intparent

It is certainly an inexact science for the CDC to determine how many cases there are at this point. D2 had a complication, so she saw a doctor, but I did not even bother calling the doctor when I got sick with it a few days later. I knew they would not give me anti-viral medication, as I do not fall in a high risk category. So I figured I would call if I felt like I was getting any complications. No complications (just a week of work missed ), so no call to the doctor. There are plenty of cases like mine, I suspect.

percussiondad

I got clarification on what was actually said to the students. It was a misinterpretation of the wording. The notice said ALL STUDENTS WILL GET the H1N1 vaccine on (and they gave 5 dates starting in Nov.) when what they meant to say was that students getting the Vaccine can schedule an appointment for those dates. They did not mean to imply that everyone had to get it. At least that clears up a little bit of the confusion on my part. Something else for students on F1 visa is that in our case for example I am able to drive down to pick her up if she is sick but make sure she does not look sick when crossing the border as I have been told (not confirmed) that border crossing may turn people back if they are sick with possible H1N1 symptoms.

milkandsugar

My job said the influenza vaccine was mandatory. If we refuse, we can be fired. The only opt out is a Dr's note.
Sounds pretty mandatory to me.

Nova10

The issue is this vaccine was developed and tested in a day. 6 months is nothing in terms of developing a vaccine.
The last time there was a swine flu epidemic was in the 1970s. A vaccine was quickly developed. A relatively large number of people got Guillain-Barre, a serious neurological disorder. At the end of the day, the virus was not as deadly as predicted. The vaccine killed more than the virus.

cartera45

The swine flu virus is not significantly different from the seasonal flu virus - which they have to tweak every year anyway. My understanding is that much of the testing involved figuring out the dosage. 1976 was a long time ago in the flu vaccine scheme. There have been many years of using it with minimal side effects. I'm not aware that there was proof of causation between the shot and GBS. It seems similar to the claim that vaccinations cause autism.

I'm sure businesses are hoping to avoid having to shut down because of the flu, but I'm surprised they are making it mandatory.

intparent

cartera45, I have done quite a bit of reseach on the swine flu vaccine and GBS link, as my father-in-law contracted GBS after having the vaccine. The CDC says on their website that they do believe there is a link. However, as far as I can tell from reading the studies, they have never pinned down the underlying reason. There is a study that points to antigens in the vaccine that elicited an antibody response in some individuals, leading to GBS, but it sounds like they need more research to confirm this. Of course, the number of cases was very small, estimated to be 4.9 to 5.9 per million vaccines.

Our daughters' pediatrician recommended that our children NOT get the vaccine because of their grandfather's GBS. (BTW, we are not anti-vaccine at all, this is the only vaccine our kids have ever skipped). The CDC has been watching specifically for an increased incidence of GBS during this year's H1N1 vaccine trials, and has mechanisms in place to continue monitoring as the vaccine is rolled out.

cartera45

I talked about the vaccine with my daughter's doctor because my grandfather was diagnosed with GBS - not related to a shot though. She felt, that because of an underlying condition and because outbreaks at college are predicted to be particularly prevalent, that my D should be put on the list to get the shot. If not for that, I would likely not stop her from getting it, but wouldn't be concerned if there were not enough available for her not to receive it either. She has only received the seasonal flu shot once in the past - as have I. It is difficult to weigh the risks when none of us knows what will happen this winter.

mafool

We had family members die in the "Spanish Flu" pandemic in 1918. These were young adults with small children. This is still part of the family lore. It is thought that the cytokine reaction among healthy young adults was similar in that outbreak and was responsible for many deaths. We will all be getting the H1N1 vacine.

P.S.
I don't usually consult wikipedia for medical info, but I though this was a pretty straightforward explanation:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 1918 flu pandemic (commonly referred to as the Spanish Flu) was an influenza pandemic that spread to nearly every part of the world. It was caused by an unusually virulent and deadly influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin of the virus.[1]

Most of its victims were healthy young adults, in contrast to most influenza outbreaks which predominantly affect juvenile, elderly, or otherwise weakened patients. The flu pandemic has also been implicated in the sudden outbreak of encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s.[2]

The pandemic lasted from March 1918 to June 1920,[3] spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. It is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 100 million people were killed worldwide.[4][5][6][7][8] An estimated 500 million people, one third of the world's population (approximately 1.6 billion at the time), became infected.[5]

Scientists have used tissue samples from frozen victims to reproduce the virus for study. Given the strain's extreme virulence there has been controversy regarding the wisdom of such research. Among the conclusions of this research is that the virus kills via a cytokine storm (overreaction of the body's immune system) which explains its unusually severe nature and the concentrated age profile of its victims. The strong immune systems of young adults ravaged the body, whereas the weaker immune systems of children and middle-aged adults caused fewer deaths.[9]

cartera45

Is it going to be available to everyone? I was under the impression that people of the middle aged persuasion might not be able to get it.

mafool

from the CDC:

We do not expect that there will be a shortage of 2009 H1N1 vaccine, but availability and demand can be unpredictable. There is some possibility that initially the vaccine will be available in limited quantities. In this setting, the committee recommended that the following groups receive the vaccine before others: pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact, children 6 months through 4 years of age, and children 5 through 18 years of age who have chronic medical conditions.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccinati...ion_qa_pub.htm

Nova10

They haven't changed the basic manufacturing of flu vaccine in decades. It is still made in eggs; therefore, it is very slow. There has been work on a new manufacturing process. I don't know where it is in development, but when it is approved, instead of taking 3 months to make, it'll take a couple of weeks, if that. Right now, they make the decision on what 3 flu viruses to include in about May. They make this decision based on the previous year's flu strains. They more or less take the 3 most common strains. You can have the same strain in the vaccine over multiple years.

intparent

cartera45, since your family also has some GBS history, you might be interested to know that our pediatrician also said that the meningitis vaccine carries some GBS risk. I am unclear why that particular vaccine (have been more worried about the H1N1 at the moment, so haven't followed up with the doctor or any research on my own yet). D1 already had the meningitis vaccine anyway with no complications. But just thought I would mention it.

cartera45

My D had the meningitis vaccine too - and she had the Gardacil vaccine - no problems with any of them. Thanks for mentioning it though.

percussiondad

Well, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and our local health department has thrown another curve into this. They have reported that tests are showing that people who have the seasonal flu vaccine appear to be at twice the risk of contracting H1N1. Our health unit is considering postponing the seasonal flu vaccine until after the H1N1 vaccine has been given. This is a major concern since our D is scheduled for the seasonal vaccine this coming Tuesday, I cannot find any information proving or disproving these statements so once again it is a guessing game. Does anyone know for sure if Canada and the USA use the same vaccine?

intparent

Here is a link to the CDC article. The US CDC website does not have any info on this.

CBC News - Health - Seasonal flu shot may increase H1N1 risk