Please vaccinate your kids against swine flu

[clear eye]

In the UK, the Guardian has reported a doubling of cases in a week, with 122 dead there so far since the pandemic started, and over 500 currently hospitalized. The young, who haven't been exposed to similar flus in the past, are getting sick the most of all groups.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/22/swine-flu-cases-double

[vadawg]

1. yup get the vaccine, dont rely on old wifes tales...

[katkat]

9. old wives tales

Is my male neurologist an old wife? Cause he says stay away from it.

[vadawg]

12. then hes an idiot, unless you can show a reason why hes not

unless you have specific medical reasons why you shouldnt... or has he had enough of you and hoping for natural attrition... cant thinkof any other reason why a legit doctor would tell you not to get it...

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. I can but those are the legit reasons

You are older than 60

You are an adult in the low risk groups.

:-)

And I cannot spell tonight... don't worry my mind is not here.

[vadawg]

36. rofl no worries i just want to know if the doc is scared in case the vac makes zombies...

[Siwsan]

13. I won't take it

No kids to worry about and I'm considered low risk, so it's an easy choice, for me. Besides, I never get the vaccine and have never gotten flu. All that aside, I especially would never get this one because it was far too rushed through the process for me to ever trust.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

28. Another myth.

[mzteris]

45. same process as every other flu vaccine

that is generated.

You're falling prey to misinformation. Google is your friend, my friend. Do some wider research.

Oh - and please please please check the credentials of any sources.

[Pavulon]

22. My wife a attending treating trauma

took it and mocks the chicken little people at a major NC hospital. The brutality she uses is so much more effective than what i can post. No one can condescend like a doctor.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. Medics... some of us can really be brutal at scenes

where the accident happened due to sheer stupidity, or it was a preventable death.

It is a coping mechanism.

Trauma docs, like your wife, same story...

And no I would not be able to post the language I use for those ahem babies on the forum...

Lets just say, the sailor in the house would blush.

:hi:

Now you know who beats us hands down? Medical directors who also go into the field with their medics...

[Oregone]

2. Easier said than done

There is a huge shortage in many areas.

[Taverner]

4. Yes - unless you are in contact with it, or are in a high risk group - no go

No tamiflu either :(

[clear eye]

15. Relenza is supposed to work, too. n/t

[villager]

6. exactly - I'm on the board of directors of a public clinic, and we were just told there isn't enough

for "everyone," and so those most at risk, health care providers, etc., are being given priority...

[Taverner]

3. We are as soon as we can

Even though we've all had it - I'm told the vaccine still helps against the strain (you can still get it) , or if we didn't have it...

[xchrom]

8. i remember you have kids or a kid. scary stuff. nt

[Taverner]

10. 2 kids - and we all had H1N1 this week

The kids are out of it, but mom and dad are wiped out

[xchrom]

16. well -- be glad it didn't turn into anything more serious.

sometimes the cards fall our way.

[Taverner]

25. Yes - this is true - but remember less suck is not no suck

All suckage is a bad thing

[xchrom]

29. LOL! nt

[Justyce]

5. I wish I could, but it's not available here yet... nt

[bullimiami]

7. is the uk actually testing for the swine flu virus before reporting numbers?

because here in the us our cdc told doctors to stop tracking and testing last summer and so we really have no idea how many cases are swine flu or even a flu at all.
cases of 'suspected' swine flu have mostly been something else.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. it seems everyone has swine flu but in fact it's probably seasonal viruses

we had a horrible flu earlier in the year where there was an unbearable pain behind the eyeballs, chest infection, vomitting. However, how can you tell? We used steam inhallations - head over bowl of steam (towel on head to keep steam in. 4 times a day.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

27. Testing has shown about 99% of it is swine flu.

[bullimiami]

37. i would need to see it to believe it.

'suspected' is not confirmed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/17/swine-flu-misdiagnosis-tests

just one article from the uk demonstrating the issue.
i know its a little old.

One problem is it takes time and money to 'confirm' h1n1 by culturing.
by the time it can be positively confirmed the flu can have in many cases run its course.

my point is demonstrated by the actions of our own cdc and suspected vs confirmed cases.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

42. It's from the CDC confirmed state lab tested samples.

[bullimiami]

47. but the cdc mandated states to stop testing in the summer.

what are you basing your certainty on?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/21/cbsnews_investigates/main5404829.shtml

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

51. Do you have a link to the CDC mandate?

[bullimiami]

52. no. you show me proof for what you claimed. that 99% was tested by the cdc to be swine flu.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

54. Here you go. Now how about a link to that mandate.

[clear eye]

14. Dunno. Story didn't say, but UK is so mucher smaller than US

that they might be able to do it. Google around and let us know what you find. Try Reuters.

[tigereye]

17. I was planning to this week, but the shipment didn't come in and the doc's

office has to call to reschedule -although I wondered if a lot of kids at my son's school may have had it back in the spring...

[AwakeAtLast]

18. Our school will be doing them for free

My daughter will get hers as soon as they have them!

[ctaylors6]

19. I wish the vaccine had been available before they got the flu

I'd been checking every day for availability of the vaccine for my daughter (my other child had the flu a few weeks ago). Unfortunately, she came home sick with the flu yesterday. I know way more kids who've had the flu than haven't had it at this point. 15 out of 22 kids were absent from my son's class over a 2-week period. By the time the vaccine is available around here, there won't be much demand.

[seabeyond]

39. what are your sympotms. my son and another kids, it is low grade fever

tired adn lots of sleep, headache and cough. some upset stomach, no vomitting. four, five days. what are you seeing. this seems to be the norm with what is going around. womdering who has been tested for h1n1, know what it is doing with body. i didnt take son to doctor.

[ctaylors6]

43. symptoms were little different between my kids

and my friends have reported varying symptoms in their kids. Both my kids had high fevers (>102.5), chills, body aches, fatigue. My son had horrible congestion esp in his chest with horrific sounding cough. My daughter's congestion wasn't nearly as bad (little cough but not horrible sounding like his) but she had terrible headaches for a few days that ibuprofen didn't do much for, along with worse body aches.
Neither had stomach ache. My son vomited a little bit but only from coughing so hard. His stomach never bothered him.
Both tested positive for flu A. My son had it about 2-3 weeks ago. They didn't do a test specifically for H1N1, but the local huge county children's hospital does test for specific type of flu and they were reporting 97% or higher of Flu was h1n1 when he had it. My doctor was quite sure it was h1n1 even though he didn't do specific test. I think that percentage has gone down a little bit in the last few weeks, so the doctor was still pretty sure that if she had the flu it was h1n1 and not seasonal flu (esp since she'd been vaccinated against seasonal flu but not h1n1 since not available here yet).

Both were very sick for about 3 days, but both took tamiflu. I think that realy shortened the duration of the disease. They were both went from being very sick one day to much better after about 3 doses of the tamiflu (about 1 1/2 days of tamiflu).

The doctor said the flu A test is false negative in up to about 1/3 of cases. My son tested negative the first day (I took him when he'd been running fever less than 24 hours because he'd had so many kids at his school out), then positive the next day.

My friends have reported that they're kids feel terrible (the body ache, headache, fatigue, low energy things), have high fever for a few days, and most have the bad coughs. Some of their kids didn't get tamiflu (either because they didn't take their kids in until too late or their doctor said he wasn't prescribing except for high risk cases) and a few of them went on to develop secondary infections like bronchitis. They got better for a few days then worse again, especially with the cough.

Hope your son is better!!

[seabeyond]

44. the cough persisted, but that is it. the biggest was the amount of sleep.... which is a good thing

low grade fevers not scary, like much better.

and do well with no upchucking, lol. but yes, he is better, thanks. and yours.

thrilled the other three of us in the house didnt come down with it. we werent sure about this kid first couple days. he just stayed in bed sleeping, which was so odd. so we werent taking drastic precautions from contamination, like spraying house down with lysol like i normally do, lol.

our area is the same shape. all over. season flu isnt here yet. they are saying, got a flu, got h1n1

[bridgit]

20. Young people are really taking a hit. They closed a school in Vacaville...

cause a 1st grader died after testing posi for H1N1, very sad http://cbs5.com/local/vacaville.school.closure.2.1265744.html

[FourScore]

21. Already did it! Thanks. k/r eom

[tandot]

23. mine is not 6 month yet

He'll probably get it mid-December.

They finally have the vaccination available for us and I'll get mine on Monday :)

[Sheltiemama]

24. That photo made me smile.

What a cute little pumpkin!

[tandot]

26. Thanks.

It is really easy to make him laugh just about anything - I hope that never changes :)

[mzmolly]

30. Too late for us.

We supposedly have it at present.

[clear eye]

40. Feel better soon. eom

[mzmolly]

Thanks. So far it's been very mild in the adults

in the home. Of course I'd much rather be hit with the worst of it than my child, but ...

[Dorian Gray]

31. We would if we could get it

I got my first flu shot ever today. (Yeah.) I asked about the swine flu vaccine, and they said that they wouldn't be ready until mid-December at my doctor's office. And they were only receiving a certain number by that point and couldn't guarantee any of their patients anything yet.

[undeterred]

32. There are more people who want vaccinations than vaccine.

[HuckleB]

33. k&r

[seabeyond]

38. we dont HAVE the vac in this area yet and h1n1 is all over town. now what.... fear fear fear

that is what is being promoted with this flu. lots of people in this area has already gotten swine flu and was easier on them than seasonal flu. the official have stated it is not what they thought it would be. we dont have the vac here yet, will be a couple more days. the flu has been in town at least three weeks, taking out thirds of kids and teachers from schools. they have already gotten their immunity with the flu going around

it is what it is, and we will deal with what comes. but the fear fear fear we create with these diseases adn illness just piss me off. parents are confronted with this regularly having to educate, reason and approach in a manner we are just not scared to death, all the time, for the life of our children

[City Lights]

41. I would if I could.

However, my kids' pediatrician hasn't received any yet. Ditto for the regular flu vaccine. My kids were scheduled to get it during the flu clinic their doctor runs in mid-October. About a week before their appointment we received a call saying it was canceled because the doctor was not going to get the vaccine in time. We re-scheduled for early November, and are hoping their shipment arrives by then. It's been very frustrating.

[GentryDixon]

46. My Grandson, who lives in Salt Lake,

was diagnosed yesterday.

They are treating with Tamiflu and fluids. He turned 16 on the 19th of this month. Frightening.

[betharina]

48. my son was vaccinated once but needs the booster...was told there might NOT be any boosters. nt

[tnlefty]

49. I'm not planning to vaccinate the young'uns or me.

H1N1 was in our household over Labor Day weekend. The youngest (14) had a nasty bout with it, fever at times over 104, aching, coughing, etc. Everyone else had sore throats, headaches, coughs, but nothing like what the youngest had.

I keep reading in the local paper that there are shortages of the vaccine, so I'll let those in higher risk groups have the dosages.

[Contrary1]

50. My friend's grandsons were dx'ed today...

Her daughter had called the boys' pediatrician who told her it was H1N1 from her description, and not to take them to the ER. A couple hours later, the 10 month old started breathing weird, so she took them anyway.

Last I heard, his oxygen level was low and they were also checking him for pneumonia and/or RSV.

If people are being diagnosed over the phone, and told not to go to the hospital, I think we may be seeing more deaths than we would have otherwise.

[cherish44]

53. They're offering it to kids at school

Signed mine up for it.

[lefty369]

55. yes

Hopefully there will be enough life saving vaccine to go around and the national emergency can be lifted.

[mzmolly]

56. There isn't enough vaccine to go around yet.

eom