Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Is anyone else worried about this flu season?

H1N1, aka the "swine flu" is here. It'll be where you live, if it hasn't already been there. It's real. And here's what scares me: of the people who are hospitalized because of complications, 67% are woman. It is affecting those between the ages of 20-40 in surprisingly high numbers. And, believe it or not, most people who get complications do NOT have severe underlying conditions.

That being said, most people who catch it will not get severe complications. You may have already had the H1N1 flu, and it was probably no worse than any other flu or cold. You maybe had back aches, malaise (that yucky feeling), a head ache, a slight fever and/or a cough. That's all it is for most people.

I'll be in line when the vaccine comes out. Why? It's just as safe as the seasonal flu shot. You can NOT catch the flu from the vaccine (no, you can't). The side effects of the vaccine are small (the biggest side effect is: slight arm tenderness around the injection site). And it'll mean I can't get the H1N1 flu later.

What do you think of the H1N1 flu and the vaccine? I'd love to hear what others think.*


*I'd love to hear what you think unless you're a conspiracy theorist. If you believe the H1N1 flu was engineered by humans to cull the population, or you believe the H1N1 vaccine was designed to cause sterility in women in order to control the population, please refrain from commenting on my post. If you have genuine concerns and don't believe the world governments are outwardly trying to kill people, please comment!

8 comments:

  1. Someone on my ball hockey team told me (with a straight face) that the flu was engineered by humans to cull the population. Then she told me that the vaccine has been designed to sterilize young woman to prevent further reproduction.

    And she was serious.

    Please, if you do genuinely think my friend makes sense, message me. I'll explain a little science stuff so you can understand more about the flu and the vaccine. Then you can decide for yourself what you think.

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  2. Hi Krista.. I don't think the vacine was engineered to cause sterility in women, thus lowering the population- however noone knows the long term effects of the vaccine. there ARE pills/vacinnes and meds that in the past, have caused fertility issues, high misscarraige rates and premature birth in offspring, and offsprings-offspring. Beleive me- you learn many things in the 'baby loss' world that my life has flung myself into. These are things that have gone to court- been proven by science and people have admitted- although of course- NOT knowing the effects at the time - not trying to hurt these women/men/families.
    I certainly won't be getting the vacine while I am pregnant- Id rather just stay away from people, wash my hands, and stay as healthy as I can. And- although the rate of those 30ish year old women who get h1n1 is high.. and 67% of THOSE women have complications- our risk of contracting h1n1 and becoming sick is less than 5% (in my fathers major panicky research from last month - when he wondered if I should be working).
    The flu is serious.. but so is the seasonal flu- which although in a different age bracket-kills more people each year. I would never poo-poo anyone who wants to get the new shot- it is a personal decision -it just isn't for me at this point.
    hope you don't think i'm one of those 'crazy' people like the girl from your ball team- research yields different results depending on where you look, who you speak to and the life you are weighing it on. Thought i'd share my thoughts

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  3. I don't think you're crazy, Jane. I think you're right: we don't always know the long-term effects. I appreciate your thoughtful and well-written response, and I'll reply on your blog!

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  4. I won't be getting the shot, although I've never gotten a regular flu shot either. My thinking is that if I get it I likely won't be hit that hard and I'll work through it just like I have every other time I've gotten sick. The little buggers can evolve and I don't really see the point in getting vaccinated against one strain when the next one could make me just as sick. Similarly, I don't take antibiotics unless my doctor and I know for sure that I need them and that they will be effective.

    Then again, this is coming from someone who doesn't wash her hands or get sick with great frequency and tends to follow the "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" line of thinking. It definitely doesn't work for everyone though.

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  5. Well, it works most of the time, Cait. I mean, most people don't die of most viruses / bacteria, right? So it's often true!

    But even when a virus mutates / evolves, your immunity to it still provides partial immunity to the mutated form. Our immune systems are smart that way! Go us!

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  6. We got our pictures on Friday so I've been debating whether or not to do recaps. It's always been my intent as I'm hoping other people could find it useful but now I'm not so sure it's worth the effort! :-)

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  7. Of course I worry, although much more about my child than me or my husband... I have concerns, especially about thimerosal, but I still think we'll get the shot.

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  8. Well, I'm a little concerned about it - it seems like the couple of people that I know who've had it seem to get fairly sick - but it's like a bad flu, you're right.

    However, that being said, I am once again not getting any flu shots this winter. Not that I'm against them, per se, but I am really bad with needles. I try really hard, and I can get my blood drawn (while laying down), but the last shot I got made me pass out. Not fun at all. And since I don't have, or work with, small children or the elderly - in fact, I really don't work with too many of the "public" - I have decided to take my chances. Once I do have kids, though, I'll most likely get the vaccine - for their sake. Even if I end up a crumpled mess on the floor. ;-)

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