H1N1 vaccine and flu shots

I don't think I'm getting the boys a flu shot or the new H1N1 vaccine. Anyone else? I have never gotten a flu shot myself and I am kind of scared of the new vaccine being so new, kwim? Please tell me I'm not a bad mommy.
Also, I'm 4weeks pregnant...I'm not getting either of these things, I didn't get a flu shot with the boys so now I have to deal with a lecture on the vaccine...any words of wisdom?

 

I did get the girls the regular flu shot. There is no live strain in it. I'm hesitant on the H1N1. DH has already had swine flu and I don't really see how it was different from the regular flu. I might get the shot, just so I don't bring it home to them (I stay home with them) and so I'm not out of commission for days.

 

I was going to get it and give it to my girls. But then we got the flu, and I was told that if you just had the flu most likely it was swine flu... So now that we have had it, I am hesitant to get it too. I have never had a flu shot, and worry about putting that stuff in their bodies this early on (they are 6 months). oh, and no their is no difference between how you feel with regular flu and with swine flu. I did think it lingered longer than normal flu, but this could be attributed to not being able to stop and rest too...

 

We were not/are not planning on getting the shots this year. 4 of my 5 kids have the flu right now.

 

I can't speak on not getting the vaccines. My babies got their 1st seasonal flu vaccine yesterday (my husband and I got ours last week) and we will be getting the swine flu shot for them. They are at high risk for complications due to prematurity and reactive air way disease.

The swine flu shot is made the exact same way the seasonal flu shot is made every year. The seasonal flu vaccine was first developed in the 1940s (WWII) so it has been around for a long time (it has improved since that time of course but the basics are the same). If you are worried about side effects of the vaccines talk to your doctor. They can provide you with the best information.

In addition you can see about getting the flu shots that do not have the preservative if that is part of your concern. I got mine last year while I was pregnant (I get it every year) and I got the shot without the preservative (although I would not have had an issue getting the shot with the preservative). A pregnant women just died in our town due to H1N1 complications (they were able to save the baby) so it is definitely something I would talk to a doctor about before deciding if you are pregnant.

And I'm really not lecturing just want to make sure you make an informed choice. It is a choice everyone has to make for their family. And your choice (whatever that might be) does not make you a good or bad parent. You love your kids and want the best for them that is what matters.

 

Our pediatrician told me and my husband to get the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine when its available. That is because our boys were very premature and she doesn't want us to risk giving either of those bugs to the boys. We got our seasonal vaccine last week and will get the H1N1 as soon as its available. And we are going to let the pedi give the boys the seasonal flu vaccine at their 6 month checkup. We'll also be doing the RSV series of shots too once they are available, since they will be less than 6 months old at the start of RSV season, and therefore insurance covers those expensive shots.

 

No one in my family is getting either shots. Don't feel like a bad mother there are lots of reasons for and against it and it is your choice. There is alot of conflicting information out there so it is hard. PM me anytime if you would like to discuss it further.

 

I usually get seasonal flu shots for the kids, but they aren't being offered this year in Canada. I will not be getting the H1N1 shots. Just a little worried that they are so new & untested.

 

The only reason my boys are not getting the H1N1 shots are because their doctor thinks they already had it and won't give it to them. They were premature (a little) and have asthma.

I honestly would urge you to seek getting the shots for yourself and your little ones. I do understand concern, , but I'm not sure you know quite how serious this flu, as well as the regular seasonal flu, can be. I have been following the CDC and flu tracking sites which cover information which is generally not covered in the general news media, I don't know if you have, but if you haven't I urge you to look up the statistics and related studies.

I would urge you to weigh the very, very TINY risks of complications or reactions, to the higher percentage chances of you or your family getting very seriously sick or worse. They are both not high percentages, but the second is much higher than the first.

First, CDC estimates are that 40-60% of the U.S. population will get infected with the flu, unlike the 10% that are usually infected with seasonal flu, so chances are high will be you and/or your kids will get it if you are not vaccinated.

You CAN get, and there will be vaccines available, that are preservative free. I urge you seek this out for yourself and your kids.

So, anyway, here are the reasons I think you should really reconsider:

First of all... if you've ever REALLY had the flu it is awful. Knocks you out. Makes you feel like you're dying.

It is an individual choice... BUT...

1 When you're sick, who is going to take care of your children?

2 Also, although Piggy flu hasn't infected as many or killed more people than seasonal flu- yet, it #1 is a lot more contagious and infects a higher percentage of people (per originating case) and #2 IT IS worse, and has a much worse potential for serious illness and worse in the sense it infects tissue deep down in the lungs, which, as long as other complications, can have VIRAL pneumonia as well as susceptibility to bacterial pneumonia and very serious lung infections. Seasonal flu does not do this. Please see the attached study:
http://www.cbc.ca/he...-infection.html

If you look at studies Piggy flu has about a 1 in 200 Case fatality rate, and it is NOT with mainly the elderly, like the seasonal flu. Sure, it's not great, but why take the risk if you don't have to? You have all of your children to think about.

3, Ok, here is where my selfishness comes in- the desire to have you and your kids vaccinated is for the greater good. If enough people get vaccinated it slows/stops transmission, so someone else high risk might not get the flu from you or your kids.

You are NOT a bad mom for wanting to protect your kids and hesitating. And it is an individual choice. I just urge you to look at the statistics and studies, and rethink. My opinion is you probably put yourself and your children at much greater risk by not having the shots, than by having them.

 

H1N1 is a serious illness, as we are all aware and, you are right, choosing to get vaccinated or not is a personal decision just like with all vaccines. Vaccines come with inherent risks & parents must weigh out the consequences vs. the benefits & make that choice for themselves.

I'm curious about your statistics, though, as I have been following the news quite closely. The fatality rate of 1 in 200 especially. I have regularly read the CDC site for flu updates and haven't seen that rate anywhere. The CDC is no longer even collecting data on the numbers of people infected with the virus, so I don't really think they can even quote a death rate. Most people are being told to treat it at home & doctors aren't testing for it every time, so the number of people actually sick is probably much greater than anyone knows for sure. Most quotes I have heard have put the death rate for H1N1 well below or equal to that of seasonal flu which is significantly less than 1 in 200. Maybe that's 1 in 200 hospitalized cases?

 

MY DH and I both got the regular flu shot but don't plan on getting the H1N1. At the babies 9 mo appt I asked about getting a flu shot but they were out. I just called today and they are hoping to get some next week but will only give out the shots on like 2 days so if I don't get in this time I'm not sure if it will be too late to give it to them. So I plan on them getting the flu shot.

 

im not doing either of them. i feel that they get enough shots their first year!

 

I wish it was just hospitalized patients, but the most recent data I found from the California Department of Health there is over a 7% case fatality rate among patients hospitalized/ICU/or found died (combined) from H1N1 piggy flu.


1) Information from California Department of Public Health- percentage of deaths among % of deaths among people hospitalized, in the ICU, and deaths combined)
http://www.cdph.ca.g...1N1FluData.aspx
a) Hospitalizations, ICU cases, and Deaths – 2510,
B) Deaths- 188
= .0749 (7.49%)

I'll have to dig up where I found the CFR, but I could be wrong on the current numbers.. the last time I looked was before September 1st, and I believe that is a little before the official reporting stopped...

That is what I've read many times before, and I believe the original calculations I got from the California Department of Health, the CDC numbers, and some scientific papers, but when I go back to the department of health, the latest tables here
http://www.cdph.ca.g...DataTables.aspx
are a bit confusing. I think the incidence 100,000 people doesn't clarify if those people are sick or in the general population?

So I could be wrong about the current CFR.

I'll have to look into the latest statistics for the CFR again and see what I can find of when it was last reported officially. I'll post anything if I can find it again.

 

Another article (this one is not from a public health department, which are hard numbers above) discussing Swine Flu putting many hospitalized patients in the ICU, and 7% of hospitalized patients died. Article is from the associated press.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gDGKqIBKibLL1bbMasjsDRKvd7gAD9B75PNG0

 

I'm with desolation_anonymous on this. While every parent has the right to choose the best course of action for their LOs, I plan to have my family vaccinated. I know of 2 families whose children (not infants, but school aged) developed pneumonia and one child died, the other is still in ICU.

I have not found a valid argument other than "it's too new" against getting it. I trust my pediatrician and her recommendation and have done my own research like many of you have, and I can't see putting my children at risk for a potentially fatal disease.

 

I don't think that people are putting their children at risk for a "fatal disease". No one would knowingly put themselves or anyone else at risk for any kind of a disease. I think there is so much hype about how everyone is going to die from this flu that the scare tactics are increasing. Also I find it interesting that they are not giving anyone here but elderly over 65 the regular flu shot because of preliminary studies that have shown that people who received the flu shot last year were more likely to get H1N1 this year. One could say that people thought they were helping prevent the flu and could have put them selves at risk unknowingly to the H1N1 this year. If people used more common sense about going to crowded places and taking their kids out to malls and such during cold and flu season and staying home when there family members where sick then these things wouldn't be so widely spread. Also eating a well balanced diet or taking vitamin suppliments can help your bodys immune system. I am not saying that these things will keep you from getting sick but I am trying to say that there are other measures that one can take to protect themselves and that not getting the vaccine shouldn't give you a negative label. Also the flu strains mutate so fast that there is no saying that the H1N1 vaccine would even be effective for the strain that is out this winter which they have ran into in the past with the regular flu vaccine. I am and registered nurse and have seen alot of sick people but I have been finding that unfortunatly the phrase "the benefits out weigh the risks" is not always the case and although that number may be small it would sure not be that great if it happened to you. I don't mean for this to come across in a negative way I just feel that it is the individual right to decide and that that decision should be respected either way.

 

Personally I don't consider the flu a deadly disease, so no, we don't get the flu shot and we won't get the H1N1 shots either. It's my personal choice, both my ds (who was 22 months old and 4 wks premature and has asthma) and I (I also have asthma) have had the flu and both received tamiflu at the onset of symptoms and within a day or two we were back on our feet just fine.

 

Since we have H1N1(confirmed by ped), I will share what I was told by my ped:

1. In this area, they are not even testing for it anymore, because 97% of the tests they sent out were coming back positive for Swine. And, regular flu has not even gotten started yet.

2. Almost all of the cases he has seen, have been fairly mild like ours. Yes, we have had high fevers, and other flu symptoms, but, to be honest, we have had much worse around here! Of course the media is going to pick up on the deaths, it makes for good news stories. He even said that there is unnecessary hype surrounding this flu.

3. I am willing to bet that Swine Flu is even more widespread right now than what is being reported, since most of the cases are 'mild', and never even make it into the doctor/pediatrician. Those CDC #'s, deaths per illness, are going to be skewed, because of this. The most serious of cases are making it to hospitals/testing, and of course among the most serious cases, that have complications such as dehydration and pnuemonia, there will be a higher death rate.

We have gotten the flu shot most years, until this year, and I made a very tough decision not to get it this year, due to something that happened to a family member last year after getting the shot. There are risks, and it's a very tough and personal decision. Getting it/not getting it doesn't make you a good/bad parent. You just have to be aware of, and be ready to deal with the consequences either way.

 

"people used more common sense about going to crowded places and taking their kids out to malls and such during cold and flu season and staying home when there family members where sick then these things wouldn't be so widely spread. Also eating a well balanced diet or taking vitamin suppliments can help your bodys immune system."

You are right about this. However, most people don't have such common sense. And, with the high rate of infection it is very easily spread. The only way to completely protect your family would be to go into seclusion, but most people don't even opt for common sense caution. And, for instance, vitamin D has been proven to have a positive effect in the body's immune fighting abilities, and those who get enough get much fewer and less severe respiratory infections (in general)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19190532 but most Americans don't get enough to get the full effect (and the minimum recommended amount is WAY less than needed to boost the immune system).

It also doesn't help that governments are pushing back recommendations for when people should stay home to prevent others from being ill. Current recommendations are, I believe, one day after fever? but there are recent studies which show it might be contagious up to eight days after symptoms start: http://www.infectiou...t.aspx?id=43700

And you are right that it is an individual choice. However, people who choose to get vaccinated ARE putting themselves at higher risk for contracting a fatal disease (Vaccines protect most, but not all of the time, so vaccines aren't a guarentee you won't get it, either). There is no doubt that this disease does, sometimes kill. Not often, but it does. Public health departments (not the media) list 7% or greater of hospitalized patients from this disease dying. And it is more contagious than the seasonal flu.

The question is.... does the individual making the choice think the risk of anything bad happening from the vaccine is greater than the risk of death happening from the disease? I think most parents would do anything to protect their children and it is in his or her weighing of those risks that a decision is made. I personally don't like my kids getting vaccines they don't have to get, but my personal decision is, at least in the US there were studies and trial vaccines done on the vaccine, and I believe there is a miniscule risk of something bad happening from the vaccine as the trials went well (but don't guarentee every vaccination would go well), but there is a small (but much greater) chance of serious illness or worse from the disease. My belief in weighing statistics (not media stories) urges me personally as a parent to get the vaccine for my kids, *if their doctor would give it to them.*

I, for one, do not begrudge anyone for making the decision that they feel is best for their kids. But, I will try to pass information on, such as statistics and facts that I have discovered, and bring up points they may not have considered, to those making their decisions.

However, if I had a family member have something bad happen from a shot, especially if that family member was genetically linked to my kids, I probably would not want my kids vaccinated (like Becky5).

I personally believe the media so over-hyped this disease that a lot of people got sick of it and went in the opposite direction when they found it wasn't as bad as the hype. But it still is not a trivial disease, and I would feel absolutely horrible, if something bad happened to a parent or someone's kids because they made a choice because they 'didn't know'. I post information and points not due to a lack of respect of someone's decision, because of a duty I feel to give out all of the information I have to those I think may not have the information I've found out.

 

No flu shots here!!

 

That's fine. And really, that's all any of us can do, and are doing here. I, personally, have not found your posts to be disrespectful at all. I appreciate you sharing the information you have found.

I do believe that H1N1 is even more contagious than the seasonal flu. The proof is in my kids! We have had the flu before, and I was able to keep it contained to a couple of kids, but this just spread like wildfire.

I also agree that people(even kids!) are basically forced to return to normal activities/school before they actually should, due to pressure from the workplace and school. Hannah, my 11 year old, has been out for an entire week now, and is worried about making up all of the work she has missed.

 

I think it is considered more contagious because most people have no immunity to it at all. Most of us have some immunity to seasonal flu from years of exposure but no immunity to this new one.

 

I think this was my point, I'm definitely not passing judgement. I happen to know a kid who died of H1N1 so it hits a little closer to home and has definitely played a part in my decision to vaccinate my children. Everyone has to decide what is best for their family, for vaccinations and every other difficult choice we face as parents.

 

You are right about this. However, most people don't have such common sense

I totally agree with you here. I guess this is the part that gets me so fired up some times. I have seen people drag babies into the hospital to visit sick people all the time and it drives me nuts. Why don't people realize that hospitals are full of germs as well as other crowded places. If people would have more common sense than I do think that there would be a decrease in when or how often a child gets sick. That being said I do totally realize that you can't live in a bubble that is impossible for anyone.
Part of my frustration with this is that in my line of profession it is frowned upon if you call in sick for work. For crying out loud we are working with people who are sick or compromised already so I strongly feel that we should not be coming to work sick. I wish that employers and the rest of society would get on the same page about this but unfortunatly I don't think that is ever going to happen. Sorry for the rant. I have just had a lot of negative reactions to my decisions on the flu shots from my work and friends and I find my self a little defensive. I totally know the other side of this to as I was once one who advocated strongly for the phrase the "benefits outweigh the risks" until I educated myself a little more and started looking outside the medical box. We have also had people we know effected negatively from different medications and vaccines which prompted me to do more research. I know that serious side effects are rare but I think that they are just pushed to the side more often than not and unfortunatly alot of people don't really find out about them until they are the statistic. I totally agree that people should educate themselves to the fullest and make educated decisions and don't begrudge anyone for offering concrete info for or againt the vaccine. I am sorry if I offended anyone with my posts that was not my intent.

 

I'm scheduled for my Thimerosal-free flu shot on next Wednesday. As for the H1N1 shot, it isn't available to me yet so I haven't really made up my mind.

If I had other children, I would get the preservative free shot for them as well.

I watched a special about the flu and they said that the flu affects pregnant women more so than non-pregnant people because

#1 Your immune system is already weakened because of pregnancy so it's harder to fight off the virus

and

#2 Because of the increase in abdominal growth from the baby/babies, your lung capacity is severly reduced

It's the second one that really scares the heebee-jeebies out of me. I already have restricted breathing just from eating! It scares me to death to imagine being so sick that I need hospitalized and they can't get enough oxygen into my lungs because they don't have room to expand.

#1 is really a given. But #2 is the reason that I'm getting the regular flu shot next week.

 

For us in Canada, the decision to vaccinate or not for H1N1 is made more complicated, in my opinion, by the decision of our government to order the vaccine with an added adjuvant (put in to enhance immune response so they can use a smaller amount of the virus to make the vaccine). I'm not sure how well tested that is, especially in children, so it makes me even more hesitant to get the vaccine than if I were in the States where the vaccines are being produced without it.

 

Please be careful if you do get the vaccine, especially this form of it.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2205843/h1n1_flumist_the_nasal_spray_that_keeps.html?cat=70

I have a friend who is a research scientist and mom of 3 who will not be getting the shot/mist. As for me/mine, we will avoid it, wash hands thoroughly and are not getting it.

Michelle

 

We don't do flu shots - I've never had one, DH has never had one and according to our doctor (family doc that treats all 4 of us) none of us are at high risk or immune compromised to need it - doc doesn't feel that pumping a healthy body full of medication that can induce sickness is that smart an idea (unless indicated otherwise)...

my dad has nasty reactions to flu shots and since my health history seems to mirror his in a lot of ways (I can't take statin drugs due to the joint pain etc...) I choose not to risk it...also according to my doc H1N1 is no worse (symptom wise) than any other strain of the flu and alot of the scare is media hype.

 

We will do the regular seasonal flu vaccine, but not the H1N1 vaccine. I am not comfortable with it and we dont have any underlying respiratory issues.

 

this is the first year my kids will be getting one, are reason is are oldest is 5 now in ecs and bringing home every germ you can think of, are 3 yr old well he's 3. are twin girls got rsv last feb, one just got off oxygen in aug because of it, not sure if her lungs can handle and virus in them
just think of your situation, the health of everyone in your family over the last few months,
you arent a bad mom because you chose not to i didnt for 4yrs. my situation now changed good luck hun listen to your heart and thoughts.