gryphea

I read this article about this poor man whose 8yr old son is immunocompromised due to leaukemia. Ordinary flu would be likely to kill him, and his father can't now get a shot (he is his son's only carer and couldn't line up for 6 hrs with his son in the first few days. To me that isn't right and as Jingsamichty said to let healthy albertans trample each other whilst the sick ones who need it aren't physcially able to line up like that- well its madness- and I hope they learn their lessons for the next disease, eg Avian flu etc

Steve_P

It appears they are learning the lesson albeit a little late and they still have a ways to go.

There are so many inconsistencies it's absolutely mind boggling, and the minister who is ultimately responsible just shrugs his shoulders and says it's not his fault.

Ozzidoc

I am in a high risk group. I have had both the H1N1 and the regular flu vaccines.

I wasn't fussed one way or the other about having the regular flu shot, but definitely concerned about the H1N1 one.


The child's reaction mentioned earlier must have been very alarming for all people involved. Such delayed, transient reactions are common in both children and adults. (I participate in a UK-based doctor's forum, and many doctors have reported feeling similarly unwell and similar events following their own jabs.)

The retroscope is however a great tool, and I feel that the parents certainly did the right thing in having medical input.

gryphea

I find it amazing that he's still in place. I did read a canadian news article yesterday about how the UK have a political resignation culture and how he wouldn't be in place over there but still managing to hang on here.

Its mind boggling- if its not his fault well then he should be fired for not realising he should have an input, quite frankly its either his action and should be fired or his absolute inaction and poor management and should be fired.

Its partly down to this weird right wing philosophy in Alberta, whereby you have the right to do whatever you like and freedom to line up for vaccines denying others the right is a basic freedom. A bit like driving whilst on mobile phones, sod everyone else you have the right to do whatever you like!

From a purely financial perspective rolling the vaccine out to groups that are less likely to take up expensive hospital time, whilst effectively denying it to those that are way more likely to end up in hospital is ridiculous. Its very very poor management of public resources and for that reason he should definatly go..

pinkkristen

Thats interesting, thanks...i will look more into that.

MikeUK

Its BS when you only read part of the data


When this part is also included

"A prototype or "mock" vaccine was developed in the pre-pandemic period using another strain of influenza virus, the H5N1 strain. During this period Health Canada inspected the vaccine manufacturing facilities, validated the vaccine production process, and reviewed results from both animal and human studies with the mock vaccine. In addition, the safety and effectiveness of the adjuvant to be used with the vaccine was assessed by Health Canada. Once the H1N1 virus emerged as the pandemic virus, the manufacturer initiated vaccine production using the strain recommended by the WHO.

The following data was used to support approval of Arepanrix™ H1N1:

Quality (chemistry and manufacturing) data on the vaccine manufacturing process to support the strain change from H5 to H1,
Information from non-clinical (animal studies) and clinical studies in humans conducted with Arepanrix™ and Pandemrix™, a similar H1N1 pandemic vaccine manufactured by GSK in Germany, and
Safety and other data from the review of the prototype H5N1 vaccine.
Data from clinical trials that became available globally during the authorization process using similar or related pandemic vaccines were also considered. Further clinical studies and surveillance will continue post-authorization."

Granted this particular vaccine in its H1N1 from hasn’t been fully tested, but its H5N1 counterpart has, the adjuvant has, and very similar H1N1 vaccine by another supplier has been tested as well as taking into consideration tests done by other countries

That IMHO is enough due diligence faced with a pandemic to release this vaccine publicly

gryphea

I am not sure its the case that the adjuvant has been tested on children, especially in the 3months to 35 months range or the 10-17 range.

That doesn't mean I don't necessarily agree with your last statement - but merely that it is wrong to say it has been fully tested.

But some people , with no pre-existing conditions, will look at the trial data and the post-market test data and the paucity of knowledge long-term effects and decide that its not for them. Doesn't mean rolling out the vaccine wasn't the best thing to do, in terms of mass population, I agree with you.

sharkus

I'm not getting the shot. Why not? Oh, a few reasons.
I don't fancy standing line for many, many hours. If the line-ups are bad enough for "high priority" cases, imagine what they will be like for the general release.

I've never had the flu shot since coming here and certainly never had it in the UK whilst an adult, and I'm fairly sure my mother never took me to get one when I was a child.

I do have mild asthma and so I could be considered on the "high risk" list, but even still I'm not going to get it. I have a good friend in the UK who is also asthmatic and he actually did contract H1N1, but he's still alive and kicking. He got onto Tamiflu (sp?) once it was confirmed and apart from feeling like death warmed up for the better part of a week he was fine.

I personally don't think it's any more serious than the regular seasonal flu and the media is, as is it's want, whipping the public into a frenzy over this. If we were seeing ≥10 people dying of it daily in, ooh, a few downtown Toronto hospitals, and they were the mid-spectrum types then I'd be a little more concerned.

I am curious to know what, if any, underlying medial issues the 13yr old lad from Etobicoke had. I've not seen anything about that reported. I do recall there being some mention of him being asthmatic, but I could be wrong on that point. As mention this as, to me, this is one of the dew cases where a normal person has contracted and died of H1N1, and very quickly I might add. I think he reported feeling ill on the Thursday evening and died by early Saturday/Sunday.

MikeUK

it was in the local news.... ironicly it was mild asthma

Bellanova

Thankyou

Bellanova

Actually its down to personal choice at the end of the day, if you chose to have it then fine it may sound selfish, but I'm more concerned about pumping unnecessary drugs into mine and my families bodies if its not needed and in this situation I have the right to be selfish and not think about the effect on everyone else by not having the vaccine.

fledermaus

Just make sure you don't cough over anyone then.

Bellanova

This is the very reason why I have chosen not to have the vaccine I have read to much conflicting evidence and thats why I'm not prepared to take the risk!

Bellanova

Oh I won't and I will make sure that if I feel the need to cough I will do so into my sleeve

fledermaus

So you won't go to work if you are infectious?

Edit
BTW, did you have other vaccines etc?? TB, polio, cholera, yellow fever, malaria,,,, depending on where you have lived and travelled too? How do you decide what is necessary and what isn't?

I had to have shots before I could have surgery recently so I didn't give a second thought to having them. Last week I realised I was getting caught up in this H1N1 hype about the vaccines safety. I did some searches and am happy that it's as safe as any of the others that we get. I don't want to infect anyone vulnerable, I may get the virus and be fine but someone I pass it on to may not be. Nor do I want to lose pay by being off sick. So I've had the shot.