Will you have the swine flu vaccination or will you refuse to have it?

No becuase the men in black have put some mind control compound in it!

'Refuse to have it' sounds like it's going to be forced on people. It's in effect the same as having a 'normal' flu jab. I haven't had one of those but have just had flu. Just because you get jabbed doesn't mean you won't get flu unfortunately otherwise everyone would have it done. These bugs are always mutating anyway so one jab may work for one strain but won't for any of the thousands of others.

Seems totally pointless unless you are in the 'at risk' group who have underlying conditions that mean flu can kill. Generally fit, healthy adults are unlikely to be affected seriously and I'd rather the drugs were kept for those that really need them.

I probably will have it but only because of where I work. Although I don't have a lot of patient contact my work area is very close to the treatment rooms and I think it's best for their/my health if I don't contract a potentially serious illness which could be passed on to someone already in fragile health.

I also get the regular flu jab and wash my hands frequently for the same reasons.

My family just went through a flu. Littluns were not in a good way. It was miserable for them. I'll get it so I do not spread to kids and other vulnerable memebers of society.

No - because I don't get a normal flu vaccination, never mind a vaccination for something thats a lot milder than the normal bugs this time of year.

It is not much milder. I know a perfectly healthy person taken out for 3 weeks with this as it caused pneumonia. 9 days out so far for my family but should be good by Monday.

People do not realise how much of a killer the flu is ordinarily.

Interesting theory.

Not sure if this is the same for Australia, but in the UK when the vaccine is developed, it will be tested on between 200 and 400 people. It is planned to start the vaccination campaign BEFORE the results of this initial testing are known though.

This sounds to me like the first people who receive this vaccine are effectively taking part in a vaccine trial, no?

The first people here who will get vaccinated are pregnant women, children and the most vulnerable people (healthwise). Nobody knows what the effects will lbe on a fetus, nor on anybody else really. Nobody knows what the long-term effects of the vaccine could be.

I just wouldn't let my children take part in any medical trial, for drugs or vaccines.

I know that some people have had a rotten time of it with swine flu, but it still is a mild illness for the majority, in fact a lot of people don't have any symptoms at all!

Of course, if it does mutate into a very serious illness - and that is a guess made by some experts, not an prediction by the way - the the whole balance of risk changes.

I sympathise.

We are on day 18 - started with DS1 who was seriously ill for 10 days, DD then got it and she has been ill for a good week. DH and DS2 started feeling ill yesterday. They are both extremely ill today. I couldn't believe my eyes that my 4 year old stayed in bed today until after 2pm!!! DH cannot get out of bed.

All that's left is for me to get my dose of this lovely flu and then hopefully we are done for the season.

Doesn't help that the doctor won't swab us - he reckons that Influenza A and Swine Flu are treated exactly the same way and because none of us have any current underlying bronchial issues, he wouldn't precribe us ARV's anyway.

Back to the question. Although my knee jerk reaction was to tick the "yes" I would vaccinate, I actually think I probably wouldn't on the basis that these viruses mutate all the time.

Good luck and I hope you have plenty of panadol in stock.

Hopefully by the time the virus mutates the general population will have enough resistance to prevent the way it is spreading now.

It sounds terrible but I found the easy bit was when the kids were that sleepy. Then they get enough energy to show how miserable they are and boy do they let you know.

To be honest it sounds to me like you guys have 'normal' flu. Swine flu is a lesser evil (whilst still not nice). There's stacks of the normal kind around and the one that's around this area at the moment is a really nasty version.

Well, here we go, the swine flu vaccination is underway in the UK. I'm still undecided about getting it...hmmm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8317212.stm

At the docs yesterday for a repeat prescription. He asked if I wanted the jab, said no, no point, he clicked the bit on the computer and said nothing. He did nag me about my pap smear though

I will stick to my usual flu jab - I have no intention of getting the swine flu vaccine.

Several people at work have had it and tested positive, they got over it. Even with my asthma, I am fully confident I would fight it off.