h1n1 question (suite, food, clothes)

[SleeplessnATL]

Originally Posted by ali74

My 3 yr old is attends day care twice a week for half day program.We don't beleive in flu vaccination and i'm thinking of keeping her home for the next few months because of h1n1 scare. I'm overwhelmed right now with too many contradictory information. Please share your thoughts

I understand. . .and I think there are many people who share your thoughts about what to do. The best thing you can do is what YOU think is best for yourself and your child. That way you will not have to live with regret. With that said, I do agree with everyone that it will be virtually impossible to keep your child (and self) in a bubble.

I have recommended to others to talk to informed professionals and look at the data regarding the subject. And know that not every professional opinion (or advice) is a valid one. . .and never take a layperson's advice.

P.S check out Tom Jefferson (an influenza expert with the Cochrane Collaboration, which is a world-renown organization ). And here is a good read: Does the Vaccine Matter? - The Atlantic (November 2009)

[straightfromatown]

Originally Posted by CMMom

There is no evidence of any danger with the H1N1 vaccination above and beyond the usual risks with the flu shot. If you know otherwise, please post the evidence here.

I agree, but I don't think most people are aware of the risks of the normal flu shot. I always assumed that the worst case would be that it gave you the flu, but it can have some devastating effects:


YouTube - Swine Flue shot is a killer Cheerleader Gets A Swine Flu Shot Now She Can Only Walk Backwards!

^That is a very rare reaction, but one that people should be aware of. Is the small risk of permanent brain damage offset by the risk of catching the flu? For me, no. I doubt I will catch the flu and even if I do the risk of dying from it is small enough that I'm willing to take my chances. For people like the elderly who are at serious risk from the flu, they are likely better off getting the shot. For me, it is not worth the risk.

[ali74]

Thanks for the replies everyone.It's truely appriciated.

[pulmcc]

Here is sobering data from this week's CDC report concerning H1N1. If you want to see it for yourself, go to CDC - Seasonal Influenza (Flu) - Weekly Report: Influenza Summary Update

11 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported this week; 9 of these deaths were confirmed 2009 H1N1, and two were influenza A viruses, but were not subtyped. Since April 2009, CDC has received reports of 95 laboratory-confirmed pediatric 2009 H1N1 deaths and another 7 pediatric deaths that were laboratory confirmed as influenza, but where the flu virus subtype was not determined.

* Georgia had two of the eleven deaths.

From August 30 – October 17, 2009, 8,204 laboratory-confirmed influenza associated hospitalizations, 411 laboratory-confirmed influenza associated deaths, 21,823 pneumonia and influenza syndrome-based hospitalizations, and 2,416 pneumonia and influenza syndrome-based deaths, were reported to CDC.

There are a few things that I would like to point out as people try to use the information they are aquiring to make the best decision possible regarding whether or not to vaccinate.

1. H1N1 is different from regular influenza in how it makes people sick. Regular influenza, while it causes thousands of deaths each year, doesn't usually cause death in and of itself. It is usually a secondary infection such as a pneumonia or other cascading events that result in most of the morbidity and mortality. H1N1 however (at least in my experience) seems to result in significant morbidity and mortality because of the profound inflammatory reaction it can cause in the lung. In severe cases, it causes a condition called ARDS which is the most severe form of acute lung injury. ARDS by itself, regardless of cause, has a mortality rate of 50%, because it results in an inability to oxygenate the patient. The consequence of this inability to oxygenate is multi-organ failure and likely death. Once a patient develops ARDS, all we can do (regardless of the etiology), is support the organ systems. However, if the lungs are so damaged that they cannot extract oxygen, then things are dialysis, blood product transfusions, or other interventions, are useless.

2. H1N1 is affecting "healthy" people as well as those with chronic health conditions. Yes, they are now finding that many of the patients with the most severe H1N1 cases had underlying but previously unrecognized health conditions but H1N1 is still without question killing people who should have never become deathly ill to begin with. One possibility is that healthy immune systems result in a greater inflammatory response when they encounter H1N1 and that is why so many patients are so rapidly developing ARDS. Only time and unfortunately more patients and deaths will allow us to discern why H1N1 can be so deadly.

3. Some protection is better than no protection. While no vaccine, including the H1N1, will provide 100% protection, I would contend that some protection is better than none.

4. If this pandemic continues to grow, we may run out of ICU beds and ventilators.

[lastminutemom]

Pulmcc

Do you have an opinion on immunity based on having H1N1?

[pulmcc]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Pulmcc

Do you have an opinion on immunity based on having H1N1?

If your family members truly had H1N1, meaning that at least one person had a culture positive for either H1N1 or even influenza A (we make a presumptive diagnosis of H1N1 in anyone who has the symptoms consistent with H1N1 and who tests positive for influenza A because of the timing), then chances are that anyone around that person who became symptomatic is probably immune. If no one has tested positive, it's hard to say, because many respiratory infections can manifest with flu symptoms. If that's the case, it's may be better to get the vaccine anyway, but I would have to check with the CDC guidlines about this scenario, assuming it's even addressed.

[pulmcc]

You can also check Counties & Districts - Search by County to see if your county has the vaccine. For example, they are giving away vaccinations tomorrow in Marietta.

[Mattie]

Shortly after my son left for college, we got 3 emails from the school with progressively more cases of what was assumed to be H1n1. My son got sick over Labor Day weekend, and it took him a good 10 days to get back to feeling better.

Now I find out that the school made the vaccine shot available last week for all the students. It appears to have hit the college campuses early, and moved on. The vaccine is in short supply, but they are giving it to kids who have already been suspected of having it. Not a lot of common sense is going into the distribution.

[pulmcc]

Medical News: CDC: H1N1 Flu Still Hits the Young Hardest - in Infectious Disease, Flu & URI from MedPage Today

[RoslynHolcomb]

Our pediatrician is only giving the vaccine to high-risk patients. That makes sense given the limited supply, but I hope to have it available soon for my little guy. I suspect that we've already had it. We've had a bug of some sort for the past two weeks that if it isn't H1N1 I don't ever want to see it; it's nasty. Of course, given the way viruses mutate, who knows. My husband and I are both over forty so we probably have at least partial immunity, but my son catches everything that comes down the pike. I change his clothes and wash his hands and face when he comes home from school. Doubt that it does any good, especially since despite all my precautions his hygiene is questionable at best. He's a very healthy kid, only been seriously ill once in his life, but seeing what this bug is doing to previously healthy kids does cause me some concern.