Do you plan on getting the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccination shot?

[geepondy]

I'm just curious if this has changed anybody's way of thinking about getting flu shots as it has mine.

 

[Larbo]

I have got the "seasonal" flu shot for about 10 years in a row, as far as the swine flu shot Iam still undecided.

 

[Barbarian]

No way.

I take this when I feel flu symptoms starting.
http://www.oscillo.com/

 

[Lit Up]

Nope. I'll just continue to use Elderberry as always. Works the same as Tamiflu does by temporarily blocking an enzyme the body produces that the virus needs to replicate. Only difference is it's about 10-14 bucks for a bottle of capsules that will last you a good two winters.

 

[saabgoblin]

Elderberry, nice information to know, thank you.

 

[Databyter]

I'm just curious if this has changed anybody's way of thinking about getting flu shots as it has mine.

I'm not sure what "this" you are referring to, but I am not getting it for sure, and I am campaigining for my 10 year old daughter not to get it as well.

Based on the following;

Statisticly it's just another flu.

It is being way over-hyped by a group of politico's who I don't trust and who are associated with other people who stand to make millions both on the vaccines and the rush for tamiflu products, but only if the hype and propoganda are effective.

I believe I have already had it, a few people at work got it when one of their kids did. I got sick at the same time but it was very mild and lasted about 3 days, most of which I worked and stayed away from people.

If my daughter (10 yrs.) gets it and shows more severe symptoms tamiflu will be sufficient to treat it at that point should it become necesary. it is very effective.

I am not sure the flue is that harmful, but I know the vaccine itself in it's various forms has aluminium, mercury, some detergents, some oxidizers, and possibly some adjuvant agents depending on how trustworthy this administration is. I am sure that all these things are harmful to a certain degree especially to children since most of those things can be traced to neorological disorders and retardation in developing brains.

So, basically I am not convinced of the emergency, but it is documented that in the more severe cases tamiflu is enough to treat it, and the chances of the vaccine even being effective against the strain of this new and unstable flu is very questionable so why would I hurt my daughter for no reason to gain questionable results for a threat that I don't see, when I can wait and see and if I'm wrong about the threat there is still a very successful treatment that DOES work.

 

[MarNav1]

Nope. Not now, not ever. Elderberry, Vitamin C, D. Chicken Soup. Stay home, rest.

 

[bullfrog]

I never get flu shots.

I drink OJ and take those 1,000mg vitamin C pills when I feel fluish - works for me.

 

[Lit Up]

Elderberry, nice information to know, thank you.

y/w.

You can also get it in a syrupy extract formulation. Just hit the local herbal store and ask for Elderberry Extract or Sambucol. I usually just use the capsules though as they are more handy (read: less messy) to have with you at work to take at the onset if you feel any symptoms cropping up.
Either will work though.

 

[geepondy]

Have statistics been posted on the death rate of the swine flue compared to that of the regular seasonal flu?

 

[JeffInChi]

I've never gotten a flu shot in my life, and I still don't plan on it with the H1N1 strain around this year.

This vaccine was just slapped together within the last couple of months with little short term testing on the population and with long term effects unknown.

I think we can all agree that the medical community's feelings on whether or not to get the vaccine is mixed at best.

I'll take some supplements, push fluids, and get some bedrest. But get the vaccine?

No thanks.

 

[jtr1962]

Have statistics been posted on the death rate of the swine flue compared to that of the regular seasonal flu?

Swine flu death rate similar to seasonal flu

Like most of the posters in this thread, I have no plans to get either the H1N1 or seasonal flu vaccine. I'm not in any of the typical flu risk groups (very young, very old, pre-existing health problems). More importantly, I work at home and don't partake of any activities involving large numbers of public in tight spaces (I'll probably avoid public transit until it's determined that H1N1 hasn't mutated into something worse). Additionally, my mom had an Eipstein-Barr type reaction when she received a flu shot a few years ago. That makes it more likely I would have a similar reaction.

IMHO the two most effective ways to stop the spread of H1N1, or any other contagious disease, are washing your hands before eating, and not going to work if you're sick. In order to facilitate the latter, the NYC City Council is pushing for mandatory sick days. Other jurisdications should do likewise. No sick days, and/or mandatory firing for missing work days, are two reasons people come to work sick. In the long run it costs more when all your employees become sick than just paying a sick person to stay home.

 

[RocketTomato]

...
Statisticly it's just another flu.

It is being way over-hyped by a group of politico's who I don't trust and who are associated with other people who stand to make millions both on the vaccines and the rush for tamiflu products, but only if the hype and propoganda are effective.

That is what I thought a few months ago also, however recent reports have had me change my opinion. So far since April, 86 children have died from H1N1. In a normal year, between 50-100 die from the regular flu and we are just now entering the normal flu season. And if the vaccine can prevent this, I am all for it.

I know that vaccines are not perfect and have gotten a bad reputation, but they really are one of the modern miracles of medicine. Vaccines were used to globally eradicate smallpox and there is a current campaign to eradicate Polio. How can that be a bad thing?

 

[Owen]

Nope. Imaginary diseases don't affect me. I know a bunch of people, most particularly a bunch of people's kids, who have been diagnosed with swine flu. None of them were even sick. They guilt parents into getting their kids checked out if they so much as sniffle, and no matter what the symptom, it's somehow "swine flu". I wrestled, threw the ball with, and let my godson paddle my kayak around after it was determined he was in the throes of this deadly disease.

Hmmm. What agenda would be served by a sudden and huge increase in health care costs?
:tinfoil::tinfoil:

 

[flatline]

For all of you who think that the H1N1 is "just another flu", you're wrong. The mortality rate of the H1N1 is roughly the same as the regular flu (about 1%), but it kills people who don't have the traditional flu risk factors. The typical flu is most likely to kill the very young and the very old. The H1N1 flu kills people who are otherwise considered completely healthy (and seems to be especially dangerous to pregnant women).

Think about that for a bit: the group of people normally least likely to suffer complications from the flu are the group of people that the H1N1 flu is actually killing preferentially.

Perhaps that's a risk your willing to take for yourself, but by not getting vaccinated, you increase the danger to everyone around you, not just yourself. Herd immunity only works if enough people get vaccinated such that the virus has difficulty spreading.

Oh, and if your doctor doesn't think you should get the flu shot or any other of the recommended vaccinations on principle, get yourself a new doctor. The only time you shouldn't get one of the recommended vaccinations is if you have one of the rare conditions that makes a particular vaccination more risky for you to take.

Despite what you might be hearing in the media about a lack of consensus in the medical community about whether you should get the flu shot or not, there is no lack of consensus. The overwhelming consensus is to get the shot if it's available to you. It's only the alternative medicine folks who seem to think that the risks of getting the flu shots outweigh the benefits. Don't let their agenda put you or your family at risk.

*gets off soap box*

--flatline

 

[mdocod]

The use of medicine is a delicate balance of weighing the risk/reward and making a decision that is best for the individual. In my case, I am an active, strong young adult. I'm in those "invincible" years as is often said and rarely get sick. I'd rather skip the vaccine, and if I do get the flu, I know that I will likely survive and come out the other side stronger, with an immunity built up to this strain that is much better than the immunity generated by dead flu cells in a vial. I recall someone mentioning that having a strong immunity to the current H1N1 by actually getting this variation may be the difference between life and death when or if the strain mutates. That may be incorrect but it sounds logical to me...

I know that there is a risk of getting the flu without the vaccine, I also know that getting flu vaccines has never been 100% foolproof, many people are vaccinated yearly against the flu and still get the flu most years.

After weighing everything, I'd rather risk getting H1N1, than put a vaccine in my body that is basically still in experimental stages, not to mention, has been paid for 100% by our wonderful government. Best intentions may be the driving force, but I can't trust them.

-Eric

 

[MarNav1]

Best to "hash" it out in the UG. Let's give Empath the night off.

 

[mdocod]

nevermind...

 

[geepondy]

What makes me nervous is the Spanish flu started off fairly mildly and then mutated into a much more deadlier version. I haven't had the flu since being a kid but it was the only thing besides my hernia operation that kept me out of school for a whole week.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I got the seasonal flu shot three weeks ago and I will probably get the H1N1 shot when it is available. I haven't had the flu in years because I tend towards getting the shots. Prior to my inoculation habit I used to get horribly ill from the flu. I finally decided that I'd had enough of that particular kind of misery. So far so good.