Ugh. I am not a doctor. I am not an infectious diseases expert or a scientist or even a pharmacist. I’m a mom. And all of this overwhelming influx of H1N1 information is making my head swim.
First, I had decided not to vaccinate my kids. On good authority I was told that the vaccine was untested and H1N1 was just like any other flu. The risks were low. Plus, I saw this:
Seems pretty straight forward, right? But think again ’cause here is what a doctor friend of mine said:
They do comment in the interview that they talked previously to three medical specialists who all stated unequivocally that they recommended the vaccine and would give it to their kids. I don’t know who he is or the nature of his qualifications. If you check out his web site, he does not look like an ID specialist to me (he appears to specialize in medicine that treats people without medications).
His comments about mercury levels in thimorisol are way off. Yes there is mercury in it but less than what you would find in a can of tuna off the shelf. Notable also is that the single dose preloaded syringes (which will be generally available in Canada in the coming weeks) do not contain any thimorisol. I had my injection Monday with the standard adjuvant containing vaccine btw … His comments about autism and vaccinations are also unsupported by clinical data fwiw …
Unfortunately FOX News gives him pretty much a free ride and doesn’t challenge anything he says. If they’re gonna run with something like that, I think it would be reasonable to say, pair him up with someone from the CDC but my guess is that he would never agree to that.
Since this interview aired a while ago, it’s already been picked up and commented on by various sites, eg Stinky Journalism
My $0.02.
Well, that really got me thinking again.
And then I saw this: 13 Year-Old Etobicoke Boy Dies of H1N1 – a seemingly healthy, hockey playing, young boy dies of H1N1 with hardly any warning. Really scary stuff. All I (and every other mother, I’m sure) could think was OMG, that could be my kid. So what to do? I was starting to panic.
Then I heard that in all of Canada only 96 people have died of H1N1 and nearly 90% of those who died had a preexisting condition. This is from Health Canada. So, obviously the risk of contracting it is small and dying from it is extremely rare. But still. There is now a report that a pre-teen girl from Ottawa passed away on the weekend from H1N1 as well. She too was otherwise healthy.
And the media sure doesn’t help, oh man, check out this headline: Pandemic’s Second Wave Gathers Momentum. Talk about an alarmist title. Despite the fact that they say right in the article that the risks are low the headline would lead you to believe that we are being overcome by the Plague and that we should all run for our lives. Jeesh. How are we supposed to sift through all of this and come up with a decision on whether or not to vaccinate our children?
So, let’s get the facts. What it boils down to for me is this: Is the risk of the vaccine greater than the risk of H1N1? The Globe and Mail seemed to have the most useful and least fear mongering information today in: Should I Get the H1N1 Shot?
To boil it down for you into a few key points:
- It is 90% effective in healthy adults, more than the regular flu shot.
- The additives used in it have been tested in the avian flu shot and in clinical trials with no major negative side effects.
- Pregnant women are a high risk group for getting H1N1.
- 5,000 people have died worldwide, and hundreds of thousands of people have been infected with H1N1.
- This virus attacks the young, unlike the seasonal flu, which burdens the elderly.
Phew. I’m exhausted. But now that I have tried to sift through the information and boil it down to just the facts I at least feel that I’m in a better position to make a decision. What about you?
Thanks Jen…we’re all very confused but that’s the power of media…to provide us with as many opinions and facts. We’re saturated with information no doubt at this point. I have chosen to not get myself vaccinated with the adjuvent version of the vaccine for clear reason…the vaccine contains squalene (fish oil or some sort) and I am severely (anaphalaxis) allergic to seafood. When I ask health officials, they have all clearly told me to not get the adjuvent version as they do not know how my body will react to this being injected into the bloodstream. They are weighing on the side of caution. So, I will wait and try to sort out how to get the regular H1N1 vaccine without the adjuvent. What’s also amazing to me is that quite a few friends that have family in the medical professions tout that they have gotten the shot without hesitation and that everyone should get it. But when I ask if they got the shot with or without the adjuvent …none have replied. I’m not fear mongering but I find it quite odd. I think the confusion lies with this adjuvent version and the compounds that are being used. We all just want answers. But I’m guessing that we all have to weigh the pros and cons and decide for ourselves.
it was stated on the news that the 13 year old boy (my heart goes out to his family) had asthma. no one in my family has asthma or any other medical condition. i will not be vax’ing. people wonder why i won’t do this since this vax may prevent being sick and i tell them there’s nothing wrong with being sick. if anyone in my family gets it i will monitor closely to make sure things don’t turn but other than that, lots of rest, soup and movies.
i vax’d myself against the flu one year and got the flu that same year. i didn’t ever since and have been down maybe once for one day with a flu. (it was probably 10 years ago i got the shot)
i like to build my own antibodies i suppose.
This has been driving me crazy too and I posted this question as my status on FB for my friends to give me their feedback. Only one person said don’t do it, most people are unsure, and others say get it…the ones who are unsure say they are going to wait the 10-14 days (the time they say it takes for the shot to be effective) and see if there are any real terrible side effects happening…we know the media won’t hold back on telling us about all of the bad stuff! And those that ARE getting it are telling me there is a 1/30,000 chance of the shot having bad side effects, and a 1/3 chance of contracting the H1N1 at all. And with that said, the statement that sticks out to me the most was…I’d much rather risk my child suffering a bad side effect than contracting this and dying….side effect vs death…I’m starting to lean towards getting the vaccination. The other thing I’ve been thinking….there is such a hype about this, and so far 95 Canadians have died from H1N1 this year….how many have died from the seasonal flu this year? Is it really that much more of a concern?
Okay. I used to be very skeptical of vaccines, but I have changed my tune. I won’t bore everyone with the details but over the last 10 years I’ve devoted a lot of energy to finding out everything I can about the issue. My conclusion is that in the end the REAL SCIENCE comes down on the side of vaccinating. There is so much more solid, peer-reviewed research supporting vaccines than not. There is also a wealth of REAL SCIENTIFIC research to dispute the claims of the anti-vax camp (eg. high mercury levels, autism-causing, etc. etc.) There just is very, very little REAL SCIENTIFIC research to support the anti-vax cause. Lots of questionable studies, of course!
HOWEVER, fear is a very powerful tool, and it is being used here to great effect. I agree…the chances I or someone I love will get H1N1 are nearly zero, but my husband and I along with our children will all get the vaccine, because, to the best of my ability, I cannot find a single reason (other than having to wait several hours in line) why not to.
I don’t normally get the seasonal flu vaccine, but with H1N1 we find ourselves in the higher risk group (otherwise healthy adult women) so I’ll go for it this year.
That’s my .02 – as a “PLM”!
I have no idea either. I hate to say it but for this one, I’m going on the bandwagon. If you all are doing it, I’ll do it – if you are not, then I’m not. I need some feedback from my PLM’s (people like me).