dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
So much controversy surrounding this, just wondering what the general consensus of the membership might be.
Here's an article from The Canada Free Press.
Here's an article from The Canada Free Press.
Will You Be Getting The H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccine??
- Thread starter dieseldiva
- Start date
We most likely will not get the vaccine. First off, we are NOT in a major risk group and would like to save the shots for those more likely to get this flu. Second, the last time they went after this flu the vaccine did more damage than the flu did. That is NOT to say that it will happen again, BUT, I DO remember the last time this flu hit. With any luck it WON'T be as bad as they fear it might, it was NOT last time around. As to the speed this vaccine came out, they had an idea from last time AND methods of production are MUCH improved since the '70's. So is our understanding of genetics.
From the Rapid City paper...
Approximately 20 percent of the students in the Rapid City school district were out sick at the beginning of this week, thanks to colds, flu and the H1N1 virus. Twenty-five percent of Belle Fourche High School students were out Monday and Tuesday.
The viruses are hitting Black Hills area hard this week -- with anywhere between 5 percent to 25 percent of students out sick -- as school officials wait for promised vaccinations to arrive early next month.
Approximately 20 percent of the students in the Rapid City school district were out sick at the beginning of this week, thanks to colds, flu and the H1N1 virus. Twenty-five percent of Belle Fourche High School students were out Monday and Tuesday.
The viruses are hitting Black Hills area hard this week -- with anywhere between 5 percent to 25 percent of students out sick -- as school officials wait for promised vaccinations to arrive early next month.
Well, the linked article was clearly written by someone who is anti-vaccine. And they have a lot of facts way wrong, not the least of which is the statement that says, "Our buddies on Capitol Hill passed a law in 2005 that gave the pharmaceutical companies complete immunity from being sued over their vaccines." That's at least partially incorrect because the link is to a Bill from 2008, not 2005. They are correct that immunity is extended to manufacturers and distributors of the vaccine, however, but that didn't become law until June of 2009 as an amendment to the January 26, 2007 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (not 2005).
In any case, we fortunately have China and Australia as the first test subjects, since the vaccine was first distributed in China, then Australia, and it's just now being distributed in the US. The rate of side effects in China is 1-in-39,000 people, and range from muscle cramps to headaches, all relatively minor and short-lived. Certainly preferable to actually getting the flu, Swine or otherwise.
7 or 8 years ago I got the flu, really bad. Got to the point where I think, in my high temp stupor, that I mailed out engraved invitations to the Grim Reaper. I know I wouldn't have argued with him if he showed up. I swore after that that I'd get flu shots every year, and I've never had a one. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll probably get one, but I likely won't go out of my way to do so, even though I probably should. I don't want to get it, that's for sure, but I spend most of my time in or around the van, not around a lot of people, and of the situation calls for it, I have respirators I have no problem wearing.
This is a little disturbing, and may be just how it's playing out, purely a coincidence, but quite frankly it makes me think that Obamacare is doing an early end run "test run" around the Death Panels to see what happens. I mean, look at who wants it, and who doesn't, and look at who it's being forced upon, and who it's being withheld from. Makes me go hhhhhmmmmm
Oh, and speaking of Obamacare, here's a story that I can't believe was written with a straight face. It's a pretty blatant "plant" to bolster a government optioned national health plan.
In any case, we fortunately have China and Australia as the first test subjects, since the vaccine was first distributed in China, then Australia, and it's just now being distributed in the US. The rate of side effects in China is 1-in-39,000 people, and range from muscle cramps to headaches, all relatively minor and short-lived. Certainly preferable to actually getting the flu, Swine or otherwise.
7 or 8 years ago I got the flu, really bad. Got to the point where I think, in my high temp stupor, that I mailed out engraved invitations to the Grim Reaper. I know I wouldn't have argued with him if he showed up. I swore after that that I'd get flu shots every year, and I've never had a one. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll probably get one, but I likely won't go out of my way to do so, even though I probably should. I don't want to get it, that's for sure, but I spend most of my time in or around the van, not around a lot of people, and of the situation calls for it, I have respirators I have no problem wearing.
This is a little disturbing, and may be just how it's playing out, purely a coincidence, but quite frankly it makes me think that Obamacare is doing an early end run "test run" around the Death Panels to see what happens. I mean, look at who wants it, and who doesn't, and look at who it's being forced upon, and who it's being withheld from. Makes me go hhhhhmmmmm
Oh, and speaking of Obamacare, here's a story that I can't believe was written with a straight face. It's a pretty blatant "plant" to bolster a government optioned national health plan.
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I have never had a flu vaccine, but I do drink fluoridated water.
My son brought home the dreaded HoneNone from Mexico last April and was kind enough to share it. I was sick for about a week. Nothing serious; minor muscle pain, slight headache and was probably running a low grade fever for a few days. Worse symptom was feeling tired and the need for a couple of naps a day.
According to the news media my early exposure should make me immune to round 2 that most likely will kill millions of Americans. As the heard thins, expedite rates will increase or surpass 1999 rates, fuel consumption will decrease, as will the pump price (Newton's law of "supply and demand) and I will be in the catbird seat.
My son brought home the dreaded HoneNone from Mexico last April and was kind enough to share it. I was sick for about a week. Nothing serious; minor muscle pain, slight headache and was probably running a low grade fever for a few days. Worse symptom was feeling tired and the need for a couple of naps a day.
According to the news media my early exposure should make me immune to round 2 that most likely will kill millions of Americans. As the heard thins, expedite rates will increase or surpass 1999 rates, fuel consumption will decrease, as will the pump price (Newton's law of "supply and demand) and I will be in the catbird seat.
Darmstadter
Veteran Expediter
I won't get it. Got a regular flu shot once--last year, and was the sickest I've ever been. Ended up getting pneumonia. Might not have had anything to do with the flu shot, but I'm not willing to chance it again.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
No an neither will my minor daughter or her mom.....had a friend that came down with "gillian beret" that was contributed to the swine flu shot back in what was it 76, not sure but the last time they played this game with the swine flu and Pres Ford took the "FAKE" shot on tv with his family...he wouldn't take the real deal...
And now they are saying that the shot can cause a reaction to those that have a "latex allergy"....
Latex Allergy Linked to Adverse Reaction to Swine Flu Shot - Bloomberg.com
And now they are saying that the shot can cause a reaction to those that have a "latex allergy"....
Latex Allergy Linked to Adverse Reaction to Swine Flu Shot - Bloomberg.com
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Yup - that's true - and they are probably anti-vaccine for good reasons - there's alot of evidence out that vaccines can be very far from safe and effective ......
And if you think that drug companies do much in the way of testing for either safety or effectiveness ..... well ..... I got some nice land down in FL (it's a little wet sometimes) and a bridge I could part with, if the price was right ...
That just ain't the way it works out in the real world (despite the billions they spend on PR to make the public think otherwise)
Unfortunately, this is not correct - the link is to a Federal Declaration (not a Bill) - which may be, or may be similar to, a Federal Regulation - which are promulgated by the Executive Branch, as a consequence of passage of enabling legislation into law by Congress (the Legislative branch)
While the Executive Branch Declaration occurred in 2008, The Public Readiness and Emergency Prepardness Act legislation was indeed passed and signed into law in 2005 by then President George W. Bush. From Wikipedia:
"The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREPA), passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President of the United States George W. Bush in December, 2005, is a controversial tort liability shield intended to protect vaccine manufacturers from financial risk in the event of a declared public health emergency."
Full article:
Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREPA)
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Yeah, but they're not all OMG! evil. They are merely an attempt to improve or introduce an immunity to a particular disease, so that the immune system can recognize the infecting microorganisms when and if the body is infected. They're not perfect, 'cause you can't be perfect when dealing with biological immunities. But by and large, vaccines do far less harm to the population as a whole than the disease does. Measles, small pox, diphtheria, polio, rubella, typhoid, there's a long list of unambiguous beneficial vaccines. Vaccinations were being administered before pharmaceutical companies were invented, and they weren't evil then, and they aren't evil now simply because they are manufactured by evil pharmaceutical companies.
So while there is a lot of evidence out there that vaccines can be very far from safe and effective, there is also a lot of evidence that shows just the opposite. Being anti-vaccine, at all costs, is merely the flip side of being a vaccination fiend. Yeah, I know there have been spectacular failures, but there have also been spectacular successes.
Experimental vaccines, using experimental methods of developing the vaccines, you have to be careful about. Best to take a wait and see attitude on those, I think. That goes for any new vaccine, really. The pharmaceutical companies don't set out to produce an evil vaccine, despite what some may think. There's no money in it. Immunology and biology are not exact sciences, but because they are not exact and foolproof, it does not make them evil. There is simply no way to guarantee something as varied and complex as a biological immunity. Flu vaccines in general have been shown to be safe and effective, with a good track record. While this strain of flu is new, the vaccine itself is made exactly the way previous vaccines have been produced.
Widespread vaccinations began in China 3 weeks ago, and 2 weeks ago in Australia. Nasal sprays are now being administered in the US, with injection vaccinations coming next week. So far, those in US are being cautious, and rightly so. But, still, to date, the H1N1 strain has killed 3400 people, the vaccine has not killed anyone. It's too early to make a judgment on it, though. Despite health officials stating that it's safe, it's simply too early to to make that call with any confidence. Just the same, it's also too early to state that it's unsafe and ineffective, as some people are saying, because they don't know, either. History suggests that it's safe and effective, but history also suggested that in 1976 when it was neither. If I were to get this vaccination I would wait about a month before doing so. Reliable evidence won't be in until that time. Then, one can better assess the risk.
I would think that the testing done in Australia would be good testing. I would NOT, however, trust the testing done in China!! They record on human rights lead a LOT to be desired and their corporate honesty makes our componies here look GREAT!!! Where to all those "bodies" for those traveling displays come from anyway? MOST of those shows are bodies of Chinese origan. Just asking. 
I've never had a flu shot and don't plan to start now.
Yep, they did and they had some problems back in the '70's. More died from the vaccine than the flu. At least, that is the common thought on this.
They have flu shots every year. Every year.
During the 1918 influenza pandemic doctors tried everything from leeches to VooDoo to find a cure. Blood transfusions were the only remedy that showed results. In 1931, influenza viral growth in chicken eggs was discovered, and in the 1940s the military developed the first approved flu vaccines, and were used extensively during WWII, with few side effects. Ever since 1945 flu shots have been available, but it wasn't until the early 1950's that the current method of the egg-based technology was invented, thereby making the vaccine available on a large scale. Flu shots have been widely available every year ever since. Every year.
In 1976 a soldier at Ft Dix fell ill and died, and shortly after that four other soldiers took ill, but didn't die. Health officials noted the influenza strain was very closely related to the 1918 Spanish Flu strain, and people freaked, understandably. There was a panic over the possibility of a flu pandemic, and vaccines were rushed into production. During the course of the vaccinations there were 25 more deaths than the normal annual average, and 400 excess hospitalizations over the normal average, all due to Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that was very likely, although unproved, to be caused by the vaccine. Only one person died in 1976 from that "pandemic", and the military locked Ft Dix down pretty tight which contained the spread of the virus. Clearly, 1976 would have been much better off if the flu shots had not even been produced that year, since that season's flu strain turned out to be particularly mild, anyway. And it certainly illustrates that not all flu shots, much less all vaccinations, are always safe and effective.
People cite the 1976 fiasco as a reason for being afraid of any and all vaccines, yet we've had flue shots every year since then. Also, those 25 deaths and 400 hospitalizations in 1976 are a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of people who have died of influenza, not to mention the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of lives, that have been saved over the years because of flu vaccines.
Learn the biology and immunology and how it works, and then you can better assess the risks involved. I have no problem in getting a flue shot, generally speaking, but in this particular case, even though the production of the vaccine wasn't particularly rushed, I still want to see more still-breathing Guinea pigs other than Chinese and Australians. A few weeks, a month at most is all it will take. The problems in 1976 occurred almost immediately, within hours. With almost all vaccines, any problems or related side effects usually show up very quickly, 24-48 hours being on the long end of things.
The question is, will I actually take the time to go out of my way to get a shot? I dunno.
During the 1918 influenza pandemic doctors tried everything from leeches to VooDoo to find a cure. Blood transfusions were the only remedy that showed results. In 1931, influenza viral growth in chicken eggs was discovered, and in the 1940s the military developed the first approved flu vaccines, and were used extensively during WWII, with few side effects. Ever since 1945 flu shots have been available, but it wasn't until the early 1950's that the current method of the egg-based technology was invented, thereby making the vaccine available on a large scale. Flu shots have been widely available every year ever since. Every year.
In 1976 a soldier at Ft Dix fell ill and died, and shortly after that four other soldiers took ill, but didn't die. Health officials noted the influenza strain was very closely related to the 1918 Spanish Flu strain, and people freaked, understandably. There was a panic over the possibility of a flu pandemic, and vaccines were rushed into production. During the course of the vaccinations there were 25 more deaths than the normal annual average, and 400 excess hospitalizations over the normal average, all due to Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that was very likely, although unproved, to be caused by the vaccine. Only one person died in 1976 from that "pandemic", and the military locked Ft Dix down pretty tight which contained the spread of the virus. Clearly, 1976 would have been much better off if the flu shots had not even been produced that year, since that season's flu strain turned out to be particularly mild, anyway. And it certainly illustrates that not all flu shots, much less all vaccinations, are always safe and effective.
People cite the 1976 fiasco as a reason for being afraid of any and all vaccines, yet we've had flue shots every year since then. Also, those 25 deaths and 400 hospitalizations in 1976 are a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of people who have died of influenza, not to mention the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of lives, that have been saved over the years because of flu vaccines.
Learn the biology and immunology and how it works, and then you can better assess the risks involved. I have no problem in getting a flue shot, generally speaking, but in this particular case, even though the production of the vaccine wasn't particularly rushed, I still want to see more still-breathing Guinea pigs other than Chinese and Australians. A few weeks, a month at most is all it will take. The problems in 1976 occurred almost immediately, within hours. With almost all vaccines, any problems or related side effects usually show up very quickly, 24-48 hours being on the long end of things.
The question is, will I actually take the time to go out of my way to get a shot? I dunno.