H1N1 creeping in closer

[Dace]

I am hearing a lot on the news these days. Some fairly local schools have confirmed cases.

Now this morning I hear reports of a 5 yr old girl who just died in the hospital and was healthy. She went to the hospital with flu symptoms and died withn 2 hours. Her heart was attacked by the virus. What is different about this child is that she had no preexisting conditions.

This sends a shiver up my spine. I do not believe that the vaccine is safe, yet am I putting my kids at risk by not giving them the vaccine? I am concerned.

Thoughts?

 

[noobiechickenlady]

All you can do really, is keep your kids as healthy as you can. Teach them how to improve their immune system. You simply cannot protect your children from all dangers. You can only take steps to reduce the dangers & teach them how to avoid it themselves.

With all the dangerous, deadly diseases in the world that we don't have vaccines for, some of which pop up with no warning, with all of the biting insects you could have a severe allergic reaction to, with all the idiots driving 60 MPH while digging in their floorboard, you just can't sit & brood over something that might happen. Take precautions and know you did your best.

 

[SKR8PN]

Here is a possible side effect to the vaccine. Watch and learn.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d0e_1255553332

The "experts" claim it is rare, but when it happens to you, who cares how rare it is......

Safe vaccine my arse.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I ditto the keeping your kids as healthy as they can be. Build up their immune systems, and make sure they know about safe handwashing, and not to touch unnecessary ( and dirty ) things.

We won't be getting the vaccine in this household, but i make sure I keep my kids healthy. It's unfortunate to hear that girl died. I wonder though if there wasn't more to the story.

 

[big brown horse]

I am going to get the shot(s) for my daughter this week. She is considered high risk (heart defects..yep 2) and I can't take any chances, side effects or not. She has to get the flu shot too. My friend's daughter just got H1N1 last week, a little too close for comfort when you have a child with an already compromised heart and damaged lungs.

 

[patandchickens]

The argument about "doesn't matter if it's rare, if it happens to YOU" can cut both ways, though. Doesn't matter if healthy-people flu deaths are rare if it happens to you

If you wanna know what I think, I think it is not worth losing a lot of sleep over rare events. If you can easily and harmlessly prepare for them or do whatcha can to make 'em less likely to happen to you, absolutely that's reasonable. But I am not sure of the point of trading one rare risk for another rare risk.

The vaccination thing is actually more complicated than that, because there are for-the-general-good epidemiological type issues involved. However, although I am really in favor of some kinds of vaccinations, this one I think is far, far too insufficiently tested for me to want to get anywhere near it, much less have my kids get it. (By insufficiently, I mean "practically not at all" :/)

(edited to clarify: I;m speaking of those with no preexisting problems, here. if I were in BBH's shoes and had a child with a problem that made a real difference in severity of getting any flu, let alone H1N1, I *would* be thinking about vaccinating, and might indeed do it, and can 100% understand and respect your decision to vaccinate under those circumstances)

Unlike many others here, I think there are some perfectly sensible and reasonable and honorable motivations behind the push for widespread H1N1 vaccination (although I agree there are also financial and power-related motivations at work as well); but to me the jury is still out on whether there is any necessity for it, let alone whether the vaccine is safe enough to be justified under present circumstances.

Remember, btw, that occasionally perfectly-healthy young people die of *other* kinds of flu, too. It just doesn't make the news much.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

I agree with Pat mostly.

Problem is many different things scare different people.

We have confirmed cases in Charlotte. I am not running out and getting Nicole this vaccine. Nor are any of us getting it. BUT that is me. I am not "that" concerned we will die from this flu or anything related to it....but that is my fear level...low on this subject.

You have to weigh your own personal fears. You have to make that call to get the shot or not. It is hard, more scary to some than others....so you just gotta do what you feel you have to do for your own personal health.

 

[farmerlor]

I've got a six year old with diabetes and a nine year old with severe asthma you can bet they're getting the flu vaccine, pneumonia vax, and the H1N1 vax. Their little brother is getting the vaccine as well because he's got a lot of special needs too and even though he's not as high risk I'd rather not risk it. Greg has to get the shots as well since he too has asthma.
I've heard about several cases of perfectly healthy people who've caught this new flu and died. It's still not a whole lot higher than the death rate from regular flu so I'm not unduly concerned but since it's started so much earlier than the regular flu I'm thinking that when it's all said and done we'll see a higher death toll from the new one overall and that's not taking into account the possibility of mutation.

 

[big brown horse]

(edited to clarify: I;m speaking of those with no preexisting problems, here. if I were in BBH's shoes and had a child with a problem that made a real difference in severity of getting any flu, let alone H1N1, I *would* be thinking about vaccinating, and might indeed do it, and can 100% understand and respect your decision to vaccinate under those circumstances)
Pat

Thanks Pat. I totally respect and understand everyone else's decision to not vaccinate too. (I am still very uncertain about the one they only give to girls though.)

 

[FarmerChick]

there is no right or wrong on this vaccine

you must do what is best for the people invoved. many have way higher medical factors that will make this more important.