The swine flu vaccine has thimerosal / mercury in it, yet will be recommended for all pregnant women and children over 6 months old. I’m not sure yet if my family will get vaccinated. What are you planning to do?
I recently posted this on my facebook page along with a link to USA Today’s article “H1N1 and seasonal flu: Multiple doses, many questions“.
An overwhelming majority of my fb responders were NOT planning to vaccinate themselves or their families against the potentially deadly H1N1 virus. Some believe that they could survive the swine flu just like they would any other flu. Many feel that the vaccine is just too new and has too many unknowns. Several feel that the thimerosal component of the vaccine cannot be overlooked due to it’s association with autism.
A nurse practitioner friend posted that she has had some experience with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu believes it is very effective against the H1N1 virus. She believes that contracting and treating swine flu outweighs the risk of the vaccine itself because the previous round of the swine flu vaccine was associated with Guianne Barre Syndrome.
Guianne Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a paralyzing illness that at worse can cause death, and at best has a long, painful recovery with lingering paralysis or weakness. My friend Cricel’s husband Khalil was diagnosed with GBS last year. She documented Khalil’s struggles and his miraculous progress in order to share her family’s experiences with GBS. Cricel e-mailed me, “We are not sure what caused Khalil’s GBS, so we cannot really make a link between his case and a flu vaccine. But I did know that the old swine flu vaccine was linked to an increase in GBS incidence. Scary…”
USA Today reports:
“The government’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) … recommended that (the H1N1 vaccine) be given to pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old, health care workers, people ages 6 months to 24 years and people 25 to 64 who have chronic illnesses or immune problems.”
When I asked my pediatrician’s office last month what their recommendations were regarding the swine flu pandemic vaccine, they said they were waiting for the American Academy of Pediatrics to make a statement before finalizing their medical group’s opinion. I plan to ask them again soon for their recommendation. My children usually get the seasonal flu vaccine, but I request the thimerosal-free vaccine that is normally reserved for smaller children. If the H1N1 vaccine does not come in a thimerosal-free version, we will most likely NOT get the swine flu pandemic vaccine.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says:
“The H1N1 virus is a hybrid, with genetic elements of swine influenza, avian influenza, and human influenza…Because this is a new strain, seasonal flu shots do not protect people, so good hygiene is important to help prevent the spread of germs. The influenza is spread by coughing, sneezing and unclean hands.” They continue, “If you suspect your child has influenza, call your pediatrician. Antiviral medication, if taken soon after infection, can shorten the duration of the illness. These medications are effective against swine flu.”
My husband and I will carefully weigh the pediatrician’s recommendation along with pros and cons of the H1N1 vaccine before making a final decision about vaccinating my preschool daughter, my kindergarten son, my husband, and myself against the expected swine flu pandemic.
What are you planning to do to protect yourself and your family?
Related Posts
- Your Child’s Flu Vaccine May Contain Mercury
- Fighting the Fall Flu
- Can Childhood Immunizations Lead to Autism?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Your blog raises valid concerns so I included it in the news flow at Swine Flu News & Influenza Times. Your readers may benefit from our ongoing coverage of H1N1 by a staff of science editors: http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/2srzofgvr8kjr/26. We are working on the issues you discussed for further reporting.
I have never taken the Flu vaccine because I believe the risks out weigh the benefits. I have not missed a day of work due to sickness in 11 years. I have not taken an antibiotic nor tylenol in that time. I have not come into work with a cold, temperature anything more than the sniffles.
I am a healthcare worker in NYS and it is mandated this year by NYS that all healthcare workers be vaccinated with the flu and swine flu vacine. Our employer has given us to 11/30/09 to be vaccinated. If we do not comply @ that time we will be suspended for 2 weeks and terminated after that time. I carry the healthcare benefits and my husband is 62 and retired. So if I decide to not comply I will no longer be able to work in my profession in NYS and I will not have any benefits.
Big decission. The more I read the more certain I am that the risks are not worth my job. I do need a job and I need to work. My fanily thinks I am over reacting.
Carolyn, I’m surprised and sorry to hear your story. I suggest that you discuss your concerns with your personal physician. Perhaps a doctor’s note stating your objections to the vaccines would be enough to save your job.
If your employer refuses to consider your beliefs, it might be worthwhile to consult with a lawyer.
Good luck. Please let us know what happens.
I too am required to have both vaccinations this year or face termination. I am not sure whatmy decision will be as I will seek legal advice on this matter. We live in the USA where we have many choices about our bodies, this is my body, this should be my choice – not the government’s.
First, to Melissa; my wife had a reaction to the last flu shot she was given, and her doctor has told her that she cannot get them. Maybe you need a doctor friend to state this for you…
I will not be getting them. I have had a flu shot on three occassions in my life, and those were the only years I had the flu; and I don’t mean a reaction to the shots. My doctor said it was probably a strain other than the vacinnated one.
I have come to believe that if a person gets the shot, and their immune system produces the antibodies neccessary for that strain, they will be slightly more likely to get something else, especially during the first few weeks while their system is geared towards the injection. This is just my gut feeling.
Everything I read on swine flu says that for most people it is no worse, and mostly not as bad, as the seasonal flu. Many people have had it and not realized it was the flu.
What I believe we have is a pandemic of paranoia. But, if everyone who has the flu goes to the doctor this year, then the governments can use up all the Tamiflu that was made for last years non-existent Avian Influenza outbreak…
Thanks for posting this, Elaine. Very useful information as I decide if we should vaccinate Teia (our 12 month old daughter). Khalil’s doctors have warned against him getting the H1N1 vaccine because of the unknowns relating it to GBS. Both his primary physician as well as his rehab doctor have told him not to get the vaccine but to instead turn to Tamiflu if he does get the flu.
Our pediatrician agreed that Khalil should not get the vaccine, but then went ahead and said that Teia should. It’s so confusing. But because of the risks and unknowns, we are most likely not going to vaccinate Teia for swine flu but will allow her the Thimerosal free seasonal flu shot. Khalil and I will also likely both receive those shots.
Update: I spoke to my kids’ pediatrician. She believes that both the swine flu and seasonal flu vaccines are safe and recommends that most children get them. The doctor plans to give them to her own children. She also said that there will be thimerosal-free versions of both.
The pediatrician also said that both the regular flu vaccine AND the swine flu vaccine have a small risk of GBS, but that the risk outweighs the benefit of the shot for most of the population.
The doctor’s office did not have either vaccine available when we went last week. We have another month or so to make our decision.
Melissa let’s clarify…it is your employer, not the government that is ordering you to be vaccinated! The government is who you could go to for help regarding your rights to refuse this treatment and still protect your job (check with the Bureau of Labor and Industries).
Virgil, it is the pharmaceutical companies that have mass produced the vaccines and tamiflu that they now need to get rid of. Know who you are protesting!
I too am very skeptical of vaccines and the scare tactics used regarding epidemics that usually don’t happen. Maintaining good health practices and a strong immune system can go a long way.
The vaccines are safe. The timerosol is irrelevant – the amount of mercury is less than the amount in a tuna sandwich.
The vaccines do not cause a significant risk of GBS. The risk of GBS from flu is at least 40-70 times greater than the risk of GBS from a vaccination – if the latter exists at all. There has been no evidence of a GBS/vaccination link with flu shots since 1976, and the differences in technology are sufficient to cast doubt on the relevance of that in any case.
Nor is there any evidence that the vaccines cause autism or GWS.
Really, it’s the disease you should worry about – your chance of dying from the flu is 300 to 3000 times greater than your chance of a severe vaccine reaction, unless you are allergic to eggs.
the gov makes too much money from people being well. why would they want to make you well with a vaccine when they make the money off of you getting vaccinated. im not getting vaccinated and hope you all do you research on it. the gov is not your friend! oh and dont say its free cuz thats the taxpayers money …don’t be fooled
I just came back from the hospital where I’ve visited my cousin (in London, UK). She had
the H1N1 vaccination earlier this year (2010). She is completely paralysed from her
middle down to the toes and it’s already been a week. She has no feeling and no movement
at all in her legs. That’s what made me start my research.
please have a look at the google search results and see how likely it is to be linked:
http://www.google.co.uk/#q=flu+vaccine+2010+paralysis
Her condition started by strong pain in the legs that just got worse when she lied down.
She gradually lost the use of her legs within the following 20minutes until she had no use
of them at all and also no feeling in them.
Obviously we have no proof that this is due to her vaccination earlier this year but I
assume it seems like the only “more obvious” reason at all.
She was perfectly healthy before this happened (at 34yrs of age)
Thanks for sharing, Andy. I hope your cousin has a quick and complete recovery.
I saw a news story last week that thousands of doses of the H1N1 vaccine are about to expire and the government will have to pay a lot of money to dispose of them. Now I am seeing tons of commercials claiming, “It’s not too late to get the H1N1 vaccine” and “Don’t take the risk that you might only get a mild case.”
We have decided NOT to vaccinate our family against H1N1. All the cases we know of firsthand were mild cases that were treated successfully with Tamiflu. We will all continue to get the seasonal flu vaccines every fall. Thimerosal free for the kids, of course.