Will you and your family get the H1N1 vaccine?
Posted at 6:00 AM on October 12, 2009
by Eric Ringham
(63 Comments)
Filed under: Health, Science/Technology
A recent poll reported that more than a third of parents would decline to have their children immunized against the H1N1 flu. Their reasons included a fear of side effects and skepticism about the flu's severity. Will you and your family get the H1N1 vaccine?
Comments texted to MPR:
I'll get vaccinated when vaccine makers are made legally responsible for the deaths they cause. -A. Kimball, Fergus Falls, MN
We will all be vaccinated as it is the right thing to do. -Lindsey
Been getting seasonal flu shots for 13 yrs; my kids for the last 5. Only got sick the years I didn't get a shot, so I plan on getting both. -Jeremy, Shakopee, MN
As a nurse midwife, i feel that it is my responsibility to be vaccinated in order to protect my patients, my family and myself. I am also a temporary single mom due to my husband currently being deployed to Iraq; i will vaccinate my daughter largely out of work absentee concerns. If she is ill, i am the only person to take care of her. That trickles down and impacts everything at my workplace. -Jen, St. Cloud, MN
I will not. Every year people get flu vaccinations. Every year a new flu virus appears. The one year i was vaccinated, because it was free, i got the flu. -Tammy, Minneapolis, MN
My partner and I do not get vaccines unless required to for travel. We boost our immunities by eating well and taking dietary supplements. -Andy, Minneapolis, MN
Yes we will get the flue shot. We will get all the flu shots. -Tim Brandon, Minneapolis, MN
I'll be happy to get an H1N1 shot if the pandemic hasn't killed me by the time the vaccine becomes available. -anonymous text message
Share your reply in the comments: Will you and your family get the H1N1 vaccine?
Comments (63)
Only,
so informative, thanks to tell us.
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h1 n1?
I have bought Tamiflu here and I am pleased. Delivery all over the world!
pharmtablet.com
I will not get the H1N1 vaccine, nor will my husband or my 13 month old son. First of all, I don't believe that vaccine trials that test only for immediate effects can determine the overall safety of a vaccine. People are so gung ho to inject themselves with substances whose long term health effects are practically impossible to determine. 20 years from now when you acquire an autoimmune disease such as :rheumatoid arthritis, food allergy, hashimoto's thyroiditis, grave's disease, or any number of others, no medical professional is going to be able to tell you if it was caused by your vaccinations. The Scientific method is based on isolating one factor and looking for direct effects, but unfortunately in our world and in our bodies each factor has a multitude of effects and rarely acts in isolation. I do not intend to compromise my overall long term health because of a hysterical fear of statistically improbable death. Are we really supposed to vaccinate ourselves against every single disease on the face of the earth? Because that seems to be the trend. Our culture is unhealthily obsessed with the prospect of dying, but grossly overlooks the value of living a healthy life. That is an affliction that needs to be addressed.
Secondly, there is no recourse for an individual harmed by a vaccine and society seems to have the attitude that those individuals are disposable. Not just kids who have autism, but soldiers given vaccines and many others. The burden is on them to prove it was the vaccine, which is very difficult to do.
I personally know of one person who was allergic to a vaccine and was put in intensive care after receiving it. And another who 20 years later got a brain tumor that was only traceable to the vaccine because it became evident that a specific batch had caused brain tumors in a significant number of people. It is rare that such obvious signs appear, but even those are largely dismissed.
Finally, viruses are living entities. There is a balance of life on the planet. If we kill all the little germs, super germs emerge to take their place. If we evade one virus, another appears, even stronger. An appropriate analogy seems to be: if we prevent wildfires over a period of years, inevitably a huge fire sweeps through that very area. Eventually we have to accept that we can't control nature and we need to implement wise policies to live as healthfully as possible. The strong survive and as heartbreaking as it definitely is, the vulnerable, perish. BUT the human race continues more vital than ever; as opposed to continuing with a host of chronic illnesses that require a lifetime of medication. I hope I am among one of the lucky strong ones to pass my genes along. I'll certainly try to keep my immune system strong and avoid exposure.
If a truly immediate life threatening flu ravages the country, I will consider a vaccination. Until then I will pay attention to the actual mortality rate occurring in the population and how much more likely it is that I will get die a car accident.
The hype over this H1N1 flu is truly ridiculous. Especially the way the media covers statistics such as how many more people are visiting the hospital because of it. Well of course they are visiting at the very first sign of illness, they are terrified. The really significant numbers (to me) are the percentage people who are hospitalized or die from the illness with respect to how many of the total population contracted the illness.
Our bodies develop immunity after being exposed to a virus (or virus fragment in the case of a vaccine). With the present form of H1N1, you can get immunity by being sick or by getting a shot.
Getting a shot has a lower risk of mortality, and the side effect is a sore arm rather than aches, fever, and vomiting. I will get the shot, but being in a low risk group it will probably be later. In the meantime I am washing my hands frequently and hoping to avoid exposure.
There is a big difference between "nutritional supplements" and "herbal supplements"
People don't know that and it is part of the problem.
Ephedra is an herb and herbs are not as safe as food based supplements. I never use them.
Again, it should always be ones choice to explore options and make their own choices rather than relying on those to stand to make money on making you sicker.
My parents started with one drug and due to the side effects and drugs needed to control all of those they each take over 20 now.
I took a drug for 4 days that was so harsh it gave me an ulcer that required another drug.
I plan on getting the shot. Just me, as I'm single, with no children (that I know of).
I'm getting the vaccine. Statistically, the likelihood of experiencing severe disease complications from the flu is much greater than experiencing an adverse reaction from the vaccine. My husband, however, believes those conspiracy theories that the whole H1N1 scare is just a way for vaccine manufacturers to make money or to divert attention from health care reform. I really hate being sick, though, and anything I can do to prevent illness is worth it to me.
We will absolutely get it. You can't get the flu from a killed virus vaccine and I don't want to be sick for a week or two. I've already had something with fever and chills and diarrhea this fall and I don't need to feel that rotten again.
Yes. Of course. Hate the flu. Ugh! Who needs to be sick for a week when it's so easy to avoid?
As I understand it, influenza vaccine is not a big money-maker for Big Pharma (as compared with, say, erectile dysfunction treatments). And as for unregulated supplements being completely safe with no risk of dying, go look up ephedra and remind yourself why that "herbal supplement" is no longer available.
As I understand it, influenza vaccine is not a big money-maker for Big Pharma (as compared with, say, erectile dysfunction treatments). And as for unregulated supplements being completely safe with no risk of dying, go look up ephedra and remind yourself why that "herbal supplement" is no longer available.
I find it equally alarming that people choose to trust the FDA,making the assumption that it is there to protect us.
That was why it was originally created and in all probability what it originally did (I have not researched that far back as of yet).
These days that is NOT what is happening.
The FDA is a corrupt organization that needs a massive overhaul.
If you were to dig beneath the surface as I have then you would see an overwhelming amount of evidence to that fact.
There are so many drugs that are pushed through much faster than they should be because Big Pharma and the FDA are in bed together now.
I agree that many supplement companies take advantage of people but I believe that while you may get ripped off, you will not die and anything contrary to that is simply messages put out there by pharmaceutical companies who profit from people being sick.
I prefer to judge products I take based on what the company puts out there but not on that alone as I will also have the product tested.
Ultimately the proof is in the results and the results from what I currently take are much better then any result I have ever received by taking a drug.
You only have to explore the insanity on the Senate floor over the debate of bill S1082.
It was a Big Pharma-friendly FDA reform bill that had senators battling when those who were lobbied and bought off by big pharma (biggest jerk of which was senator Orin Hatch) went up against Senator Byron Dorgan's amendment that would strike some verbiage that would not allow the public to choose natural supplements or purchase their drugs from other countries if they so choose.
This was a blatant attempt on the part of the bought off senators to protect the 10 billion dollar a year big pharma profits disguised as "safety legislation".
The legislation they pushed was to protect the Big Pharma price fixing scam for the next 50 years, and include new FDA regulatory powers that would stamp out any competition to those companies.
They were lobbied and bought by Big Pharma and then worked to take my right of choice away.
I think people should be able to choose.
Maybe you would not agree with what I choose but it works for me, it not then at least it was my choice.
I respect the right for others to choose for themselves as well and if that is to trust the FDA and drug companies then great for them but I will never blindly trust the FDA, Big Pharma or anyone else.
It strikes me as odd the number of people that rely on supplements to keep them healthy rather than FDA approved medicines and vaccines. People apparently do not realize that FDA approved drugs are subjected to extensive review. Impurities and raw materials are thoroughly investigated. Safety and effectiveness trials are conducted. The facilities where they are manufactured are inspected to ensure cleanliness, careful record keeping, consistency of the product, and lack of fraud.
Supplements are NOT regulated. The facilities are not inspected. In fact, there really is no telling where the supplement companies get their supplies from. Purity of raw materials is not ensured. Cleanliness of the facilities is not ensured. Even active ingeredient content is not ensured. Generally, safety and effectiveness has not been studied.
It is a great irony that unregulated supplements are seen as the saviors of so many, when most are made without careful process controls. When you take supplements you really are putting your health in the hands of the maker. There is no watchdog.
I'm a supporter of Minnesota Public Radio, but your coverage of novel H1N1 is veering towards fear-mongering. The vast majority of people will get a runny nose, aches and perhaps a low fever, as with the seasonal flu. And as with seasonal flu, some few people (usually those whose immune systems are compromised) will die. The only difference between novel H1N1 and seasonal flu is how fast it spreads.
I am not getting the vaccine. I am sensitive to many of the normal additives (MSG, ethylmercury etc.) in most vaccines. I might add that many people and especially children, are also sensitive to these additives.
My plea to MPR:
Morning, noon and night it is the H1N1 flu virus. Please stop!
You actually made my point there Jim.
Since there is already so much mutation of these flus, the last thing we as humans should do is to mutate them further.
It is impossible to re-create a virus in the identical way that it started as, therefore, each time you try to duplicate one, you change it and add another one out there to expose everyone to.
It is ridiculous to think that creating new viruses is helpful!
It's funny that you would consider me the ignorant one here for not thinking the same way you do.
People should be concerned about this strain because it is new and our immune systems have no memory of how to deal with it since they have had no experience with it.
A vaccine is used to make it easier for your system to recognize a virus. It is a tool to alert your immune system that something nasty is coming but that is no guarantee that the immune system will do anything about it.
You need to make sure your dendritic cells are functioning well and can tolerate excessive antigen presence and inflammation. You also need to improve the effciency of your immune cells, manage stress and reduce any inflammatory health problems.
What could be more stressful then buying into a pandemic?!?
I have asthma, many allergies and MS which as most know, is an auto immune disease and I have never gotten a flu shot. I manage my health with nutrition and food based supplements. Everything that god gave us to live as long as we have managed thus far.
I have not had the flu since I was a child and I am not afraid of it!
I think we need to stop messing with nature with all this science.
My wife has gotten the flu vaccine and not the H1N1. I never get a flu shot and feel the hype over N1H1 is over rated. The flu comes around every year and I am of the mindset to let my immune system handle things naturally. By the way, I can't remember the last time I had the flu & I am 40.
"If we do not stop re-creating viruses in a petri dish that have already been mutated simply by being passed through people and dragging along with them part of each persons DNA, we are all going to DIE"
This comment demonstrates a complete ignorance of the life cycle of the influenza virus and the methods used to determine the annual flu congiurations and develop vaccines for them. Please, educate yourself.
FYI: Unless you want to kill every human, bird, and pig in the eastern and southern portions of the continent of Asia, novel flu viruses will arrive on our shores every year, like clockwork. (And even if we did this, they would mutate in other places.)
We will all get vaccinated. I've had the flu (and I have asthma) and never want to have the flu ever again. Once you have it, you'll never mistake a garden variety cold for it ever again.
Vaccination is the most effective medical procedure ever invented. It has saved/extended more lives than anything except sanitary sewers and water supplies (which are engineering, not medicine.)
We are now starting to get local epidemics of diseases such as measles and many children now die from these completely preventable diseases. People (who have never seen an epidemic and have become complacent) believe the nonsense about the MMR or thymerosol causing autism (scientifically disproved: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/347/19/1477) and other such urban myths and avoid getting themselves or their kids vaccinated. (Fortunately, in MN you must be vaccinated to attend school.)
The anti-vaccine crowd are either ignorant or deluded.
The stats released today about this current "novel" H1N1 flu show that this will be a worse flu than usual and many people will die from it, needlessly. Why take the chance? You're far, far more likely to die in a car crach on your way to school/work than to have a dangerous reaction to a vaccine (they do occur, of course, there's no such thing as a sure thing in real life.)
I'm not sure if my family will get H1N1 vaccination. See... we have real H1N1 in the house acquired the natural way. Having seen this up close in 4 kids and one spouse I conclude only one thing about the "I'm healthy, I eat a good diet, I take vitamins, I don't need no stinking vaccine" people: they are ignorant. The problem is that good many of them are also too stupid for education to remedy the ignorance. Why don't I have it right now, I think it's because I had a very mild case two weeks ago.
I have only missing getting the flu shot once in the last 20+ years....and I was sicker than dog with flu that year.
I've had the normal one and am going to be inline as soon as the metro has the N1H1 shots.
Cheers,
Steve
If we do not stop re-creating viruses in a petri dish that have already been mutated simply by being passed through people and dragging along with them part of each persons DNA, we are all going to DIE!
Flu shots create superbugs, plain and simple!
Boost your immune and lymphatic system and you will be fine.
All the flu shots do is make big pharma richer.
Think about it people!
Pharmaceutical companies would do no advertising if there was not money in it.
They are not not run by public servants.
Yes, if we can get it we will. We have two members of the family with asthma. Flu is nothing to mess around with for us. Plus I have no interest in being flattened with the flu if I can help it. Not fun!
Sure. With a young one at home I think it's the best thing to do.
I will most certainly get the H1N1 vaccine as will my husband. I have already received my seasonal flu vaccine. If opponents paid attention to the reasons for being concerned with H1N1 they wouldn't say that herbs, supplements, exercise and diet are the only things needed to stave off infection. The real concern with this type of influenza is that it is sickening and killing otherwise healthy people, portions of the population not normally hit with seasonal flu.
For the consiracy theorists, people older than 60 have some immunity to this bug but it is not known how or when they were exposed. It is not necessarily a surprise that someone had the patent on the vaccine for a virus that was encountered even in small quantities before. This does not mean the anyone colluded to bring about mass infection or mass hysteria in order to make money.
There are risks with vaccine as with any medication but I'd prefer the known risks of the vaccine as opposed to the little know risks of the H1N1 influenza virus.
We will most definitely get the H1N1 vaccination when it becomes available, starting with ourj 8 and 9 year old grand daughters as they are the most vulnerable. My son-in-law has had H1N1 for a week and I've never seen anyone so sick. He's been out of commission for 12 days as I write this. We've gotten vaccinated every year and have never had either a reaction or the flu. This is a no-brainer since the H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as the demonstrably safe seasonal vaccines.
Get it when pigs flew.
I'm a doctor who took care of hospitalized children sick with H1N1 flu last spring and again in the past weeks. Some otherwise healthy patients get VERY ill with this. I will be getting the H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible, as will my wife, 4 year-old, and 15 month-old. Looking at risks and benefits, for us it is a no-brainer.
I would ... IF I had health insurance!
Absolutely NOT. Research the many key stories strangely NOT being covered in the usa, such as Baxter Pharmaceutical's debacle. Look at eu journalist Jane Burgermeister's courageous work. Also, isn't it funny that the specialized vaccine patents were issued long before the initial Mexican outbreak? The story is not pretty, but it is real. In solidarity, we must totally refuse this concocted program.
I thought about getting the shot, but decided against it because I'm 24 and feel like I'm gonna live forever.
I will get the flu vaccination if there is enough left after the high risk people get their shots.
I never get flu shots. I'm healthy and no risk of death. I like to exercise my natural defense system, ie; "Use it or loose it".
Today's children have "coddled" immune systems, never having had to fight off an infection. They've been vacinated against things that are not life threatening (chicken pox, mumps etc.) rather than getting the chance to exercise their natural defense system.
No, and No.
Eat right, exercise, and live a clean life.
My family is healthy and strong.
If we contract H1N1and it does not kill us - it will make us stronger. The .8% mortality does not frighten me as much as Purple Kool-Aid.
my husband has already had the swine flu, and my young children and i did not catch it. we will not be getting the h1n1 vaccine because we have already been exposed.
I am not in a high risk pool so I will only get it if there are enough vaccines left after everyone else who is higher risk then me gets it. I'd rather see a child or someone with underlying health conditions get the vaccine at this point.
I will likely get the H1N1 shot, but my husband and I are still discussing whether or not to get our 6 month old vaccinated. I worry about the effects of possible additive ingredients like adjuvent and Thimerosal on our baby. We ultimately think we will do what our daughter's pediatrician recommends. It's a really tough call for parents.
Yes! Our family will be getting the H1N1 vaccine. My mother is immunodeficient due to chemotherapy. We are doing everything possible to protect her and make it possible to continue to visit with her as she goes through treatment.
Yes my family will all get vaccinated. We always get vaccinated for everything. Vaccines are the bedrock upon which all public health is built. I teach the history of vaccines in my high school biology class and my wife is an Er nurse. I have no sympathy for vaccine deniers. they rely on herd immunity for their families protection and risk those kids siting next to theirs in school. Imagine the horror of disease if these naive fools lived in the age of Polio and Smallpox. Would they rely on fish oil to protect their kids from smallpox? These people afraid of vaccines need to live in a place that is ravaged by preventable diseases but the people are to poor to afford the vaccines. Will they get their children the vaccine for AIDS if it is developed some day? This silly misinformation about vaccines is not based on any science but people often do not base their information on facts (creationism, global warming).
Yes my wife and I both plan on getting vaccinated for H1N1. The risks of the flu are much greater than the insignificant risk from the vaccine.
Yes, and I'm making a special effort among my circle of friends to counter the misinformation out there about it (see Ted's comment above for one of the many falsehoods currently circulating).
Vaccines are simply education for your immune system, one of the greatest health advances in human history. It's sad to see that so many Americans prefer to believe lies and conspiracy theories about vaccination rather than listening to real scientists and doctors.
Since I have never received a flu shot in the past I will not get this one. If I'm going to get the H1N1, I hope it happens right away so that I'm done with it!
Of course we will get vaccinated!
The was a time not long ago when reporters would determine whether their sources were uniformed, misinformed, or maliciously trying to pass on false information. If the source was found to be unreliable or the source was unable to justify their statement with evidence, the reporter would not report the information. Apparently that day has gone, an observation that applies not only to this and but to other recent 'controversies'. The fact that MPR has chosen to make this the question of the day only serves to give a voice to those spreading misinformation.
Take Lorna Benson's story as an example. She reports on a woman who "thinks it's better to boost her immunity with natural products." Lorna then adds, "The natural approach has kept Minegar's family healthy through many cold and flu seasons,..." Has it really? Do you have eveidence that in fact that those products have been a factor in the health of her family? Careful science and medical journalism requires careful evaluation of the statements made.
Greetings
My father was from MN, my mother was from N. Dakota, I have lived almost my entire life in MN. Therefore I am immune to everything, and thus do NOT need a flu shot
Cheers
Dennis
PS
I have had all the childhood diseases: mumps, chicken pox, measles etc. which reinforces my immune system.
I've learned to distrust fear mongering. All the reliable information I've seen about the H1N1 vaccine tells me it's just as safe as the urual seasonal flu vaccine, which I've been getting for years. I see it as my responsibility, to protect not only myself, but also the people I interact with in my work.
Yes, I'm a health care prof & will be among 1st vaccinated. Several co-workers have already had H1N1 & I plan to avoid it like .... well ... the flu
I would if they stop putting unneeded dangerous additives in the shots.
Our family will be getting the vaccine, especially with the recent deaths of children with no underlying health problems.
Yes, I will get it. Both to protect me and less the risk of transmitting it to someone else.
Each of us comes in contact w/ people, may it be someone we know or someone we encounter in our daily lives, who have lower immunity...that is another reason I will get the H1N1 vaccine.
Since I rarely get any flu vaccine, I probably wont get this one either. My exposure is quite low, so risk is low. Still I could contract it.
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