I just got my son vaccinated for H1N1 (swine) flu

Parent Cafe
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<p>It’s finally D2’s turn. Our county has done the first round for pregnant, under 6 months, kids with chronic illness, now they are giving to healthy kids. I was able to sign up for next Tue. They have more slots open, but unfortunately D1 won’t get home from abroad until next Thu. I am going to keep on checking for D1. From what I am reading so far, there has been no side effect.</p>

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<p>In our family, four of us got the shot (on Nov. 6) and my 19 yr. old daughter got the LAIV mist. No one had any side effects so far(other than ME having a sore arm for two days). My husband and son didn’t even have sore arms!</p>

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<p>My son got the shot yesterday at the county health dept. in the city where he lives (thanks, Seiclan!) but it’s not available yet at S2’s college or here in our hometown (other than for the high risk categories). Family physician says he expects to get the vaccine in early December, so hopefully the rest of us can get it then.</p>

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<p>we got nuthin’ out here in SoCal… :(</p>

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<p>For your contemplation
<a href=“http://www.thoracic.org/sections/publications/press-releases/conference/articles/2009/abstracts-and-press-releases/joshi.pdf[/url]”>http://www.thoracic.org/sections/publications/press-releases/conference/articles/2009/abstracts-and-press-releases/joshi.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Interesting. Then again, it’s one study of 236 (or 263 - both numbers are referenced in the study) children spread out over a period of ten years. Have more studies been done (as was recommended by the researcher)? Have these results been replicated in those other studies? Can the results of this one study automatically be applied to the H1N1 vaccine? Are hospitals seeing more asthmatics in their institutions with H1N1 who were given the vaccine vs. those who did not have the vaccine prior to their illness?</p>

<p>The only conclusion you can draw from one study is the need for further study.</p>

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<p>I had the nasal spray done on Tuesday along with a couple hundred people from my school. While I was standing in line, one boy, who had been sitting done because he felt ill after being vaccinated, passed out. I saw him walking around later, heading home with his father, so I guess he’s okay.
I didn’t want to have it done, but my parents really wanted me to do it, so I acquiesced.</p>

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<p>In looking at the study above, I don’t think the statistics, whether the premise is valid or not, have any bearing on H1N1 vaccine. H1N1 is killing and hospitalizing kids. Regular seasonal flu can be lethal and dangerous in the elderly, not as much in kids. For those of us born post 1950 and younger, we’re far worse off getting H1N1. </p>

<p>My D had H1N1 last week, and missed 5 days of classes. Luckily, though she had mild asthma, she had no asthmatic symptoms while she was sick. She had a vaccination appointment, but got sick beforehand. </p>

<p>I had told both Ds to have a supply of juice, soup, tylenol, etc in their dorm rooms in case of illness. The one who got sick, was not prepared, and not allowed to go to the dining area. Luckily her friends brought her food. </p>

<p>My neighbor, the mom of a 3 and 1 year old, has had it this week. She was flat on her back, unable to care for her kids. Her husband took off work for the week to care for the family. </p>

<p>This disease is no fun! We have patients in the hospital with rather serious pulmonary after effects.</p>

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<p>Be careful that you don’t come to the wrong conclusion from the above study.
Our government is running several clinical studies on different groups of people with the H1N1 vaccine. They are innoculation folks and then observing the immune response with blood tests and are doing one on people with asthma:
[H1N1</a> Vaccine Clinical Studies in People with Asthma](<a href=“http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Flu/H1N1/Research/Asthma.htm]H1N1”>http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Flu/H1N1/Research/Asthma.htm)

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<p>It could be that people with severs asthma need a larger dose of the vaccine than healthy people.</p>

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<p>Here is information on the other clinical trials that are ongoing in reference to H1N1:
[2009</a> H1N1 Vaccine Clinical Trial Results: Updates from NIAID](<a href=“Influenza (Flu) | CDC”>Influenza (Flu) | CDC)</p>

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<p>[Flu</a> shot does not cut risk of death in elderly | Health | Reuters](<a href=“http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSHAR96014920080829]Flu”>http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSHAR96014920080829)</p>

<p>Question to someone who is familiar with epidemiology/how vaccine trials are conducted.
My understanding is, that vaccine trials involve blind studies.
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine_trial[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine_trial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>But, in the case of flu vaccine studies (not only H1N1 but flu in general), there is no group receiving placebo
<a href=“http://www.ghc.org/provider/flu/vaccinetrials.jhtml[/url]”>http://www.ghc.org/provider/flu/vaccinetrials.jhtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>This is also quite interesting and, truthfully, radiculous
[Hundreds</a> of flu vaccine doses thrown out - The Globe and Mail](<a href=“http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/hundreds-of-flu-vaccine-doses-thrown-out/article1364414/]Hundreds”>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/hundreds-of-flu-vaccine-doses-thrown-out/article1364414/)</p>

<p>I think the H1N1 vaccine distributed in the US is only a single dose vial though.</p>

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<p>No, here in Florida, the vaccine that was administered in the schools through the Broward Health Dept. came in vials that had 10 doses in each. The manufacturer is
Sanofi Pasteur.</p>

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<p>Our school district finally received the vaccine for all kids enrolled. Our letter of the alphabet comes up Monday night.</p>

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<p>Here, our vaccine is single-dose syringes (made by Novartis)…we just put fresh needles on them.</p>

<p>Regarding the Canadian vaccine, it sounds like there was what we call a “diluent” that came with the vaccine which had to be mixed together with the vaccine. You have to draw the medication out of one vial and mix it with the contents of the other vial, and then there’s only a certain window that you have once the med is mixed before giving it. Our varicella vaccine is packaged this way, and you only have a 30-minute window to give it after mixing it before it has to be thrown away.</p>

<p>It also sounds like there were multiple doses in each vial, which complicates things. Our polio vaccine is packaged in a multi-dose vial, and it’s very difficult to draw precisely 10 doses out without wasting any.</p>

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<p>I finally got an appointment for my D to get vaccinated tomorrow.</p>

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<p>My son got vaccinated 2 days ago and when I talked to him yesterday, he had no arm pain and no side affects. I was just so undecided about him getting the vaccination, but he has Crohns Disease and his doctor at Childrens Hospital said he should get it. He had to get the shot - Dr. said not to get the Nasal Vaccine because of his disease. I’m still nervous about it.</p>

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<p>D2 got her shot 2 days ago, not even a sore arm. There was no wait. D1 will get it a few weeks from now, unless earlier appointment shows up. My firm just sent me a pack of Tamiflu in case I should need it.</p>

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<p>For the parents who have gotten the H1N1 vaccination, how have they gotten it? Unless they are health care/emergency workers, caregivers of children 6 months or younger, or have underlying medical conditions, they are not in a priority group to receive the vaccination. Or do some areas have so much vaccine that they are now offering it to all?</p>

<p>Finally, all three of my sons have been vaccinated. The oldest (24) got the mist from his doctor back in October. I brought my youngest (middle school) to a walk-in clinic to get his two weeks ago. And my middle son’s college finally got it in this week, and he has now gotten the shot.</p>

<p>The public school system is really poking along with their vaccination clinics. My middle son’s school would probably have gotten their clinic in January. Yet the city has managed to hold multiple vaccination clinics for homeschooled, privately-schooled, college students, pregnant women and other priority groups. My son’s ped will not give the vaccine to any children except those under school age. </p>

<p>The vaccination distribution system is really messed-up. Just think if this had been a mutated more dangerous strain?</p>

<p>And closing the schools doesn’t necessarily halt the spread, according to recent news.</p>

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And Tamiflu now doesn’t work against one of the seasonal flu variants going around now, because of overuse (similar to what’s happened with antibiotics).</p>

<p>Are you a medical professional? Your firm is just handing out Tamiflu to its workers? That is imprudent, since now I believe the recommendation is that only people with underlying medical conditions at risk for flu complications should use it.</p>