Flu Vaccinations - Citrus Heights,CA

I've gottne the flu shots for my girls since they were born, they are now 2.5 and 4.5 years. With respects the H1N1 vaccine I was hesitant at first, however, the little girl Alexis whom passed away in Vacaville last Sunday was my niece, this prompted me to get my children vaccinated right away. I feel the benefits far outweigh the negatives of this vaccine, as I am living the alternative. There is a huge grey area with the Swine Flu that Dr's do not understand, my niece did not have any of the respitory problems typcially associated and only had a mild fever. She still passed away. I would urge you to get your children vaccinated with both..go for the booster for the Flu shot too. Just my 2 cents.

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In addition to being the mom to two elementary school children, I am also an RN. I am currently working in two different flu vaccine clinics, so I have both perspectives. (Please note that the information I am giving is from personal experience and you should consult your own physician for confirmation).

First, I can tell you that studies have shown that the child's immature immune system is incapable of building full immunity to the flu virus with a single dose in one season on first exposure. If you don't get the second dose this year, your Healthcare Worker will continue to recommend two doses each year until your child reaches 8 years or until you get a second dose in the same flu season.

Second, to address the fast track concerns, the H1N1 vaccines are being manufactured by 4 of the 5 companies making this year's seasonal flu. They ar using the same process with the same ingredients as the seasonal flu. They are simply inserting a different strain into the culture. Since it is only a single strain (seasonal vaccines include 3 strains) which appears to be milder than the strains in the current seasonal vaccines.

When I took my children in, their birthmother refused to let them be vaccinated. The girls had a horrible cough that lasted weeks when they moved in and the baby was sick most of her first year of life. We started vaccinations when the baby was almost a year old. Both girls have been much healthier since catching up with the vaccinations. THey have the seasonal flu vaccine each year. We have not had the H1N1 vaccine available for them yet this year. When it is available, I expect to have them immunized.

In the end, you need to make an informd decision about what is best for your child.

Good luck.

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People have been getting flu shots for years with little controversy. Then the swine flu emerges and all of a sudden people don't trust flu shots any more. Why would the swine flu shot be any less safe than any other flu shot? Flu shots have been safe for years, and they're still safe. The medical community knows how to make flu shots by now, for pete's sake.

I don't care how strong someone's immune system is: when a person is exposed to a virus they've never encountered before, they get sick. Then the immune system slowly cures them, in most cases. That is the biological reality of it. Eating healthy, as suggested below, is great, but it does not exempt people from contracting disease.

Stacy, I'm so sorry about your little niece.

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GET BOTH SHOTS! 100 kids have already died of the swine flu.

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The only "new" part of the H1N1 vaccine is the particular strain of virus that is in it. The method that they use to make the vaccine is EXACTLY THE SAME as the method they use to make the seasonal flu vaccine. So even though the specific H1N1 vaccine has not had years of human testing, flu vaccines in general have.

If you think about it, each year the seasonal flu vaccine is a "new" vaccine in that the strains of virus used are different - since the flu vaccine mutates fairly rapidly they try to predict what strains are going to be prevalent each year and make the vaccine to protect against those strains.

My daughter had her first seasonal shot (although her pediatrician's office apparently doesn't have enough vaccine right now to give her a second dose), and we're going to get her the H1N1. My husband and I are going to get our seasonal shots, and we are going to ask for the H1N1 shot.

Here's a link to a good article that explains why the vaccine is safe:

http://www.telegram.com/article/20091025/NEWS/910250379/0...

Good luck keeping your family healthy!

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I too was somewhat concerned about the H1N1 vaccine, so I called my pediatrician. He highly suggested it and said it was the same type of shot as the "regular" flu shots given every year (I think he called it type A). If available, I'm planning on getting it for my two sons.

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Controversial subject for sure. Let me start by saying this is your decision and yours alone. At the end of the day, you have to do what feels right for you and the health of your child. Now, with all due respect, let me play devil's advocate for a moment...

Here are two links worth exploring:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4MIm1mB7GM&feature=yo...

The first...interesting what is said about chronically ill children, vaccinations and possibly why older people may not be succeptible to H1N1; they may have been exposed to a similar strain as children and built immunity naturally - the BEST way! Really the ONLY way.

The second... about Desiree Jennings, a perfectly healthy and beautiful girl and what happened to her after her flu shot. Scary!

The swine flu vaccination that the government is pushing to market has not even been given clinical trials on humans. You don't want this in your body. You don't want this in the body of your kids. We, as consumers and parents, have no idea what long term effects/risks there are.

It is never just the vaccination, it is the chemical reaction caused by your unique genetic chemistry when it comes in contact with the vaccination. Perfectly harmless for most, but how do you ever really know? Vaccines are not a "one size fits all;" how can an infant or toddler's body possibly tolerate the same dosage as 6ft, 240lb, grown male?

In case you are wondering about my decision for my own two beautiful children, they began their life being vaccinated. When it came time for the controversial MMR, I couldn't do it. You see, I truly believe that a chemical reaction occurs in the body and given the fact that my husband is adopted and we have no idea about his genetic identity or history, it is just a risk I was not willing to take. It really is a personal decision.

Erring on the side of caution doesn't always mean going with the "flow" of the medical community, regardless of how much experience they have making vaccines. They also make mistakes. As all humans do.

Just my own personal observation - but isn't it ironic how ever since the pandemic of H1N1 hit the airwaves, we have heard nothing about West Nile Virus? What? Wasn't that a major threat to healthy Americans? Must not be a problem anymore. Don't believe the hype.

That's all. I am stepping off my soap box. All the best to you with whatever decision you choose; if you believe in your heart and mind that it is in the best interest of your family, then it is the right one. Stand firm in your conviction and don't let anyone make you feel guilty for your choice :)

Have a blessed day!
G.

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The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not
so much of a problem as proliferation is.While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1
infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced.

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has
the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti(very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm
salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C(Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Also there's this from Dr. Mercola:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...#

Be informed!! Not scared.
♥♥♥♥

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I have no background to give advice. I asked health professionals I trust and decided to get both. My babies have had the two seasonal flu shots and one dose of the swine flu shot. They go back for the second in a month. I was surprised to get the second shot for the seasonal flu along with the first shot for swine flu at the same time, but the babies did fine as advised. That's what I did.

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Good Morning H.: It is :30 am Ca. time, and I just got woken up by my son to say that his wife has the flu and can I watc the children. She may have gotten it from simple contact from shaking hands in the business place.
I know that htere are many doom and gloom people out there, going on about these vaccinations.
I have a child now 23, that has Aspberger's Syndrome, which is part of the Autism,family. I know that this was not caused by any shots he may have had. Because his ere spaced out over 16 months as he spent so much time in the hospital for other reasons.I also know that without his vaccinations he would have had other more serious problems because we have many people fom many lands that live here in the Bay Area, that have not had shots for the childen and it is causing problems in some areas. So consider carefully what ever you decide and don't be totally influenced by the nay sayers.
I know that we have all had ou regular flu shot this yer, and as soon as we can because of trouble with Asthma, we will get the swine shot.
I don't always trust the Surgeon General, I don't always trust the companies that are developing these things, but I will trust that if my child is at stake I will chance on the sideof caution. Be Wise and Careful, Nana Glenda

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Hello H.,

A hot topic indeed! I live in a city who just experienced the death of a wonderful and healthy 6 year old girl. Her cause of death has not been confirmed by the coroner, but she was sick with the H1N1 virus.

You would think that as a mother of a 3 and 5 year old that I would run out instantly and get the vaccine, but I have made the choice not to. Our family has never had flu shots and I have chosen not to because these shots still contain heavy neurotoxins and preservatives. Someone responded that -every year people get flu shots, but now with the swine flu, people question getting it- it is fact that around 40% of the population actually DO NOT get flu shots every year.

It is a decision that you should make for you and your family after careful consideration and research. On one hand you have an aggressive virus that has fell ill many otherwise healthy children and on the other hand the #1 medically-recommended method to avoid getting it is a toxic vaccine. Please weigh your options. And know that you have support either way.

Also, food for thought: Every year, including this year with H1N1, there is a percentage of the population that do not get vaccinated for reasons such as severe allergies to eggs or other ingredients in the shot, religious belief, prior severe reaction to the shot, or especially right now the shot is unavailable to them (we currently only have 1 hospital who has the H1N1 vaccine available to its members).

What does this population do as an alternative to protect themselves? We've all read or heard the words before: wash your hands or use an alcohol based cleaner. Avoid touching your face. Avoid contact with sick people. Also try therapies that boost your immune system to protect you naturally: exercise daily, increase your leafy greens, limit sugar as it is the #1 immunity fighter, look into echinacea, golden seal, garlic etc. You could also add chiropractic or acupuncture to the list to name a few.

Even if you are not normally into alternative or holistic therapies that help your boost your body's natural defenses, remember that the vaccine does not seal the deal. You still have 2-4 weeks once you get the shot for full immunity.

Whatever you do, try not to stress too much over the decision. Stress fights your immunity, too! :) Be healthy and best wishes.

M.

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This is a very hot topic right now. Everyone at my work is talking about it, espcially those with young kids. I even talked with my sis-in-law who's son is just a few months older than my daughter - who is 1 yr & 2 mths old.

I personally will have my daughter vaccinated with the H1N1 flu shot. With everything that I have read - yes, it's still new but at the same time, I have not read anyone having any side effects due to the shot. It is a different strain of a flu and that's about it. It's been isolated, so therefore, was able to create a vaccine.

It is a personal choice and I agree with the lady who lost her niece - I don't want to loose my child either. Too many cases of kids dying makes me too uneasy.

This is from the official CDC website:
The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) based on the 122 Cities Report has increased and has been higher than what is expected at this time of year for two weeks. In addition, 11 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported this week; 9 of these deaths were confirmed 2009 H1N1, and two were influenza A viruses, but were not subtyped. Since April 2009, CDC has received reports of 95 laboratory-confirmed pediatric 2009 H1N1 deaths and another 7 pediatric deaths that were laboratory confirmed as influenza, but where the flu virus subtype was not determined.
The percentage of 2009 H1N1 related hospitalizations that occurred among those 0 to 4 years old was 19%; among those 5 years to 18 years was 25%

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Hi Hillary,

I am a mom of three - one almost five year old and twin boys who will be one on Sunday. Historically, I have always vaccinated my children. With my oldest, he has been fully vaccinated. With my twins, I began vaccinations but decided to wait on their vaccinations at their 9 month appointment. Further, no one in our family is getting a flu shot or a swine flu shot. You may wonder what caused a turn-around in my thinking. First, my oldest suffers from a severe peanut allergy and he had a wound on his bottom that would not heal properly. I believe that both of these problems either resulted from or were made worse by vaccinations and by overuse of antibiotics. I've talked to accupuncturists, chiropractors, nutritionalists, moms of autistic kids and medical doctors. I've also done some research on the net. Please go to www.mercola.com, www.nvic.org and www.generationrescue.org. There you will find information about vaccines that you may not get at your doctor's office. Further, there are ways to avoid the flu without vaccination. I saw that someone below had a few good ideas. Another is for everyone to get plenty of Vit. D. The spread of the flu occurs during winter months when there isn't much sunlight. Further, near the equator, there isn't much incidence of flu. So if you can get out in the sun or supplement with Vit. D, that can help ward off the flu. Lastly, if you decide to continue vaccinating yourself and your child, ask your doctor to read the package insert that came with with vaccine. Read it thoroughly before the shots are given. It's funny, when I pick up a prescription, I always read the product information given to me by the pharmacist to see what the risks and side effects are. However, I had never asked for the same information at my doctor's office. But I think I should have. You can also ask them what is in the flu shot. There may be ingredients in there that you don't want in your body or your child's. One such ingredient is thimersal. I know you have a lot of information. Good luck with your decision.

C.

Hi H.~

I know that this can be such a scary decision, but I know that for my family, we are all getting vaccinated. I am currently 5 1/2 months pregnant, and my husband and I are both high school teachers. We have a 10 year old and a soon to be 4 year old. I am at an increased risk because of my pregnancy, and my OB/GYN has highly encouraged all of his patients to get it. He has assured me that he will be having his own kids get it as well. People have this idea that somehow the government is pushing something that is unsafe, but in reality they developed the vaccine the same way they developed the regular flu vaccine, which is why they could do it so fast. The decision is definitely yours, but don't be scared into not getting one. Do your research, talk to your doctor, and make an informed decision. A lot of kids have already died from this. Good luck to you!:)

The H1N1 vaccine is a fast-track vaccine. I know pharmacists who won't get it because of that. There isn't enough testing to know it's true effects and side-effects. Keep your child's immune system strong. Eat healthy whole foods. Restrict sugar if getting sick or around other kids who are sick as sugar depresses the immune system for 5-6 hours after ingesting.

A strong immune system is very important in helping you fight things if exposed. Not everyone gets something just because they are exposed. Otherwise a lot more people would get the flu each year and a lot more people would have gotten the swine flu already.

I just waited an hour and a half on Saturday at the pediatrician's office to get my girls their flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine. For the H1N1, they offered it in a nasal mist which was nice because it was one less painful injection.

I'm a big believer in the flu shots. Any chance you can convince your mom to get one too? They say caregivers should receive one -- although everywhere I go to get one is sold out!

Good luck!

Personally - I chose regular flu vaccinations for my 5 children, I am very wary when it comes to any vaccinations and am not convinced the H1N1 has been tested enough to make me comfortable in getting it. Otherwise, we just do our best to keep clean hands and faces!

Have a great day,
D.

I've researched this along with speaking with my pediatrician and a close friend who is a pediatrician as well. The H1N1 flu shot is the same type of flu shot as the seasonal flu shot, made the same way, just with a different strain. So you shouldn't be concerned with the safety of the shot. Your baby is in the high risk group for the H1N1 flu, and since she'll be around school-age children often, I would definitely get the H1N1 shot as well as the seasonal flu booster. If she were just home with you, you might be able to skip it until she got to an age where she was around other kids more often.

Even if you think she could weather any flu virus just fine, having had the flu along with my 2-yr-old last month I can tell you I would have much preferred getting a shot for both of us (neither shot was available yet when we got it). We were both so miserable for several days, and I had to take off work even longer to keep her home instead of sending her to my mom's (similar part-time situation) where she could have infected grandma & cousins.

I will be getting both flu shots for her, and I'll be getting the seasonal flu shot this week too. I'll try to get the swine flu shot for myself later when the priority groups are done.

Good luck with your decision!

J.

your child is so young both my children have had their mandatory vacines but nothing else...i personally have never had the flu shot and only had the flu 1 in 40 yrs the shots carry mercury as a perservative and just the hep b at birth youd have to be 240lbs to absorb the amount in that shot alone to absorb is safely... check out brasschecktv.com/page/376.html very informative with Robert f Kennedy jr. hope this helps on what u may need and what you may not.

J.

We see here that people have strong opinions on both sides of the coin. I personally don't get flu shots, because every time anyone in our family has gotten them in the past, we've ended up sicker during that year than we do in years when we don't get them. I know someone will say that is just coincidence, but it's a strange coincidence and I just don't want to take my chances with the flu shots. I don't like to tell other people not to get them because I know people who have gotten them and seem to be helped by doing so.
What do you do for yourself? If you've been getting flu shots and not had any bad reactions, I would think it's likely that your daughter will do fine with them too. Each of us is made up differently so I think these things react differently on some of us.
Do be sure you take all the other precautions recommended. Wash your hands often. With such a little one, I'd advise limited public outings... probably good advice for all of us. When you do to a store take along some sort of sanitary wipe to use on the surfaces of the shopping cart before putting your daughter's seat in it. It's a good idea to keep wipes or hand sanitizer with you for emergency cleaning anywhere you go. Avoid being around people who have obvious sneezing, coughing or other symptoms that could indicate flu. Keep your body's resistance high with good food, plenty of liguids and adequate rest (yeah, right! You have an infant.... I know! but do your best on that one)
I hope this helps you with your decision.

I am a firm believer that you have to do what feels right for your family. I only talk about what has worked for me. My kids have been getting seasonal flu shots since they were able and have never had the flu. I am blessed anyway because they rarely get sick as it is. I also have gotten the seasonal flu vaccine every year except one since I've had kids. Guess what - that one year I did not get the shot, I got the flu - but my kids and husband who had been vaccinated did not. I know it wasn't the end of the world, but as a mom on the go, it just made life that much more hectic to say the least, but I was so thankful that it was just me I had to take care of, not other sick kids and husband. So, the seasonal flu shot works for my family.

As for H1N1 I wasn't sure what to do about that until I saw my Pediatrician. I've been with them for 10 years now and they've seen my kids through everything they've come across - some issues more serious than others. I trust them. They recommended that my children get H1N1 because right now all the flu they are seeing is H1N1, not seasonal flu. So 10 days ago they got their first dose of H1N1 nasal spray. They are fine. No reactions, illness, sleeplessness, rashes, etc. They get the second dose in Nov. and will also get seasonal flu with it (as a shot). H1N1 hit our school last week, so we'll see how good that vaccination is in the coming weeks I guess.

Hope that helps. M.

My son is 9 1/2 months old. I asked our pediatrician if he is recommending the swine flu vaccine and he said he's not because it's so new. He has three young children of his own...he and his wife are both Dr.'s and they aren't getting their children the swine flu vaccine and they aren't getting it for themselves either. They are all getting the flu shot though. He recommended the flu shot saying that it has been around for a long time and has a good track record. Another Dr. in our same pediatric group told a friend of mine that she could just get the regular flu shot for her children and at least the kids would have some immunity built up for whatever may be going around. With all that said though, we're not going to get either vaccine...for my husband and I, we both didn't have the flu vaccine for ourselves growing up and we were ok.

I will be waiting in line for it as soon as I can get it for my family. Hopefully all the people who have chosen to not vaccinate will mean that there will be more of it available faster for the rest of us who realize its the same flu shot as the seasonal one except with a different strain. I just really hope the number of deaths from H1N1 doesn't continue to increase at an alarming rate and feel sorry for the children that may suffer. I realize people are justified in noting the side effects and risks of vaccines, however at this point I feel risk from a vaccine is much lower than the H1N1 flu. That being said, your baby is young. So it sounds like you already did all the others. . .I probably would have waited on some of those except DTAP and PC. However, maybe you can just to the H1N1 and skip the 2nd seasonal. That is what I am going to do this year. . . I did delayed alternate schedule vaccines because I do agree that we do too many in too short a time. So I am delaying her 3rd polio, and some other shots and will do the H1N1 now instead. Maybe its been so long since 1918 that people really don't think its possible to have a deadly pandemic?? I like how the anti-vaccine people say that older people have immunity and that is better because they were exposed to H1N1 before and gained natural immunity-- duh they SURVIVED. What about those that didn't?!?!? Read about the pandemic and then decide. Or maybe you think our wonderful modern heathcare system will prevent any deaths. . . except that the death rate is already higher way EARLIER in the flu season. God, I hope I am wrong and that this ends of being nothing, but I will take my changes with a vaccine that is manufactured in practically the same way as the seasonal.
http://1918.pandemicflu.gov/

I feel the same that everyone individual is entitled to their opinions. I personally have my daughter get the regular flu shot but I'm opting out of the swine flu shot. We just really feel that they don't even know enough about the swine flu to have produced a vaccine so fast. Unless your child has pre-existing conditions I don't they are in anymore danger than the rest of us. From what I have heard/read the swine flu deaths are happening in people/children that have other pre-existing conditions before they get the swine flu and that is causing a different outcome.
Again, it's really up to you but just educate yourself on the vaccine and don't feel pressured either way on outside sources.

I was debating this as well......until it came to our school. I took my kids out and had them vaccinated for both seasonal and H1N1. There were 5 kids sick in 1st grade today, and when I walked into the office for a tardy pass, the secretary had a line of kids to take tempertures. I would just rather be safe than sorry. Good Luck....choose what you will be comfortable with!

You have to decide if the risks outweigh the benefits. In our case we felt it was safer to get both the regular Flu (we get the flu shot every year) and the H1N1 shot. Both of my boths have asthma and my youngest has a rapid heart beat. The Swine Flu is known to attack the lungs and in general if my boys get just a cold or even the mild case of the flu they end up in the doctors with lung issues. With both the boys being "medically" fragile the entire family qualified to get the Swine Flu.

My opinion is people are dying from the flu and the swine flu. For some reason the swine flu is hitting the young harder. Anything that we as parents can do to protect our children should be done. We all got the regular flu shot but due to shortages have been unable to get a swine flu shot but as soon as I can we will get it.

As you know vaccinations are always a touchy topic here but I have researched the all the vaccines extensively and we have chosen to do none. That is what works for our family. Even if I did do the regular vaccines I would NOT do the flu shot ever or the swine flu. I think you should research it. Most of the flu (including swine) have mercury and the effectiveness is questionable anyway. Good luck in your decision!

It is a personal choice. If you are afraid and fear has taken over do what you have to. If you can separate the fear propaganda from the reality of the possible disease then you will look further. (The media can skew a chart, and since the pharmaceutical companies stand to make millions and they own the media, GO FIGURE. I choose not to directly inject or inhale toxins in the form of "flu or Swine Flu" virus. Along with dead toxins are mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde and squalene (cause of Gulf Syndrome and myriad immune deficiency diseases) GOOGLE flu vaccine ingredients, and swine flu ingredients. THEN DECIDE.
GOOD LUCK
I am proactive and take EmergenC, and a mineral supplement. ASK any farmer, what does he add to the feed of his animals to assure they do not get sick? MINERALS. Google that also.