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There is still a high death rate for pregnant women and peds with H1N1 that is nothing comparable so far to seasonal flus in the past.
I've pretty much tuned a lot of it out...the online articles, the CDC, etc. SO much misinformation. So much fear-mongering on both sides. NO ONE has the answer or "the right way". What works for me may not work for you & heck, what's so wrong with that?
We are handwashing whenever we are in contact with outside sources. Trying to avoid tight, confined spaces such as the movies or germ magnets like Chuch E Cheese or McDonalds playland, etc this season. Lots of orange juice, proper hygeine and proper sleep.
I can't live in fear of it anymore nor will I allow the media, CDC or anti-everything people terrify me.
Been content not hearing much about it lately and just logged onto CDF after being off for some time.
It's something like 6000 world wide, the USA supposedly has FAR more cases and FAR more deaths than any other country. China has had 1 death. Europe is in the hundreds with countries like Ireland having 1 death. The whole Middle East has had something like 100 cases, Africa has very few cases, very few deaths. Even Mexico where all this began has less than 400 deaths.
I have a friend who contracted H1N1 while on vacation in Iowa (diagnosed in KS). She had to board a plane back to KS where she lives and was afraid for the 150 people who were on the plane with her. She was in the hospital and nearly died (she said she felt so bad she didn't care if she died!). Of course she's in her early 60's and also has COPD so I don't know if that made it worse or put her at a higher risk. She was in the hospital for 4 days. She's strongly encouraging me to do it. There is absolutely little info on either side, and I'm so on the fence about this.
This story won't stop me! I have a greater chance of dying from the actual flu than the vaccine!
Are you sure? We had no flu in this area until they started giving a flu vaccine, then the numbers of flu skyrocketed, and everyone I know who didn't get a flu shot has not gotten sick. Many people at work were out for a week 2 weeks after they got the flu shot.
For all the money spent in the USA and panic from the media, the USA is doing a very poor job compared with other nations in stopping or preventing deaths from this flu.
This site shows the USA having close to 4000 deaths -- just what is now being reported in the media, but it shows the very low number of deaths in all other countries.
It's something like 6000 world wide, the USA supposedly has FAR more cases and FAR more deaths than any other country. China has had 1 death. Europe is in the hundreds with countries like Ireland having 1 death. The whole Middle East has had something like 100 cases, Africa has very few cases, very few deaths. Even Mexico where all this began has less than 400 deaths.
You are comparing apples to oranges. To try to relate the cases and deaths in third world countries to the US at this time is not practical. There are so many issues to sort through when looking at how health care is practiced and reported in other countries.
Have you been to China to verify ONE death or the Middle East?
Have you ever been to China?
I have.
And let me tell you that things are or are not reported for various reasons and the health care systems in many countries are deplorable. Half the people on here who hang garlic over their beds at night wouldn't make it one day in a 3rd world country...I've had the chance to live in one.
I am not justifying the fear mongering that the goverment has allowed on either side nor do I find their response time even acceptable. If this country was indeed attacked by a biochem threat, we wouldn't make it. Professional sports teams and the water boys get the vacccines but lower to poverty with compromised immune systems WHO CAN AND DO DIE from influenza cannot find it. It is wrong.
This isn't some conspiracy theory made up by some workers at the CDC who wanted to buy Wii or DS for their kiddos and thought "Heck, why not start a pandemic, terrify people, and then pretend people are dying? The baby needs new shoes!!!"
I don't care about the "numbers" that are being reported. Half the news outlets don't know their rear end from their front end & there is massive amounts of misinformation.
There are sources to go to that have valid info and not some kooky herb maker or drug seller who see "profit"...what, you don't think all the anti-vaccine groupies aren't trying to profit of of this???? Heck, they are soaking it in...cmon, drink some juice & eat some garlic & you'll be great...but make sure it is "our" juice sold on "our" website b/c it has lots of special antioxidants.
Like I said earlier, not living in fear but have talked to the right people who have no vested interest. Our decision has been made based on "our" family need.
There is a poster on here with a compromised immune system who cannot find the vaccine. I am sure she could care less about death rates in Mongolia nor do those numbers help her in any way. She can die. Plain and simple.
The CDC is in a bad place right now...damned if they do, damned if they don't. And our goverment hasn't been able to step up to the plate to curb ridiculous fear mongering and get things under control. Easy enough..my dh & I were in the military and know that 99% of the time it's not up to them, but it is up to him & I to control it, so we don't sit around reading stats or looking at websites or stating how 50% of this is right or this is wrong blah blah blah blah blah & all the damn FINGER POINTING.
And to get valid stats, it takes longer than 2 hours and a few reads on websites.
"The sky is falling"...not so sure, just not so sure I want to test the theory on my children & be interviewed by Larry King as we hold a picture. Thus, we are doing what is right for us which is may or may not be right for others. And that is what matters at the end of the day.
You are comparing apples to oranges. To try to relate the cases and deaths in third world countries to the US at this time is not practical. There are so many issues to sort through when looking at how health care is practiced and reported in other countries.
Have you been to China to verify ONE death or the Middle East?
Have you ever been to China?
I have.
And let me tell you that things are or are not reported for various reasons and the health care systems in many countries are deplorable. Half the people on here who hang garlic over their beds at night wouldn't make it one day in a 3rd world country...I've had the chance to live in one.
I am not justifying the fear mongering that the goverment has allowed on either side nor do I find their response time even acceptable. If this country was indeed attacked by a biochem threat, we wouldn't make it. Professional sports teams and the water boys get the vacccines but lower to poverty with compromised immune systems WHO CAN AND DO DIE from influenza cannot find it. It is wrong.
This isn't some conspiracy theory made up by some workers at the CDC who wanted to buy Wii or DS for their kiddos and thought "Heck, why not start a pandemic, terrify people, and then pretend people are dying? The baby needs new shoes!!!"
I don't care about the "numbers" that are being reported. Half the news outlets don't know their rear end from their front end & there is massive amounts of misinformation.
There are sources to go to that have valid info and not some kooky herb maker or drug seller who see "profit"...what, you don't think all the anti-vaccine groupies aren't trying to profit of of this???? Heck, they are soaking it in...cmon, drink some juice & eat some garlic & you'll be great...but make sure it is "our" juice sold on "our" website b/c it has lots of special antioxidants.
Like I said earlier, not living in fear but have talked to the right people who have no vested interest. Our decision has been made based on "our" family need.
There is a poster on here with a compromised immune system who cannot find the vaccine. I am sure she could care less about death rates in Mongolia nor do those numbers help her in any way. She can die. Plain and simple.
The CDC is in a bad place right now...damned if they do, damned if they don't. And our goverment hasn't been able to step up to the plate to curb ridiculous fear mongering and get things under control. Easy enough..my dh & I were in the military and know that 99% of the time it's not up to them, but it is up to him & I to control it, so we don't sit around reading stats or looking at websites or stating how 50% of this is right or this is wrong blah blah blah blah blah & all the damn FINGER POINTING.
And to get valid stats, it takes longer than 2 hours and a few reads on websites.
"The sky is falling"...not so sure, just not so sure I want to test the theory on my children & be interviewed by Larry King as we hold a picture. Thus, we are doing what is right for us which is may or may not be right for others. And that is what matters at the end of the day.
That is great that you have made the decision that is best for your family. What I don't understand is the need to ridicule those who may hold a different viewpoint (I am referring to your comments about people hanging garlic over their beds, kooky herb makers, CDC conspiracy) and those who are interested in doing more research, looking at stats and discussing the topic of H1N1 with others.
That is great that you have made the decision that is best for your family. What I don't understand is the need to ridicule those who may hold a different viewpoint (I am referring to your comments about people hanging garlic over their beds, kooky herb makers, CDC conspiracy) and those who are interested in doing more research, looking at stats and discussing the topic of H1N1 with others.
I understand there can be valid difference of opinion on subjects like immunizations, but I feel 121804's frustration. There is a difference between examining facts from credible sources, versus anecdotal stories and conspiracy theories. Its a question of science over hype.
You've got resources like the CDC that give you facts, and I think the anti-vax people would say they can get their hands on valid stats for adverse reactions as well. These can be compared.
On the other hand you've got very symapthetic new stories about both victims of the vaccine and victims of the virus. These stories cannot be exchanged for the facts on either side of the argument. These are indvidual stories, and are sad, but lacking in any context.
And then you have "theories" that are espoused by anonymous posters who may or may not have any expertise on the matter. Why are we listening to them? Why am I even writing this? Why should you trust me?
Its just way to easy for us all to find exactly what we're looking for to support whatever opinion we've already formed.
That is great that you have made the decision that is best for your family. What I don't understand is the need to ridicule those who may hold a different viewpoint (I am referring to your comments about people hanging garlic over their beds, kooky herb makers, CDC conspiracy) and those who are interested in doing more research, looking at stats and discussing the topic of H1N1 with others.
Don't act like opposing sides have not tried to knock down the other. No one is "victim" here. And yes, the alternative side is surely trying to make a buck off of this new strain based on fear.
There are credible sources on both sides. Those credible sources are hard to find b/c they don't make headline news.
Statements such as "only 1 death reported in China". Ok, China is the most populated country in the world. Let's use 5 seconds of common sense and think that there is probably more to that story instead of using it to scare. There are faces and families that can be put to the children who succumbed to this so far and I am sure that the "number" means crap to their parents.
People have died. People die from all sorts of things. It happens. But when you put childrens faces on the screen day in and day out, some start to get very scared. The goverment has not controlled this and BOTH sides have taken advantage of it.
Science is not and never is intended to be exact.
I'm not running out & getting needles pushed into my kids the minute they sneeze. But I'm also not sitting around saying this has been a design of pharmacy companies who are purposely reporting wrong numbers.
Honestly, I don't think EITHER side knows what the heck is going on. I know from friends in the nursing field that they have seen some very scary cases of pediatric pneummonia from H1N1, but the hospital is not putting kids in the hall b/c there are so many being hospitalized.
None of us know. All we know is what is right for our family.
It's difficult to make a decision because of the absence of public verifiable information, on both sides. I guess the decision lies in one's tolerance for risk. In our case, the impact of getting the virus is bigger on the family as a whole compared to the impact of a reaction. My children have not manifested any reaction to any of their vaccines, including the very controversial Gardasil. Thus, evaluating the risk of reaction to the vaccine vs contraction of the virus leads us to favor that the risk of reaction is less than contraction. We can't control the latter due to their exposure to children in school but we can control the administration of the vaccine. For now we're leaning towards them getting the shot which is scheduled sometime December. That would give us time to retract consent should there be any increase in reported adverse reactions.
Out of about 40 million doses of H1N1 vaccine available to date, that’s a far lower rate of GBS than the 1 case that develops in every 1 million people who receive the regular flu vaccine.
We can deduce from that that 47 healthy children died from H1N1. So let us take how many children are in the US, divide it by 47 and we have....a 1 in 1,808,608 chance of my children dying. Turns out that they are at a higher of getting GBS. Now where is the vaccine for that?
Another interesting note from the CDC:
Quote:
The percentage of children with high-risk medical conditions (67%) in this series is higher than the percentage reported in recent influenza seasons.
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