Hi Guys, lot's of discussion going on about this virus and whether to get the shot or not. Lot's of folks in higher or lower risk categories. This is the best tool I've seen to help with the decision making process. Check it out.
one other thought....when something is called a PANDEMIC, it's serious. A pandemic (from Greek πᾶν pan "all" + δῆμος demos "people") is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic. Further, flu pandemics exclude seasonal flu. Throughout history there have been a number of pandemics, such as smallpox and tuberculosis. More recent pandemics include the HIV pandemic and the 2009 flu pandemic. It's YOUR job to protect yourself, so that you are also protecting OTHERS!
Hmmm.. I am having a hard understanding why this flu is any different than previous years. I am also having a hard time figuring out what the big deal is? I used to work at the hospital and did get the flu shot every year (it was easy, free and almost manditory) simply because I was around sick people every day (it could get pretty nasty in the elevator) I was/am pretty healthy and I DID get a reaction to the vaccine for a couple days, basically a very mild form of the flu (fever, muscle/joint pain, weakness), but I did not get the full flu. Was it worth it? I don't know. This one seems to be no more transmissive or deadly than any other flu. Now that terrorists and global warming are forgotten, we have a new crisis. I am getting cynical in my old age, but it would interesting to see which drug companies are profiting from this.
I think there is some debate as to whether this is more deadly. The scariest stat I saw was You are 1 in 100000 to get the virus IF YOU GET IT YOur are 1 in 100 to die.
oh, and as I've had some sushi today with tuna on it for lunch, I guess I'm not that concerned about minute quantities of mercury, or thimerosol for that matter.
Where did you get those stats from? Even from your own attachment, the stats show: What the media fails to mention(on purpose) is of those that died, 70% of those had previous medical conditions. As we all are deeply sadened by the 13 yr old who passed away recently, given time, I'm sure they will have found he had previous medical condition or one that they were unaware of(ie. heart issue). They describe the differences between HINI and a cold, not seasonal flu and HINI, or else there would be no difference other than the symptoms are felt stronger.
An article in The Post today has the W.H.O. stating that there have been a whopping 117 deaths WORLDWIDE so far. What's the current world population? I realize this may still be in its infancy but still... As a side note 36,000 die of regular flu in the USA every year.
Brilliant. Drug company sells +100 million doses. After it all been said and done (and paid for), in the Spring, what was accomplished? Was the flu "pandemic" stopped? There is no way of knowing since you can't prove something that didn't happen, athough they will take credit for it. Just like: "Look at all the money we spent stopping terrorists, it was totally worth it. There has be no terrorist activity lately right? You are welcome!" Same game, different players. If the vaccine doesn't work? Simply say that the virus mutated to a different strain.
just like they did for all those other non-existent germs that we get vaccinated for, which has eradicated diseases in the developed world for decades. Those same diseases that kill thousands of people in poorer nations, that don't have access to those vaccines. ARe those the ones you are talking about? Those evil companies whose drugs don't work?
Boys....boys...boys.... #-o What's your chance of smackin' a tree or doing a "head plant" this weekend? Ain't no vaccine or cure for what courses through our veins ...
H1N1, best tool yet: the same as all flu's: -wash hands frequently -keep hands away from face, especially eyes and nose -don't sneeze on others =P~
I could not get the vaccine fast enough. I still did not get it, it is not available for me (not high risk), but 3 members of my family go the shot (high risk group). I am skeptical about vaccinations, but this bug seems to kills people at a higher rate than normal influenza, oh and by the way the bug seems to kill kids; I have two of them. When I die I am hoping that my kids will live and have to put me in the ground. Best regards,
This strain of the A/H1N1 seems to be pretty innocuous. According to the WHO there are between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths annually over the last few years caused by the ‘seasonal’ flu (strains A/H3N2 , A/H1N1 and B) with H1N1 being the smallest contributor. As of yesterday there have been only 6054 deaths attributable to H1N1 for all of 2009 (includes spring). 669 of those have been in the last week and 474 of those in North America (NA). It is estimated that the infection rate will peak in the next 10-15 days after which the threat will essentially be gone. Unless it gets its act in gear, it will still be the smallest contributor to annual flu deaths. It was pointed out in an interview between the CBC and the CMOH of London, ON. that the number of vaccine doses available this year will likely not exceed 10% of the requirement in NA (less than 1% WW) and they will arrive too late to be of any real use in abating the situation. His main concern is that information collected from the vaccination clinics indicates that the majority of doses are going to those that are not in the highest risk categories. Don’t you love human greed? From my reading of the information available, you are about 95% more likely to die of ‘seasonal’ flu than H1N1 in particular. In any case, by the time all the highest risk folks have had their doses, the risk will have passed.
All I know is three kids from toronto to london have died within about a week. Not from the shot, from the H1N1 bug. Easy decision, get the vaccine. By me getting the shot, I help protect my kid, and my kid gets the shot to protect himself. Done deal.
Luckily my kids' (4 year old twins) pediatrician is giving the shots, so we got the kids done there - in and out in less than an hour, including walking around for 15 minutes afterwards to make sure there wasn't a bad reaction. Are people over-reacting? Probably, but since my daughter has pretty bad asthma, it was a no brainer for her to get it. Since we were already there, we got our son done too. My wife hopes to have hers done through work. Unfortunately, I heard 2 separate reports of people waiting 6 hours in line to get the vaccine at the high school around the corner from our house. I don't think it was all that clear that only people in high risk groups should be going to these clinics, so I'm not sure if it's human greed or the typical miscommunication from the powers that be.
