Thoughts on H1N1 vaccine?

[ilovedogs]

I participate in another board where folks are really pushing the vaccine for everyone else there. Some of the folks are sitting on the fence but I was wondering what many of you are doing for your children? Since we all have children with neurological/immunological issues, etc. Honestly, my naturopath doesn't think the vaccine will be effective anyway and he's not against all vaccines, just flu shots in general. So, I guess I'm still sitting on the fence. Part of me buys into the media hype especially when I've heard some stories around town where kids are ending up on ventilators but the other part of me is willing to take my chances without a vaccine b/c it may not be effective and may be harmful to my son. Thoughts?

 

B

[dabel]

I participate in another board where folks are really pushing the vaccine for everyone else there. Some of the folks are sitting on the fence but I was wondering what many of you are doing for your children? Since we all have children with neurological/immunological issues, etc. Honestly, my naturopath doesn't think the vaccine will be effective anyway and he's not against all vaccines, just flu shots in general. So, I guess I'm still sitting on the fence. Part of me buys into the media hype especially when I've heard some stories around town where kids are ending up on ventilators but the other part of me is willing to take my chances without a vaccine b/c it may not be effective and may be harmful to my son. Thoughts?

 

B

 

I asked Dr.K this same question. He told me not to do it. He said that the risk was too high and it could cause a problem for my son. I do not know if he feels this way in general but he did for my child. As it turns out we all got it about a week and a half ago. Yuck!!

 

DeAnn

[dabel]

I participate in another board where folks are really pushing the vaccine for everyone else there. Some of the folks are sitting on the fence but I was wondering what many of you are doing for your children? Since we all have children with neurological/immunological issues, etc. Honestly, my naturopath doesn't think the vaccine will be effective anyway and he's not against all vaccines, just flu shots in general. So, I guess I'm still sitting on the fence. Part of me buys into the media hype especially when I've heard some stories around town where kids are ending up on ventilators but the other part of me is willing to take my chances without a vaccine b/c it may not be effective and may be harmful to my son. Thoughts?

 

B

 

I asked Dr.K this same question. He told me not to do it. He said that the risk was too high and it could cause a problem for my son. I do not know if he feels this way in general but he did for my child. As it turns out we all got it about a week and a half ago. Yuck!!

 

DeAnn

 

Got the flu not the shot. DeAnn

[Suzan]

I understand about being on the fence. I was just wondering about my decision not to vaccinate last night. But I agree (and I'm glad to hear Dr. K gave this advice to one), I think it is too dangerous for our kids. Although I agree, I still wonder and hope that is the right decision.

 

My youngest got h1n1 already. It was a very mild case so we were lucky. Now I hear you may be able to get it again?! I don't know if that's true or not.

 

Susan

[thereishope]

Is your child high risk with an existing health issue such as asthma?

 

My kids already had H1N1, but before they had it I already decided not to give the vaccine.

 

I have not heard about being able to get it twice. If you got H1N1, you can still get the regular flu. Maybe that's what they were referring to?

[mom md]

I got the H1N1 vaccine and I am giving it to my non-PANDAS kids. The vaccine decreases viral shedding about 40% if you get the flu, so it may help my PANDAS child who will not be getting it.

[EAMom]

Here's a previous thread on the H1N1 vaccine: http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...756&hl=h1n1

[kim]

MomMD,

 

Do you have any reference for this? I'd really like to read it, if there's a study to that effect.

 

The vaccine decreases viral shedding about 40% if you get the flu

[kim]

If this is legit, quite scary...

 

 

 

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3646

Caledonia parents reconsider vaccine

 

CALEDONIA — Parents of Caledonia elementary and middle school students are re-evaluating whether or not to allow their children to receive the H1N1 vaccine after nine high-school students went to the hospital Wednesday with complications from the vaccine.

 

“I won’t be allowing my son to take it,” Ernie Philem, the father of a fourth-grader at Caledonia Elementary, said Thursday afternoon at the school. “I had already decided before all this happened. My wife had doubts about my decision, then when this happened she’s behind me 100 percent.”

 

Nine students were transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital–Golden Triangle Wednesday, with symptoms ranging from hives, fever, shortness of breath and other reactions after being administered the swine flu vaccine at school, through a partnership with the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Mississippi University for Women nursing department.

[mom md]

I remember this from an article I read this summer...I don't have the article at my fingertips but I will look it up. I remember it said the flu vaccine did not prevent you from getting the flu but decreased the sick time on average by one day and decreased the amount of viral shedding by 40%. I will search for the article and post-it.

[PKM]

I didn't really know what to do regarding my son and the H1N1 vaccine. He was diagnosed with SC about 10 months ago (although not sure if it might be PANDAS). He also has some underlying health issues (asthma and some mild heart complications). In the end I went ahead and gave him the vaccine (half dose in the arm - booster to follow in 4 weeks (usually booster is given after 21 days but they felt he would be better off waiting an extra week). That is how the vaccine is given in Canada - not sure if it is the same in the US.

 

He had the vaccine 10 days ago and so far he is fine - no problems whatsoever (yet). In the end we decided that we could likely handle the potential consequences from the vaccine better than we could handle the potential consequences of H1N1. For him - H1N1 would have resulted in a neurological setback and possibly much worse. We felt that the vaccine could result in a neurological setback but probably not death - it sort of became the lesser of 2 evils so to speak.

 

We are faced with so many difficult decisions along the way. It is always hard to know what to do. I know that he only got this vaccine because it is H1N1 and he has underlying health conditions. We hope to not to vaccinate him for anything else for a very long time (we plan to skip his next scheduled vaccines).

 

 

I participate in another board where folks are really pushing the vaccine for everyone else there. Some of the folks are sitting on the fence but I was wondering what many of you are doing for your children? Since we all have children with neurological/immunological issues, etc. Honestly, my naturopath doesn't think the vaccine will be effective anyway and he's not against all vaccines, just flu shots in general. So, I guess I'm still sitting on the fence. Part of me buys into the media hype especially when I've heard some stories around town where kids are ending up on ventilators but the other part of me is willing to take my chances without a vaccine b/c it may not be effective and may be harmful to my son. Thoughts?

 

B