flu vaccine, for those who do give shots

amother

Wed, Dec 11 2013, 9:33 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22423139 -- 4x greater risk of non-flu respiratory infections in kids who got the vaccine (inactive trivalent shot) than kids who got the placebo

http://www.plosmedicine.org/ar.....00258 -- 1.5-2.5x more susceptible to getting the H1N1 illness after receiving the vaccine

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20614424 -- lack of efficacy in vaccine, main benefit is in helping people return to work quicker if they get the flu, but does not help with the complications that people fear. It still has risks, including GBS which is not something I'd wish on anyone

I think for the most part excluding those who do not vaccinate from this discussion has resulted in postings supporting blindly following the mainstream protocol. It's those who think twice about vaccination in general who usually have spent time researching each vaccine and disease. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with trusting your doctor, but the whole discussion is completely skewed since it seems like most people here have not actually looked into it. I can see why someone would choose to vaccinate in general. I cannot see why someone who has looked into this particular vaccine would automatically assume it's the best way to prevent illness.

Interesting, thank you for posting. My dilemma is that I'm TTC, and I want the shot beforehand, as there is now research that suggests that flu, or high fever during pregnancy may slightly increase chances of autism (I have one child on the spectrum, so it is a concern).

So, I thought: Simple, just get the shot before getting pregnant....
Well, now from the research you quoted, it seems that the shot may protect against flu, but may increase chances of flu like illness....
Back to square one for me....

amother

Wed, Dec 11 2013, 10:41 am

In general I do vaccinate, but warily. For example - I'm now trying to decide if I will comply with the new decision in Israel to vaccinate 8th grade girls in school against HPV. I'm leaning toward skipping it for my younger DD who is now in 7th grade because I'm not convinced of its efficacy or its vital necessity and I've heard of the potential risks and side effects.
We never get flu shots because of everything that has been recounted here and my overall philosophy is 'the less the better' unless there is an overriding reason. B"h we are all healthy and I have always 'poo-poooed' the flu.
Well, last winter 3 members of my household, including DH got the flu and developed severe cases of pneumonia as a result. It is possible that it was swine flu but we are not certain. One DD would have been hospitalized when she didn't respond to the antibiotic but since occupancy at the Jerusalem area hospitals was way over capacity the doctors decided to try another oral antibiotic beforehand and thankfully she responded.
DH unfortunately developed asthma (at the age of 50) as a result of the pneumonia which, according to the lung specialist, he will now have for the rest of his life. It took him months to regain his strength once he recovered. The kids each missed several weeks of school. I had to hire a tutor to help prepare my older DD take her math Bagrut because she missed so much material and fell behind. DH, who is self-employed, missed out on a number of lucrative assignments while he was ill and convalescing.
I was a basket case from worrying and not sleeping and caring for 3 very sick patients one after another for a period of well over a month and consider it a miracle that I didn't get sick too.
Bottom line -when it came time to get flu shots this year, guess who was there the very first week it was offered! Yes, there are risks to the vaccine (and I'm still not comfortable with the idea) but they a long-shot, if you'll pardon the pun. The probability of contracting the flu is much higher, and as I saw first hand last year, it is no walk in the park and can have lasting implications too. Better to avoid it if at all possible or to have an attenuated, rather than a full blown case with complications.

amother

Wed, Dec 11 2013, 10:59 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Please go with your gut and do not get your daughter vaccinated for HPV if she is not at risk. Extremely high side risk profile, extremely low chance of 1)getting HPV in a monogamous relationship 2)getting a strain covered by the vaccine 3)getting it and not having it discovered in a pap smear. I do not think it will be a life-saving tool for most girls. And it very likely is harmful instead.

Those are my exact considerations. The decision here was preceded by a widely publicized debate bt. health officials on the matter and it is still regarded as controversial. At this point I do not think I will have her take the vaccine nor will I give it to my older DD.

vintagebknyc

Wed, Dec 11 2013, 11:28 am

amother wrote:

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

and so then why, since the advent of the vaccine, has the HPV rate plummeted?

pap smear, which if positive can lead to a colposcopy, which can in rare cases lead to a weak cervix which can lead to... miscarriages, etc.

I think the whole attitude about this will change when our sons start sleeping with girls with HPV, and then they get penile cancer.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Dec 11 2013, 12:08 pm

There is a risk with all things. The question is what is riskier: the slim possibility of contracting something that a vaccine could have prevented in an individual case that will then lead to complications or the known possibility of side effects when giving a vaccine. Nothing is a slam dunk, and one should have personal choice as to what is in their child's best interest.

BTW, many people are not aware of this, but there are several high-risk cancer-causing strains of HPV not covered by the vaccine. One is just as much at risk for these as for the others. And not only that, but there is documented evidence that people have a false assurance after getting the vaccine they are protected and therefore actually having pap smears less often.

Bruria

Wed, Dec 11 2013, 7:50 pm

MaBelleVie wrote:

I do vaccinate, and I don't give flu shots. For all the reasons that HY mentioned- there is simply not enough evidence that its efficacy will override the possible side effects. I know someone personally who had Guillain-Barre due to a flu shot. This is not some conspiracy link, it is something that the treating doctors very matter of factly stated.

My niece had Guillan-Barret syndrome and it was believed to be related to the flu shot given to her. She was paralyzed from the waist down for 3 months , and that's because she was lucky!! Some people die of this syndrome. Saddest thing!! I give all the vaccines and this one I don't, especially after what happened to my niece. And there was not a single case of this syndrome in the family before her.

Think1st

Mon, Jan 20 2014, 9:43 pm

morah wrote:

First of all, the flu shot is not new. The problem is, they have to change it every year because the flu evolves rapidly and they have to guess every year ahead of the season which kind of flu it's going to be. Because of this, the flu shot is not as effective as other vaccines, BUT it is effective enough that even if you do get the flu, it won't be as bad as without the shot. There can be a reaction, so the doctor will ask you to stay in the office for about 10 minutes just in case. There is very, very tiny infantesimal chance of a serious reaction, but all vaccines have that, it's a risk.The benefits of these vaccines far outweigh the risk IMO.

The flu, you need to remember, is not just a bad cold. it can be deadly. In 1918, the flu killed 30 million people. Even today, something like 20,000 people in America die from the flu every year. It's no joke. We all get the shot. My baby is too young to get it, so it was even more important for my family this year, in order to protect the baby.

Where is your proof ?

Maybe it will be worse than without the shot ?

Did you ever read the insert ? warning serious side effects 6 weeks later

amother

Tue, Jan 21 2014, 12:28 am

amother wrote:

Follow up: Younger DD, who had double pneumonia as a flu complication last year was just diagnosed with asthma, like her father so I now have 2 asthmatics in the family. She has been short of breath after exertion for a while since last winter but we only pursued the asthma diagnosis now because her gym teacher recommended we do. We can't be certain that her case was indeed a direct result of the pneumonia like DH's but there is a good chance.