The Swine Flu Shot a Waste of Time!

[OakLeaf]

FWIW, if you don't have an anaphylactoid reaction to eating eggs, you can get the shot. I have the other type of egg allergy, and I actually tried to get a note from my allergist to get out of the seasonal flu shot - specifically so I could get the H1N1 shot without reservations - but no dice. (And I've never been asked about feather allergy, and never had an allergic reaction to a vaccine, even though feathers are the one thing that induces a very severe asthma attack for me.)

Who's saying it's going to be two+ months before the H1N1 shot will be available to the public? That's not what I'm hearing at all - in our area all first responders were vaccinated last month, pregnant women and young children are getting it right now, and we're expecting everyone who wants one will have access by the end of November.

[Tuckervill]

"Meanwhile, Tom Skinner at the CDC is hopeful that the shortage will be resolved by mid-November or early December, as the agency has projected."

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/27/swi...-shortage.html

I've heard the virus doesn't grow as fast as they thought it would in the eggs.

Karen

[OakLeaf]

"mid-November or early December"

Not far different from the "end of November" I've been hearing.... certainly not January or later.

[Tuckervill]

I heard January somewhere else. Actually, what I heard was "2010" for everyone to get fully vaccinated. But I admit it was on the news, in passing, and it could have been before they figured out how to increase production.

Karen

[badger]

my dad has leukemia and taking chemo which has left him with virtually no immune system to speak of.

He's already gotten his shot, so I'm glad about that. I'm still sitting on the fence in regards to my taking the H1N1. I won't bother with the seasonal flu vaccine, as I just never do, but I'm a bit weary of the H1N1 simply because I would hate it to mutate like it did in 1918 and kill the young and healthy.

I also admit that, although this is a very rare side effect, I do worry about adverse effects of the shots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh5F5wP8RdU

[Tuckervill]

Oh my word. That was so bizarre. Poor woman.

Karen

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, I still highly recommend everyone read Sway, but it's a perfectly understandable and rational decisionmaking process that we all want someone else to take the risk so we don't have to.

[Cataboo]

my dad has leukemia and taking chemo which has left him with virtually no immune system to speak of.

He's already gotten his shot, so I'm glad about that. I'm still sitting on the fence in regards to my taking the H1N1. I won't bother with the seasonal flu vaccine, as I just never do, but I'm a bit weary of the H1N1 simply because I would hate it to mutate like it did in 1918 and kill the young and healthy.

I also admit that, although this is a very rare side effect, I do worry about adverse effects of the shots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh5F5wP8RdU

With no immune system to speak of - the leukemia & the chemo, chances are the h1n1 shot is not going to be effective for your father and he didn't build up immunity to it.

If you have the chance to get the vaccine & the normal flu vaccine, I'd suggest you might want to do it - just because it'd suck if you gave him the flu. I know my father's oncologist recommended the entire family get it when he was on chemo.

[badger]

With no immune system to speak of - the leukemia & the chemo, chances are the h1n1 shot is not going to be effective for your father and he didn't build up immunity to it.

If you have the chance to get the vaccine & the normal flu vaccine, I'd suggest you might want to do it - just because it'd suck if you gave him the flu. I know my father's oncologist recommended the entire family get it when he was on chemo.

My dad and I were both wondering about that, but his oncologist still told him to get it, so he did.

[Zen]

My dad and I were both wondering about that, but his oncologist still told him to get it, so he did.

He might should get a pneumonia shot.

[shootingstar]

my dad has leukemia and taking chemo which has left him with virtually no immune system to speak of.

He's already gotten his shot, so I'm glad about that. I'm still sitting on the fence in regards to my taking the H1N1. I won't bother with the seasonal flu vaccine, as I just never do, but I'm a bit weary of the H1N1 simply because I would hate it to mutate like it did in 1918 and kill the young and healthy.

I'm very sorry about this, badger. I wasn't aware of this at all.

[lo123]

Who's saying it's going to be two+ months before the H1N1 shot will be available to the public? That's not what I'm hearing at all - in our area all first responders were vaccinated last month, pregnant women and young children are getting it right now, and we're expecting everyone who wants one will have access by the end of November.

Some states, like Alabama, where I'm at, are restricting which of the at risk groups get vaccine because of the shortage. I cannot get it yet because the groups they're allowing to get vaccine now do not include those with underlying health conditions or immunosuppression unless they're 18 or younger.

Still no word here on when they'll start expanding the pool of eligible groups, let alone open it to the general public.