Need non biased info on swine flu vaccine

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From my understanding of this thread, am i correct in saying that its not the actual swine flu that kills people, its that it worsens their already conditions which lead to complications?

So a very healthy child with no conditions and not much social group contact probably doesn't need it? (in your opinions?)

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I think thats correct. Existing ailments can be made worse and thats probably where immunizations should be considered.

My personal opinion is that if your immune system is healthy and strong, you should be able to fight off the flu if you catch it. Our friend got the swine flu when it was going around last year but his wife and 1yr old son did not catch it....they all live together in the same house. He was sick for 5 days then recovered.

So keeping healthy and building up our existing immune systems is always going to be beneficial in helping to prevent the illness. Why his wife and child did not contract could only be because their immune systems were working.

As I understand it, it's not really that the H1N1 makes existing conditions worse, it's that existing conditions seem to predispose you to getting a worse case of swine flu.

Matryoshka - thats the way I've always taken it. Thats why I considered it for DD1, as she is asthmatic.
I did talk to my gp a few days ago & he did suggest it for me, but was happy for my kids to not have it as he doesn't believe it is necessary for them. I on the other hand have been having problems with my chest over the last 2 weeks, so I'm thinking about it.
I've been waking with coughing fits that last for an hour or 2, where it feels like there's phlegm on my chest & it kinda feels like there's a hole in it or something. I dunno, hard to explain, but I'm fine every other minute of the day. I don't really know what to think about it. If its just the pregnancy or not, but its a bit scary...

It's a hard decision. I'm doing some serious thinking about getting me and DD vaccinated against it this year. The only year I had a flu shot was the only year I DIDN'T get the flu, so I'm hopeful that this might do the same thing!! I'm going to talk to my family doctor - she has kids too so I'll see her opinion and then weigh it all up.

Hey, can I just jump off the swine flu topic for a second because many of you have made me curious. Why are so many not vaccinating against Chicken Pox? I wasn't immunised against it and had a terrible case of it at 12, down my throat, you name it, but my brother was immunised and he had a really mild case. Mum put it down to the vaccine making the difference. I'm not wanting to debate, just curious about people's reasons.

Cheers

Corelly x

Thanks, yeah i'm thinking its not necessary for us.

Clover i'd get that looked at, but in the mean time the Brauer homeopathics make a throat spray which i've always used if i get a tingle and it does help - for coughs.

Matryoshka - Thanks. I'll keep that in mind :)

Correlly - I personally don't see the point. The chicken pox vax only just came out when DD1 was little. Only just being introduced as she was between 12 & 18 months. It was about the same time they decided to cut the 18 month mixed vaccine. I asked for the chicken pox one at the same time as her 18 month ones, but the gp only did the 18 month ones & told me to come back in 3 weeks for the chicken pox. I found out the next day they had cancelled the 18 month ones, so I wasn't real impressed that he went ahead & did it anyway, without telling me, he should've known. So in the end I just didn't bother.
When DD2 was 6 months old she had chicken pox, so it wasn't done. DD1 has never had it even though she's been around it a few times & I think its because she's got her grandmother & aunts genes & is only a carrier. They've never had chicken pox, but when MIL was in hospital at 7, she snuck into isolation & carried the infection back out into other parts of the ward :doh:
DS, well, I've decided its not life threatening. Sure, again, my mum has the oppinion that I should have it done, because there can be complications, but we all survived it. There can be complications with everything out there. He was actually playing with a child 2 with chicken pox 2 days before he broke out in blisters, which is the contagious stage as far as I know & didn't contract it.

The normal course for a virus or bacteria to take hold is a susceptible host. In the case of H1N1 it can be for example

• Inflammatory conditions like asthma allow colonisation
• Weakened immune systems eg elderly, young, immune suppressed
• Pre-existing illnesses that are already straining the immune system

you don't always need to be symptomatic to be a risk of transmitting the virus. This is where the greatest risk of viral spread occurs. You might just have cough and a snuffly nose yet you are spreading the disease just as well as the person laid up at homecwitj a fever and body aches as well.

I tend to talk about responsibility rather than the fear based approach. I have a responsibility to prevent myself from spreading the viruses out there to other patients and my family.

I think chickenpox falls into the " well I haven't seen it fir a while so it can't be too bad" box. However you'd be surpised to see how many turn up with the adult manifestation of shingles and how debilitating it can be( these age groups didn't get vaccinated).

I delayed DS1 chicken pox shot, he's now almost 4 and DS2 is 20 months and i've just decided not to give it.

I was exposed to chicken pox at 5, ie played with the neighbours kids who had it constantly and never got it. Until strangely i got it in my teens when i was working with year 1's who were infected. Its worse the older you are. Dh had it in his early 20s quite bad, but unlike some info i've read that it can affect male fertility, it obviously didn't affect his.

Oh and i can't remember if this was in this or the other thread regarding Gardisil, but i cannot believe they call it a cancer vaccine when it's actually an STD vaccine against only a few strains of HPV. The amount of girls/ladies who've proudly stated they've had the cancer vaccine scares me, assuming they don't have HPV because they don't have symptoms.... I think they should have to test HPV before giving the vaccine because its so prevalent without symptoms that people don't even know until they get an abnormal pap smear, and why expose yourself to the vaccine if you don't have to.