From what I have read the H1N1 vaccine was made the same way as seasonal flu shot but with a different strain and thus didn't need extensive testing and that normal seasonal shot also doesn't get extensive testing each year.

I dont think the full shipments have arrived yet, local county health officials here say shipments in full in the next 2 weeks, right now only the nasal one is available and is restricted as to who can receive it.

I am waiting for the shot version if I can find a pharmacy who has it (they do seasonal shots) as I dont have insurance and dont wanna pay a doctor for it.

ABC news just said 46% who have died from H1N1 had no other health issues or underlaying conditions.

I heard on our local news this morning, that some of the local school districts are going to be giving the H1N1 vaccine to students in school, at no cost.

I'm wondering if that is probably going to be the only way the kids will have access to it? I haven't been able to find out if/when any of our family Dr's will have it available.

Few more weeks, high risk groups like schools are getting the first shipments in many states, its available where I am for the nasal one at county clinics (for uninsured) and some doctors now have it.

I'd get it at the school if available. (The vaccine itself is being covered by the feds, but the doctor/pharmacy etc can still charge to administer it.)

I don't want either the seasonal or the H1N1 but my wife wants me to. I see my doc next week so I guess I'll ask him the pros and cons and decide then.

So, I took my Son to get the 'seasonal' flu shot yesterday...this morning, I am the one sneezing, coughing and feeling like crap!

For goodness sake do not let the Doctors office know or they will send you a bill!

The advice I have have read is to keep checking your city, county, and state health department web sites for availablility of the vaccine. www.flu.gov has been set up to try to collect these web links on one site.

I am now going to try to get the vaccine ASAP because I had a very adverse event on Sunday evening that reminds me that I am in the high risk group. The seasonal vaccine is widely available here, but not the H1N1 and we have many, many cases going around.

Thanx for the link SB

I am confused by the groups in the 'reccomended' list? It says children between the ages of 6 months and 4 yrs, why set the age at 4? most of the children I have heard that caught the swine flu have been older than 4 and for most, had no underlying health problems

It also says that the H1N1 shot can be given on the same day as the seasonal flu shot, I thought I had read somewhere, that there had to be 6 weeks between the vaccines?

I think a lot of the confusion comes about as they change recommendations to try to get a very limited number of doses of vaccine to a lot of people.

Then the second confusion arises because there are two forms of the vaccine: live (nasal spray) and killed (jab). I listened to the director for
immunisations for the CDC and she said that one could not have both nasal
forms in the same visit, but rather a few days apart, but one COULD have both killed forms of the vaccine on the same day. She seemed to indicate that the issue was the efficacy of spraying two live vaccines into the nasal tissue at the same visit.

I talked to my doctor's nurse a bit ago (I have to go in tomorrow) and gave her the website info. She herself was desperate to know where in Texas the doses have gone but the texasflu.gov website doesn't say - simply the number of nasal and injectable doses received, and the target groups.

Since the seasonal vaccine is available now in many areas, I'd say go ahead and get it if you are going to, because there's no telling when exactly the H1N1 will arrive and when it does, there may be competition for it.

And in California they advise everyone 6mos to 24 years should get one and are considered high risk.

For those in California, the following insurance companies have agreed to waive co-pays so no out of pocket cost to the patient.

"On October 7, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizer announced that all six of California's largest health insurers have agreed to waive co-pays and deductibles so that their members can get vaccinated without spending any money out of pocket.

The insurers are: Aetna, Anthem/Blue Cross, Blue Shield, CIGNA, HealthNet and United HealthCare/Pacificare."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091015/...FmbHVjYXVzZQ--

That's it, I'm getting the vaccine ASAP.

good for you snowbunny, protect yourself, you protect your friend, family and people you will never meet.

I have had flu once but have not had the vaccine since then. Have never had it in fact, and probably won't.

But I'm going to make sure my kids get the H1N1 shot. I think the chances of them catching it are high.

er! Der! maybe it could??? most common is egg allergy, which is fairly unusual, but hopefully you health care provider isn't a cretin, and will ask you allergies! the bird flu in 1919 killed more people than the war of 1914-18 and was transmitted from a prisoner of war camp at the end of the war when the men where released, to their 4 corner of the world!
I get so cross! and I will admit it here! that we live in such a safe world we can start to nit pic about ingredients in a vaccine! but here are the facts and i hope the British secret service don't come crashing through my door! Joke.
About 5/6 years ago I was one of about 150 British people offered the small pox jab, not cos they liked me, just I was in a job which made me useful, only 2 people got turned down by the power that be, me and my boss, and interestingly they let it be known to us, that we where also the only 2 that had, had the small pox vaccine in the past.
my boss couldn't have it as she was asthmatic and I couldn't have it as I was trying to get pregnant (succeeded).
me and Nita found it hysterical, the early safety surrounding, of the small pox wounds of our colleagues, I wasn't allowed to change the dressings, or share an office with any one who had been vaccinated.
me and my boss remembered our vaccines, open wounds and at school! I am 39 and have never had the BCG as all school nurse assumed my small pox vac was my BCG even though on the wrong arm!
I have no idea why I had it? but I met a women from Wolverhampton in my job many years later, who was the same age as me and had, had a small pox vac, and she said it was due to a medical photographer, I looked it up and it was the last death ever from small pox, I lived near Telford and in those day we didn't have a hospital, so I imagine a kid in my class had been ill and photographed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Parker
yes this is one of my long and ramble posts but vaccines work.
lets go back in time my aunt Chris had whooping cough, before the vaccine, she lived, in her 50's as she is now healthy, my mum who shared a room said it was torture just to listen to her, then the vaccine came in and scientist said it caused brain damage 1 in 60 kid with whooping cough , 1 in 6000(I could be wrong) got brain damage from the vaccine...I know what my odds are.
sorry but vaccines work, stop thinking about your 21st century life, and realise that you are a vulnerable human, and less about ohh is it safe..diseases are NOT safe, and they don't discriminate

I recently got over the flu. Not sure if it was H1N1 but I was out of work over a week and it's been almost 3 weeks and I'm still not 100% I had almost 105 fever and over 103 for four days. The fever lasted over a week. I had vomiting, diarhrea and awful aches and pains.Terrible headache and a dry cough. No sore throught. I also had a rash on my arms, legs and torso. I took tamiflu once for the flu and it killed my stomach so I never took it again. This was the worst flu I ever had.