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Today's Poll: Do you plan to get a 'Swine Flu' vaccine?

By Howard B. Owens
Tony Ferrando

There's equally as many doctors saying its safe. I think a lot of attention is being created in confusion over the 1976 swine flu vaccine. But- I think the safest bet if you're skeptical is that if you are rather healthy and haven't had a flu beyond a 24-hour symptom of one, then wait. They're rationing it out to those most at risk right now anyway, so there is no real hurry. According to WebMD "Pandemic swine flu is a type A, H1N1 flu virus. For decades, a type A H1N1 vaccine has been part of the regular seasonal flu vaccine, and the new vaccine is made exactly the same way." The vaccine strains in the seasonal flu shot this year I listed here, so a healthy individual that gets the seasonal shot may not even need the actual H1N1 vaccine, though I'm no medical professional so please verify:

1. A/BRISBANE/59/2007 (H1N1)-LIKE VIRUS- unchanged
2. A/BRISBANE/10/2007 (H3N2)-LIKE VIRUS- unchanged
3. B/BRISBANE/60/2008- LIKE VIRUS- new, Victoria lineage

If you still don't want to get it, then at least proactively seek out your doctor and ask him/her if you can get a pack of Tamiflu if the worst happens and you get any flu, H1N1 or not, then you'll be able to start medication immediately upon first symptoms.

Oct 7, 2009, 4:30pm Permalink
tom hunt

The people who are dead set against the flu shot; seasonal or swine apparently never had the experience of a full blown case of the flu. The severity of which puts you in bed for up to 2 weeks, too weak to raise your head. I have been there once; not a pleasant experience to be repeated. I had a supervisor once at work that felt the same as you until one Winter he disappeared for 6 weeks and returned looking like a corpse. His experience made him a firm believer in the value of a year flu shot.

Oct 7, 2009, 8:30pm Permalink
Amy Davis

I had a flu shot a few years ago and had a very bad reaction to it. No plans here to get any type of flu shot.

I appreciate the work that our local agencies are doing to get the word out about the new strain of flu & it will benefit many who are at risk, but I also feel that...

The drug companies are coming up with new drugs for all kinds of illnesses SO fast. The FDA seems to approve these drugs way too quickly also. You can call it "technology" or...

A couple of years down the road the lawyers are on your TV set saying "have you taken "this drug" and experienced "this side-effect"? Innocent people are dead, or sick due to these companies' want for the almighty dollar in my opinion.

Wash your hands often, don't touch doorknobs, use hand sanitizer alot. Use gloves or a cloth when pumping gas, carry antibacterial wipes for shopping carts, etc. Don't shake hands with anyone...

THINK!

Oct 7, 2009, 10:47pm Permalink
Janice Stenman

Few people are alive today who remember the flu in 1918. Of course there were no vaccines then. I know that my grandmother nearly died from it and her 22 year old sister did die! She had been perfectly healthy up until she contracted the flu.

Often people became sick in the morning and were dead by noon. Pregnant women had virtually no chance of recovering if they contracted the disease. Even with today's medicine, pregnant women are still at greater risk of complications.

What can happen if you become ill is that fluid can build up in your lungs and you literally drown. I notice in the poll that over 50% plan NOT to get the vaccine. More are undecided. One thing to consider is that if you do become seriously ill, the hospitals could very likely be over-run. Incase you haven't guessed, we are getting the shot.

Oct 7, 2009, 10:53pm Permalink
Stacey Sherwood

All I'm saying is NO WAY myself or my children will be subjected to a vaccine, especially one that they still have not gotten the correct doses. Just do some research before you make your own decision. I did and I'm still researching.

As for the comment above about "The people who are dead set against the flu shot; seasonal or swine apparently never had the experience of a full blown case of the flu."... for your information, alot of us that are against this vaccine and other vaccines, have been through the "full blown flu" and have people in our families that have life changing diabilities because of vaccines given incorrectly or wrong doses given.

Oct 8, 2009, 7:48am Permalink
Robert Bennett

I've given my opinion on vaccines multiple times on here and it seems to be the same people posting on this story once again so I'm not going to repeat myself. But here are a few sites with a lot of correct verifiable information.

www.flu.gov
www.cdc.gov
www.iho.int

Also Tony the H1N1 in the Seasonal Flu is not the same as the H1N1 Swine Flu. Type A H1N1 is the seasonal flu virus. H1N1 is the Swine Flu and is often denoted as H1N1 (swine) Flu. Here is a link explaining the different notations http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/types.htm

Oct 8, 2009, 10:24pm Permalink

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