toro68

At my work place they are going to offer this H1N1 shot (on the company dime and time), but it will be in the "dead" form , by a needle in the arm. I am going to get it (because it is in the dead form). If it was by nose (live), I would not take it .
I already go tmy flu shot last month.

derek nesdoly

Probably 'cause you folk are short of vaccines,a doc would make a comment like that.As a front-line health care worker that doc[even in the U.S.] was SUPPOSED to get it in order to be healthy& available to treat the ill. GOOD= Stay away from all sicko's BETTER= ++hand washing,cough into sleeve,eat right+/- vitamins BEST= get the vaccination. You know,as I watch all this unfold ,one thing continues to strike me as somewhat bizarre.When I post a question about my 69 442,I usually preface it with an acknowledgement that I really don't know that much about cars,and so I'm welcoming input and direction from all the folk who have such a wealth of auto "smarts." When it comes to medical questions,everyone becomes an expert by a]watching Oprah b]Googling the subject or c] recounting annecdotal stories! Make sure you understand what I`m saying: every person should be an informed patient...we should all base our healthcare decisions on the best available SCIENCE...Nobody should be forced into treatment ûnless it`s required for the public good...but as a physician who came 3rd in the class,has his degree in 4 countries¸încluding the U.S.,and has practiced almost 30 years on 4 continents,PLEASE don`t think you`re going to figure this out watching T.V. or on the Internet.Go to reputable sites recommended by informed physicians,and don`t fall prey to conspiracy theories. There are people who hold very sincere,tho èrroneous viewpoints...witness the `Flat Earth Society...Just my thot`s...Derek

wolfman98

Ok doc you can't prove that the earth is not flat now can you My doc is holding regular flu shot clinics this week and H1N1 flu shot clinics next week.In your esteemed expert opinion( which I do honestly respect) should people be getting both? My doc which I saw yesterday is much like you he has practiced in 3 countries for 25 years and works way ,way , way too hard. He asked if I would be in to get the H1N1 shot and I told him I did not intend to because of being "low risk" he told me that with this virus no one can be considered low risk as it affects all age groups and people of all ages have died with the virus. True?

Dan Wirth

I was listening to National Public Radio yesterday and they were talking about H1N1. People of all ages can get this flu, but younger children are especially susceptible because they have not yet built up their immune system as have adults.

It was also mentioned that people born prior to 1950 have a better chance of not catching H1N1 because of the various strains since.

Quite frankly, I think it's a giant crap-shoot. Aside from getting the vaccine, stay away from crowds, use alcohol wipes for the shopping cart handles at the supermarket/grocery and use an alcohol based hand sanitizer if you go out (especially before eating).

Keep your hands away from your mouth and face is the first thing I'd tell the kids, as well as wash your hands before you eat with warm soapy water - better yet, buy them a small bottle of hand sanitizer!

A study was done on alcohol based hand sanitizers about 7-8 years ago. They won hands down over soap in killing germs. In the same study, plain old Ivory soap was better than than the anti-bacterials you commonly see at the stores. You have to wonder if the info were being feed on this matter of soap types is factual.

442garage

I would like to weigh in on this topic, and although I would advise all of you to heed Derek's thoughts, I also realize that there will always be some of the general population who will choose to believe untruths because they are misinformed, uneducated, in denial, or just plain stubborn. I have over 30 years in the health care arena providing emergency care to individuals so I believe I have the credentials to comment on this topic. I don't believe Derek has mentioned that most of the deaths associated with H1N1 have occurred in previously young and healthy individuals with no cormorbid risks. The reason for this is this sometimes happens with new viruses. One theory is that young people, who have strong immune systems, mount a particularly vigorous response to new viruses. Unfortunatey, there is a potential side effect to the immune system's response. The body releases dangerous levels of signaling proteins, called "cytokines", which can damage the lungs. This is called a Cytokine Storm. This results in the release of more than 150 inflammatory mediators. The end result of this is what we call ARDS (Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome which causes subsequent damage to alveoli and lung tissue and results in the lethality seen in more severe viral flu infections. Those of us that are older, such as myself, have had time to mount an immunity to certain subsets of this virus. And in fact,forms of this virus have existed in this country since 1976.

derek nesdoly

YES

derek nesdoly

Just keep on washing those hands with SOMETHING! Heck,5W30 might work!

derek nesdoly

Well said pardner!! This PARTICULAR H1N1 virus however has some very unique and dangerous characteristics.Last year's H1N1 strain[Brisbane] was fairly innocuous.This one is a] Extremely contagious i.e. easily spread...even tho' usually it's not especially virulent i.e. deadly,and b] it has the peculiar ability to,unlike regular respiratory viruses, head immediately down from the upper airways ,to the lower tracts and lungs,which is why when you get more than just the regular flu symptoms with this one,you usually end up in the I.C.U. or dead in short order. Thanks for letting me talk about this stuff folks...'cause I don't have a hell of a lot to offer by way of auto advice!!

Dan Wirth

Nah, 5W-30 just doesn't work for me...prefer the hard stuff w/ ZDDP.

z11375ss

OK, here's a sticky question. What are you guys (and gals) going to do if the gummint mandates you have the shot? Don't think it can't happen. Your thoughts, please.

Dan Wirth

If mandated, I would get the shot. I'm leaning strongly towards it anyway (I did receive a flu shot about a month ago, as well as the 5 year pneumonia/strep vaccination, but these I don't consider a safe guard for the H1N1 - I was born prior to 1950, so I may be in better shape for not catching this virus - or so I've heard it said on NPR).

I especially feel this shot is important for the grand kids. Young children are typically filthy creatures that don't care about hygiene, eating and drinking after one another, touching everything of interest, sitting at desks with chewing gum under the seats, etc. I think they are at the highest risk (in my non-expert opinion) and my grand kids are always coming down with something that makes their parents sick.

My442

I had H1N1 about 3 weeks ago. Still have a bad cough.

2 other people had it in my department.

It was not any worse than the regular flu, but it was no picnic.

Ice

My dad taught me to just wear my hat outside at all times once the weather starts to cool. Even if it warms up for a day, to wear the hat. Do it all winter and even on warm days in the spring until a day I can just sense which usually happens in late April. I very rarely come under the weather and when I do it's right after I forget to wear my hat outside.

jslabotsky

Why does somebody always have to go this direction? I'll drink a quart of 30w if it becomes required of all citizens. There are just far too may reasons it won't happen.

The CDC is in a no-win situation. There was a period of time, which a great many folks seem to conveniently forget, when the CDC were the ones downplaying the severity of H1N1 for all but those considered high risk (i.e. pregnant women and small children). That was followed by an outcry that 'da' gubmint' wasn't doing its job to protect us - that they were downplaying it to cover some alleged lack of preparedness for an outbreak. (Completely ignoring the practicalities of how the vaccine is produced, shelf life, etc.)

The reason government officials are being so forceful in their advocacy of the shot is to avoid being accused of not doing enough to protect citizens. But NOBODY with any actual authority has suggested making it mandatory.

My take on it is that any alleged risks of having the shot (which have yet to be proven by any rigorous study) are FAR outweighed by the risks of complications resulting from H1N1. I haven't been vaccinated yet and I don't plan to wait in line for it. When and if it becomes convenient for me to get vaccinated, I will do so. Being as I am not in a high risk category, I am content to wait.

On the other hand, my pregnant wife and 4-year-old daughter have damn sure been vaccinated. If something happened to them that I could have prevented with a simple vaccination, I'd never forgive myself. And there is NO actual evidence that any harm will come to them from the vaccinations.

In short: There is no bogeyman.

68conv455

We won't be getting the shot. It's all a null point since the virus is ripping through CT now and the shot is not available here anyway. I expect it to be through my house in the next week as many of my kids friends are home now with it. I've got a 14, 12, and 6 yr. old. I'm not overly worried. My 6 yr. old is running a low grade fever tonight. I'll know by morning what the deal is.

agtw31

lead singer of smashing pumpkins says it's a scam to sell more drugs

i bet his dealer told him that.

z11375ss

I bet he bought more right then too. I'm just suspicious of every damn thing now. Can't help it. I wish I thought the gummint had our best interest in mind and not what they think is good for us but not them, meaning congress. I for one will not be getting vaccinated. One of my kids had a flu last week. No one else in the house got sick. I work in a trading pit and it is ripping through there like a wildfire. All young guys with young kids. If I croak from this I'll haunt you guys in your sleep. I'll be the guy beating you by a fender in a Chebby.

wolfman98

H1N1 is basically the same as most of the flu's that we have each year in that it can be picked up through the air from someone close coughing or sneezing and from touching anything that a sick person has previosly touched . But there is a difference in how it affects people and who it affects. People die from flu every year but most are in the high risk groups such as small children who have not built up antibodies in their systems to fight flu's or old and sick people who have diminished ability of fighting viruses. H1N1 can affect everyone because it is a strain of flu we have not seen for a long , long time and most people do not have defenses for it. There have been a lot of people with this newest flu and quite a few people have died from it. The suprising thing is that healthy kids and young adults are among those in numbers that is uncommon for any recent flu seasons. plus more people than average have died from it because of the fact that it can affect healthy people adversly. It is not the plague but it is something to be taken seriously , especially if you have a family that comes in contact with large groups.Most of the time it will just be a bad flu but remember that there always is that 1%

derek nesdoly

To keep things in perspective,there have been </= 5500 deaths from THIS H1N1 WORLDWIDE. The regular seasonal flu kills about 32,000 people every year in N.AMERICA alone!! ....p.s. don't forget to keep our economy strong by continuing to eat CANADIAN back bacon...D

wolfman98

That's why I stated that there is always that 1% but that was figurative cause I have no idea what the #'s actually are , but they are small.

Dan Wirth

If these numbers are correct, then why is there so much stir? 5500 deaths worldwide since H1N1 began... The numbers are significant, but in comparison to seasonal flu, it's not in the same magnitude. Perhaps we should be taking this statistic as relatively good news.

wolfman98

Well it is still very early in the flu season here so I think getting people to at least be consious of the virus is good. Things to avoid spreading flu by coughing into your sleeve plus constantly washing hands and mostly staying home when you are sick will all help somewhat to minimize it's affects.

442garage

derek nesdoly

Scary thing is,they just had the first reported case of a CAT catching H1N1 from being kissed by it's infected owner[Canadian Veterinary Journal,Nov./09].To me, the H1N1 part is not as scary as wondering what the owner might "catch" knowing what that cat's tongue can reach during it's self-cleaning!!