Swine Flu Shot

Here is an article that I found very helpful. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/health/10primer.html?_r...
I am going to get the vaccine and I am also planning on having my 2 and 1/2 year old get it. Feel that the possible risk of the vaccine is less than the risk of getting swine flu which could be deadly. We also have a 4 month old who can't get the vaccine so it is recommended that everyone else in the house should get it. Hope that helps!

I have friends and neighbors with swine flu who are faring just fine, especially the otherwise healthy kids. Their pediatrician said they are not concerned about healthy kids getting it because the disease has been quite mild. However, these kids are 5 and 7. I imagine younger kids and babies are at greater risk. However, studies show the seasonal flu shot is not effective in childern under 2, so why bother?? My daughter's daycare had one case, only one so far, and it's not spreading like wildfire yet in the center. My son is in an elementary school with 1000 kids and no outbreak yet. I may suggest vaccine for my husband who develops asthma when he's sick, but my healthy kids and I will abstain. It's a tough choice considering the risk of developing autoimmune reactions down the road - something they didn't study with the fast-tracked safety testing.
I am yet to read what adjuvants are included in the vaccine. The fear was squalene - have authorities affirmatively said squalene is not being used??
I am loading the kids up with Vitamin D, C and probiotics and making sure they get adequate rest so they can fight this naturally when and if it happens.

at first, I decided not to get it. Then I read a stat that more children died from it in one month than during a entire regular flu season. I will wait about a month to hear of any negative vaccine news, but then I will be getting it for our family. My doctor also said that he has seen too many children this season alone come very close to death. I won't be the first in line, but I will get it if nothing terribly wrong seems to happen with it. It is so hard to know what to do!

I am 35 weeks with a 14 month old, so I feel for you! We are getting it for two reasons- I can't afford to bring home any illness for our newborn and the only way our hospital will allow our daughter to visit me in the hospital is if she is vaccinated- otherwise she is in grandma care for at least a week. You can go in to preterm labor but even there you don't have to worry about hospital visitation policy until January. So you are afforded the wait and see time that I am not. But I am not hesitating under my circumstances to get us vaccinated. :-)

Talk to your doctor and your daughter's doctor. See if they think you should get it.

Congratulations! I am also pregnant and expecting the baby in mid-December

At first we were not going to get it either for our 3 year old, but I also saw the Washing Post article someone mentioned and also read that the swine flu shot is made using the same method as the normal flu shots, etc. I was worried that if it had not been used widely yet what kind of effects it may have...but I think we will be getting it.

Otherwise at least talk to your doctor for the best advice.
Good luck!

Definately getting the shot for my kids. I am only angry that it is taking so long. My daughter's classmates have the flu, and we have to wait until Saturday to get her mist vaccination. And my 20 month old has to wait longer for the shot.

I will also add that your newborn will be one of the most vulnerable to the flu, and won't have a choice about the shot until next year. You want to protect him or her after birth. I thoink if you get the shot it provides some immunity to the baby and also will protect the baby because you and her family won't get it. They also recommend that newborn's families get updated MMR and whooping cough boosters. I had wooping cough 2 years ago, so I can totally see why.

After reading the other responses, most say what I would have. I'll simply add that I'm 31 weeks pregnant with our first and our OB is telling all OB patients that they have ordered it and plan to provide it to all pregnant women in the practice. I've been with this doc for 10 years and she's never steered me in a wrong direction. In addition, the antibodies will help your newborn. We are pretty conservative folks and this is one 'must' on our list, so we think it's a pretty huge deal this year given the severity of how it affects specifically pregnant women and children.
Good luck!

~J

To me, I don't think it's at all hard to decide. Get this past Sunday's Washington Post from the library if you don't have it already and look on the front page. H1N1 is already fatal to children at a higher rate than seasonal flu, and that does not just include children with underlying health issues - the article says that about 20 to 30 percent of child fatalities so far are children who had NO underlying health problems. Yes, the actual numbers aren't huge, but compared to what one would expect with seasonal flu, this rate of child deaths is a big concern and children appear to have zero natural immunity to this strain of flu.

Also, pregnant women are being hospitalized with H1N1 at higher rates than is normal with seasonal flu. That's not in the latest article but has been reported and you can check www.cdc.gov to find that pregnant women are high priority for vaccination.

Finally, this vaccine is made in exactly the same way as the seasonal flu shots that have been used very safely for decades now -- the shot is prepared and preserved and the virus for it developed the same way, so this is not, as some Internet rumors insist, some mysterious new shot. The only difference is the actual strain of virus that had to be determined and cultured to put into the vaccine. And nope, it does not contain "mercury" or to use its proper name, thimerosol preservative. That's been out of vaccines for quite some time now.

I just hope I can manage to get my daughter her H1N1 shots. Our pediatrican keeps saying "we're on the list but don't know when or if we'll get it," so now I'm trying the county health department. Call your pediatrician today if you want your child to have a shot because who knows if your peds. are even on the list to get it. I have friends whose peds. did not even get on the distribution list and the friends are now hunting for shots for their kids. And be sure you and your daughter and husband ALL get seasonal flu shots too -- these are separate from and in addition to the H1N1 or swine flu shots!

Hi

Personally I don't think there is any need for you to get the shots , swine flu symptoms are like regular flu and only becomes serious for people with underlying health issues and the very young (i.e small babies) , for all you know you could have already had swine flu and not known about it as you would just feel like you had normal flu.