC says about who to get it and not to get it. They say more than 50% of us have already had it and didn't even know it.

Yes, I hear of some Drs. not recommending it. And, I see people coming back and trying to sue their doctors when their child gets H1N1 or dies. I don't know where the liability ends for these Drs.

 

[taximomfor4]

heck, I can't even figure out HOW to get it. Littlest dd was sick the past few days, came on SUDDENLY (like she was fine when we left for dance at 10. At lunch at 12, she was suddenly hot and weepy). She could barely stay awake, on the drive home. Had a decent fever, so I gave tylenol. She was tired but much improved after a couple of days, and yesterday her fever was gone. So today, she's back to school. Don't know what she had, but it freaked me out enough that now I want to CONSIDER H1N1 vaccine. But can't find any info!!

My kids have never had seasonal flu shots, but they might get those this year too.

How are you all finding out where to take the kids to get immunized?

 

[Pigeon]

No, and they won't be getting it.

 

[laurie31]

heck, I can't even figure out HOW to get it. Littlest dd was sick the past few days, came on SUDDENLY (like she was fine when we left for dance at 10. At lunch at 12, she was suddenly hot and weepy). She could barely stay awake, on the drive home. Had a decent fever, so I gave tylenol. She was tired but much improved after a couple of days, and yesterday her fever was gone. So today, she's back to school. Don't know what she had, but it freaked me out enough that now I want to CONSIDER H1N1 vaccine. But can't find any info!!

My kids have never had seasonal flu shots, but they might get those this year too.

How are you all finding out where to take the kids to get immunized?

Our State Department of Public Health has that info on their website.

Here's Ohio's.

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/landing/phs_emergency/panflu/h1n1vaccineohio.aspx

It looks like it will be at least Oct 20 before you could get it there. When the vaccine arrives, hopefully they will list the places that have it on the website, that's how our state is doing it. Then you can go to the one closest to you.

 

[Ember]

Please do some research (from actual scientists and papers - not from scare websites) before deciding. There is so much senseless fear and misunderstanding out there about vaccines. People blithely decide to not get vaccinated or not to vaccinate their children based on so little actual information. I just don't understand how people can play with their (or their little one's) health without having a complete understanding, it breaks my heart to hear the stories of senseless deaths...

The N1H1 vaccine is a flu vaccine, it is not new. It is simply a new strain of the flu, which is what you get every year in the seasonal flu shots. The health care industry tries to predict the upcoming flu viruses and attempts to protect people by giving them a dead (or in a some select cases a severely weakened) virus. Your body then produced anti-bodies and when you come into contact with the real thing your body knows how to fight it off. This is not new and the technology has been around long enough for many long term studies.

N1H1 is scary because of high number of deaths among young and healthy people. Perhaps even more scary is how many people don't stay home when they're sick. So even if you or your child is okay, what about the risk to everyone else?

People drive cars every day and never give a thought to the "risks." Really, to stay safe, people should never get into one of these death traps. The statistics on deadly car accidents is much, much higher then any possible side effects from a flu shot...

 

[mom2rb]

My kids got the regular flu mist. Their doctor said that he didn't have any of the H1N1 shots yet and that my boys wouldn't be able to get it anyway. It is only for the sick, old and very young. I don't know how kids are getting it at school when I can't even get it at the doctor's office.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/DEMO/php/myfluclinic.htm
This is Florida's list of clinics. It updates too.
Our local newspaper online offers local info on the H1N1 vaccine too.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

My kids got the regular flu mist. Their doctor said that he didn't have any of the H1N1 shots yet and that my boys wouldn't be able to get it anyway. It is only for the sick, old and very young. I don't know how kids are getting it at school when I can't even get it at the doctor's office.

You may want to check for other clinics then. Your Dr. may just be getting enough for the first group, or he may be misinformed.
If your boys are under 24, they are in the group that should be getting it.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm

Locally they are giving it to household contacts of infants less than 6 months old, health care and emergency service workers with direct patient contact and children 2 through 4 years of age first, since it is a live nasal spray. My 14 and 18 yr old should be in the next group. The schools do plan to give it at this point.