I was going to write a post this week about my mixed feelings at giving my children the vaccine for H1N1, and not yet being able to decide what course of action to take.
Do we vaccinate, when it’s not been very well tested and it seems like there’s a lot of side effects? And people are saying, oh I had that flu, it’s not that bad.
Do we not vaccinate, and then they get it…and young people are affected much worse, and children have died?
Do we only give it to Callum, who has the history of respitory infections and inhalers? Do we forget Oliver who never really gets sick like that?
Note that I have never had an issue with vaccines before. (Also note that I have no quarrels with people who do have concerns about routine vaccinations – to each his own, just don’t give my kid measles please).
But this week it seemed like the official ‘line’ on the H1N1 vaccines was changing every day.
I’m totally befuddled.
What are you going to do?
Where there's a Willer... 
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 8:08 am
I don’t know what to do – the girl has a history of respiratory stuff too. She had bronchilitis as a baby and since then gets v. v. congested when she has a cold. We have an inhaler and all that and have had one trip to Sick Kids emerg last winter.
And as a preschooler, she also gets every cold – I am convinced that they spend their day licking each other and every surface imaginable!
Seriously, though, I expect that we will all catch it and if she doesn’t have it by the time the vaccine is available, I’ll probably have her vaccinated.
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 8:09 am
I still don’t know what we are going to do.
On last night’s news, they said that if you get the seasonal flu vaccine, it raises your risk of getting H1N1.
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090924/090924_flu_shot/20090924/?hub=CP24Home
We don’t usually get the seasonal flu shot but with H1N1 being so bad for little kids, this is something that I’m going to have to think long and hard about. I think a talk with my doctor is in order.
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 8:46 am
Here’s my personal feeling, which does not in any way mean that I think others should think this way:
We’re not doing it. For one, I’m not that into vaccines to begin with; we did selective vac. on a delayed schedule, and never a flu shot. Second, I am not trusting the process for the H1N1 shot so far – I feel like Health Canada does not have confidence in their plan yet, so why would I? Third, the vac. for Canada currently is one with an adjuvent, something that they KNOW has risks – in fact, an adjuvent-free version will probably be offered to pregnant women due to the unknown risks to a fetus. That scares me away from it right there. Fourth, my baby has already had it, when she had croup. She did have to be hospitalized over night, and yes, it was scary, but it happened and there was no vac. available anyway. And fifth, the vac. probably won’t even be ready until November – at least – and I’m betting it will have come around by then.
We are going to concentrate on boosting our immune system, washing our hands and staying healthy naturally. To me, that is the best defence.
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 10:20 am
I couldn’t agree with kgirl more. There is no way that I would put my trust in this vaccine that has hardly been tested at all. I mean, the only year I truly got the flu itself (which, oddly enough, kills more people every year than H1N1… ) was the year I got the vaccine.
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 1:25 pm
We’re giving it. As a scientist, I can’t understand why people make such a fuss about dead viruses. I’d rather the dead ones than the live ones. As for the evidence that the exposure to seasonal flu virus increases your risk to H1N1 – I don’t believe it. It’s not published, unconfirmed, and doesn’t make sense.
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I would refuse this under all conditions. I trust in the body’s natural immune system, believing it to always be better than a needleful of chemicals to supposedly incure immunity.
I have no faith in the media to present the truth, nor Big Pharma. They are lining their pockets with fear tactics without telling the truth of things that can really help us build our own immunity, ie sunshine (vit D), avoid white foods (sugar, flour, rice), use herbs and natural remedies (indigenous ppl have amazing foods to build immunity), stay well hydrated with good water. THose things go a very long way to good health.
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I was going to write a post on this too… and then couldn’t figure out what the hell to write. We’re not going to vaccinate either son, nor get the flu shot. Neither kid is in school yet and are not normally exposed to large groups of other kids/people.
I also am against giving any kind of unnecessary vaccinations – there’s just so many being pushed onto parents at the moment. I regret getting the chicken pox vaccine – for god sake let the kid get chicken pox like every kid used to!
We never get the flu shot, and honestly we’re usually healthier through winter than most people I know who’s families have had it…
Friday, September 25, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Cristen, it’s not the injection of viruses that most people worry about but rather what the virus is suspended in. It’s those preservatives that can cause bad reactions, sometimes very bad, in part of the population.
We’re not going to get these vaccines but then again we maintain very healthy lifestyles and are hermits. We rarely ever get sick and the few colds my daughter has had, I can track to a specific person who was careless about being around us when sick. I am far more careful about questioning people now. Hopefully we’ll be able to avoid any flus this way.
Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 10:53 pm
We’re having the standard flu shots (Jamie is a paramedic, I work in a hospital, so all sorts of weird stuff could follow us home) – that’s a given. Both of my kids have had asthma/bronchitis/funky breathing situations, so we won’t mess around with that.
I think we will probably end up vaccinating for hiney – but as we’re not expecting the vaccine until late October/early November, a lot could change before then.
Monday, September 28, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Not vaccinating here in our house either…I haven’t done too much research into it but I’m not a fan of injecting my child or myself with vaccines for the flu…if we get the flu we get it…my husband got the seasonal flu shot 2 years ago and ended up getting the flu anyway…so we just do a lot of handwashing and eating healthy.
Someone had emailed me a few weeks back telling me that the H1n1 vaccine had much higher levels of mercury in it than the seasonal one…haven’t verified if this is accurate or not…they also told me to google 1976 swine flu vaccine in the US for some info….again not sure if it’s accurate or not.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 2:05 am
This has heped me alot with my assigment for school. this research on vaccinations for my science work is realy helping keep up the god work guys 🙂