My thoughts on various postings in this thread
I'd likely personally take the novel 2009 H1N1 vaccine, whether or not the virus mutates from its current, mostly mild flu-symptom complex, into a severe, killing syndrome like that experienced in 1918-19. I receive seasonal flu vaccine every year; 09 H1N1 is just another flu vaccine. Same process, same manufacturers, different virus. Each year, there is a new virus in the seasonal flu shot already. It has kept me from having influenza-like illnesses since I first started receiving them in the 80's. But I'm not pregnant. You have the complex situation! I'd have to vote "yes" for your wife. Until the vaccine is available, one could theoretically hope to personally "catch" the novel 2009 H1N1 naturally & experience the usually mild H1N1 flu & let one's immune system make them immune. And pray it didn't recombine/hybridize with H5N1 (avian flu) or bio-engineered (terrorist) strains that might be drug-resistant or lethal. But, one never knows if they will get a severe syndrome & die from the natural infection, either.
bigus_D, your OB-Gyn is following ACOG guidelines/position statement. And, pregnancy is considered an immune-suppressed state, also high risk due to the extra "load" placed on the cardiovascular & pulmonary systems. And the stats & data obtained from the spring & summer around the world & here in USA so far say that even though pregnant ppl made up 1% of the population, they made up 6% of the hospitalized (very sick) H1N1 victims, or 6 times increased risk of being ill enough to be hospitalized &/or poor outcome (death/disability). That last link has 4 CDC info videos, the 2nd (August 27) is about pregnancy & new moms. Says the best way to not transmit it to the infant < 6 months old is for everyone around the baby to be vaccinated. Vaccine isn't for infants under age 6 months.
Testing is ongoing in healthy adults, pregnant adults, & healthy children now. That couldn't be said a week or 3 ago.
*
"Will the benefits of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines outweigh the risks? Is this something I should talk to my healthcare provider about?
Currently the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (sometimes called “swine flu”) virus seems to be causing serious health outcomes for:
Remember that if your wife does get an influenza illness from her very high risk job, she can go on antiviral treatment. ($$$)
*
"What is the best source of information for 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine safety? In addition to talking openly with your healthcare providers, CDC also encourages you to stay informed by checking the following Web sites often for the most up-to-date news and information: CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu and Flu.gov."
Yes, it is still controversial because it isn't fully tested YET. But I don't like sites like mercola's because he has referenced himself in his own articles, mis-interpreted other references (I've looked) & references other websites that I believe do the same, thus perpetuating some false information or distortions. YMMV.
We are in "uncharted territory", so to speak, with the 2009 H1N1. Disease research has grown, evolving into an entity that can produce a vaccine quickly (very historical!). Now accompanied by active tracking of a new virus and coordination internationally of the statistics. If our government didn't ask for a 2009 H1N1 vaccine to be prepared, and 09H1N1 becomes deadly, then the government failed. If the government got the 2009 H1N1 vaccine ready & administers it & 09H1N1 doesn't become a problem (in hindsight), then the government failed by exposing ppl to monetary costs, potential (yet unproven) vaccine troubles, & loses the population's faith. The government will lose either way.
BTW, there is thimerosol-free 2009 H1N1 vaccine that will be available (more $$ no doubt because it is packaged in single-dose vials instead of multi-dose vials). And no adjuvant is in the formulation (like aluminum compounds). An injectable form as well as the intra-nasal form is planned.
"Since 2001, no new vaccine licensed by FDA for use in children has contained thimerosal as a preservative, and all vaccines routinely recommended by CDC for children under six years of age have been thimerosal-free, or contain only trace amounts, except for multi-dose formulations of influenza vaccine." "Unfortunately, we have not seen reductions in the numbers of children identified with autism indicating that the cause of autism is not related to a single exposure such as thimerosal."
The posted comments on the drug reps are interesting! I can say that they don't come to some ER's any more due to hospital policies put in place over the last 10 years. And therefore my ER & the Clarian hospitals' ERs don't have any samples to give to patients. Nowadays, the reps like to go to private offices. Yes, they provide lunch & a sales pitch. It's their job. And samples for the doc to give away. Yeah, many of them could be models. Sorry, that didn't sway me (I'm female)... & the men I remember most was a fat black man & an older man that was there before my father retired! Also, increasingly residency programs won't allow drug reps to provide goodies any more because of new policies; drug reps there are now sort-of forced into, at the most, providing funding for a lecture/speaker that they did not choose. Now, does that stop private offices from letting the drug reps come--no. I've personally been in a waiting room & seen them bring their little pull-behind trolleys loaded with goodies. At least things are changing with time. (google "no free lunch"). Just ask your provider for a med that's on the "$4 list" and you'll avoid all those high-priced, possibly influenced, prescriptions!
bigus_D, has your Ob-Gyn discussed receiving the seasonal influenza & tdap vaccine too? Don't forget about those by being focused on the future 09 H1N1 vaccine.
Hey, I'd like to see this as a poll, too! That could be fun!
csaws, keep in mind that if your children ever want to travel abroad, they may want some immunizations. Polio, measles, Hepatitis A/B, diphtheria, etc still maim/kill in countries that don't have "herd immunity" like we enjoy here (general population immune & thus it would be unusual to catch the infection)
. Thank goodness most people here get vaccinated!
....................................................................................................
In the end, it all comes down to "who do you believe", and I can't change that, but either way do your own research & keep current. Unknowns are still unknowns, and we will always have them. Until all questions are answered in time, many opinions will circulate.
Hope I didn't kill this thread...
I'd likely personally take the novel 2009 H1N1 vaccine, whether or not the virus mutates from its current, mostly mild flu-symptom complex, into a severe, killing syndrome like that experienced in 1918-19. I receive seasonal flu vaccine every year; 09 H1N1 is just another flu vaccine. Same process, same manufacturers, different virus. Each year, there is a new virus in the seasonal flu shot already. It has kept me from having influenza-like illnesses since I first started receiving them in the 80's. But I'm not pregnant. You have the complex situation! I'd have to vote "yes" for your wife. Until the vaccine is available, one could theoretically hope to personally "catch" the novel 2009 H1N1 naturally & experience the usually mild H1N1 flu & let one's immune system make them immune. And pray it didn't recombine/hybridize with H5N1 (avian flu) or bio-engineered (terrorist) strains that might be drug-resistant or lethal. But, one never knows if they will get a severe syndrome & die from the natural infection, either.
bigus_D, your OB-Gyn is following ACOG guidelines/position statement. And, pregnancy is considered an immune-suppressed state, also high risk due to the extra "load" placed on the cardiovascular & pulmonary systems. And the stats & data obtained from the spring & summer around the world & here in USA so far say that even though pregnant ppl made up 1% of the population, they made up 6% of the hospitalized (very sick) H1N1 victims, or 6 times increased risk of being ill enough to be hospitalized &/or poor outcome (death/disability). That last link has 4 CDC info videos, the 2nd (August 27) is about pregnancy & new moms. Says the best way to not transmit it to the infant < 6 months old is for everyone around the baby to be vaccinated. Vaccine isn't for infants under age 6 months.
Testing is ongoing in healthy adults, pregnant adults, & healthy children now. That couldn't be said a week or 3 ago.
*
"Will the benefits of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines outweigh the risks? Is this something I should talk to my healthcare provider about?
Currently the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (sometimes called “swine flu”) virus seems to be causing serious health outcomes for:
- healthy young people from birth through age 24;
- pregnant women; and
- adults 25 to 64 who have underlying medical conditions.
Remember that if your wife does get an influenza illness from her very high risk job, she can go on antiviral treatment. ($$$)
*
"What is the best source of information for 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine safety? In addition to talking openly with your healthcare providers, CDC also encourages you to stay informed by checking the following Web sites often for the most up-to-date news and information: CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu and Flu.gov."
Yes, it is still controversial because it isn't fully tested YET. But I don't like sites like mercola's because he has referenced himself in his own articles, mis-interpreted other references (I've looked) & references other websites that I believe do the same, thus perpetuating some false information or distortions. YMMV.
We are in "uncharted territory", so to speak, with the 2009 H1N1. Disease research has grown, evolving into an entity that can produce a vaccine quickly (very historical!). Now accompanied by active tracking of a new virus and coordination internationally of the statistics. If our government didn't ask for a 2009 H1N1 vaccine to be prepared, and 09H1N1 becomes deadly, then the government failed. If the government got the 2009 H1N1 vaccine ready & administers it & 09H1N1 doesn't become a problem (in hindsight), then the government failed by exposing ppl to monetary costs, potential (yet unproven) vaccine troubles, & loses the population's faith. The government will lose either way.
BTW, there is thimerosol-free 2009 H1N1 vaccine that will be available (more $$ no doubt because it is packaged in single-dose vials instead of multi-dose vials). And no adjuvant is in the formulation (like aluminum compounds). An injectable form as well as the intra-nasal form is planned.
"Since 2001, no new vaccine licensed by FDA for use in children has contained thimerosal as a preservative, and all vaccines routinely recommended by CDC for children under six years of age have been thimerosal-free, or contain only trace amounts, except for multi-dose formulations of influenza vaccine." "Unfortunately, we have not seen reductions in the numbers of children identified with autism indicating that the cause of autism is not related to a single exposure such as thimerosal."
The posted comments on the drug reps are interesting! I can say that they don't come to some ER's any more due to hospital policies put in place over the last 10 years. And therefore my ER & the Clarian hospitals' ERs don't have any samples to give to patients. Nowadays, the reps like to go to private offices. Yes, they provide lunch & a sales pitch. It's their job. And samples for the doc to give away. Yeah, many of them could be models. Sorry, that didn't sway me (I'm female)... & the men I remember most was a fat black man & an older man that was there before my father retired! Also, increasingly residency programs won't allow drug reps to provide goodies any more because of new policies; drug reps there are now sort-of forced into, at the most, providing funding for a lecture/speaker that they did not choose. Now, does that stop private offices from letting the drug reps come--no. I've personally been in a waiting room & seen them bring their little pull-behind trolleys loaded with goodies. At least things are changing with time. (google "no free lunch"). Just ask your provider for a med that's on the "$4 list" and you'll avoid all those high-priced, possibly influenced, prescriptions!
bigus_D, has your Ob-Gyn discussed receiving the seasonal influenza & tdap vaccine too? Don't forget about those by being focused on the future 09 H1N1 vaccine.
Hey, I'd like to see this as a poll, too! That could be fun!
csaws, keep in mind that if your children ever want to travel abroad, they may want some immunizations. Polio, measles, Hepatitis A/B, diphtheria, etc still maim/kill in countries that don't have "herd immunity" like we enjoy here (general population immune & thus it would be unusual to catch the infection)
. Thank goodness most people here get vaccinated!....................................................................................................
In the end, it all comes down to "who do you believe", and I can't change that, but either way do your own research & keep current. Unknowns are still unknowns, and we will always have them. Until all questions are answered in time, many opinions will circulate.
Hope I didn't kill this thread...
how they would get a chip in those....
