Anybody else Not trust the H1N1 Vaccine?

[Brunotheboxer]

What if the government has something up their sleeves..
Few months = Vaccine backfires.. Kills 10 million people.


Isn't this how Resident Evil started?

[HYDROMAROC]

I think the whole swine flu scare is like SARS, Bird Flu, ETC...

When the news does not tell the whole story and blows EVERYTHING out of proportion like almost everything the report on, I don't buy it... Remember the news mantra, if it bleeds, it leads...

The common flus kills tens of thousands each year...

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by HYDROMAROC

I think the whole swine flu scare is like SARS, Bird Flu, ETC...

When the news does not tell the whole story and blows EVERYTHING out of proportion like almost everything the report on, I don't buy it... Remember the news mantra, if it bleeds, it leads...

The common flus kills tens of thousands each year...

Yeah, IMHO Your own immune system is all you need...as long as you eat right, wash your hands and aren't a filthy animal.

[Paulie]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

Yeah, IMHO Your own immune system is all you need...as long as you eat right, wash your hands and aren't a filthy animal.

Or be in confined spaces, breathe air from other people, and only kiss your own hand and not the girls...

Flu is airborne, hand washing doesn't help as much as not breathing.

And Resident Evil started with the Umbrella Corporation, the government had to clean up the mess... an old story. :D

Me, I'm not in a risk group, but my 3 year old is, so we will consult with our doctor.

[JBat]

Originally Posted by HYDROMAROC

I think the whole swine flu scare is like SARS, Bird Flu, ETC...

When the news does not tell the whole story and blows EVERYTHING out of proportion like almost everything the report on, I don't buy it... Remember the news mantra, if it bleeds, it leads...

The common flus kills tens of thousands each year...

I think there's a strong element of truth to this.

[B Square]

A lot of you guys probably don't remember it but in 76 there was a swine flu scare and the government provided shots just as they are now. I got one and have yet to meet anyone else who did. Other than a few snorts now and again I'm just fine

[sexner]

See, all those times as a kid that I was drinking water out of the mud puddles in the driveway helped build a good immune system!

[Omega_Precision]

I don't trust the vaccine and I brought this up a few months ago and let's just say the members in here didn't like my thoughts on it.

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by Omega_Precision

I don't trust the vaccine and I brought this up a few months ago and let's just say the members in here didn't like my thoughts on it.

I missed that but I guess they'll let me know what they think of my thoughts.

Originally Posted by Paulie

Or be in confined spaces, breathe air from other people, and only kiss your own hand and not the girls...

Flu is airborne, hand washing doesn't help as much as not breathing.

And Resident Evil started with the Umbrella Corporation, the government had to clean up the mess... an old story. :D

Me, I'm not in a risk group, but my 3 year old is, so we will consult with our doctor.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the Umbrella Corporation was Government funded.

[sexner]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

What if the government has something up their sleeves..
Few months = Vaccine backfires.. Kills 10 million people.


Isn't this how Resident Evil started?

My wife and I have been getting a flu vaccine yearly now for about the last 10 and we're still alive.

And will more than likely get one this year too. Ours won't be available here until next month. And it remains to be seen if only the H1N1 will be offered, just the regular flu vaccine or both.

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by sexner

My wife and I have been getting a flu vaccine yearly now for about the last 10 and we're still alive.

And will more than likely get one this year too. Ours won't be available here until next month. And it remains to be seen if only the H1N1 will be offered, just the regular flu vaccine or both.

I'm worried about long term effects from these vaccines. What if in 20 years they say that flu vaccines were a bad idea?

[sexner]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

I'm worried about long term effects from these vaccines. What if in 20 years they say that flu vaccines were a bad idea?

I understand where you're coming from Bruno. But there is really no way to predict that. Vaccines have wiped out things like Polio etc... ln the world.

In reality though if you are healthy you shouldn't be hit all that hard with any kind of flu virus.

Perhaps some of our members that are Doctor's will chime in.

[Numismatist]

I think the problem is that the Government has to handle the masses and not the individual.

How do you adequately design anything for 300 million individuals?

Roll the dice...something will get you eventually!

[Omega_Precision]

[Timber Loftis]

I don't do flu vaccines. I'm not a believer in an annual vaccine that is targeted to protect against a strain of the flu that is based on trying to make predictions about the future. I also note that the toxicology of thimerosol is not understood, but it is an organic mercury, which gives me pause.

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by Timber Loftis

I don't do flu vaccines. I'm not a believer in an annual vaccine that is targeted to protect against a strain of the flu that is based on trying to make predictions about the future. I also note that the toxicology of thimerosol is not understood, but it is an organic mercury, which gives me pause.

Wut? So your saying its not good for you?

[Omega_Precision]

There were some research found that vaccine could be the cause of autism in our kids.

[Yume-sama]

Hmm, my fear would be that some countries may require you to show proof of vaccination before you're allowed to enter.

I myself probably won't get it, unless I *have* to, to travel.

[YuppieKid]

I don't think that it was a secret Army "research" project like Jacob's Ladder, or anything, but, my point is that we didn't have a choice. Remember the mandatory anthrax shots that were refused by some service members and led to courts-martials (or threats of courts-martials). I personally don't have an issue with the flu vaccine. I get one every year, and so do my family members (wife & daughters).

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Hmm, my fear would be that some countries may require you to show proof of vaccination before you're allowed to enter.

I myself probably won't get it, unless I *have* to, to travel.

[Omega_Precision]

If vaccines wiped out polio, then polio should be extinct, therefore there is no need for anymore polio vaccinations. Unless a case occured?......I have never knew or heard of anyone catching polio in my life.

[sexner]

Originally Posted by Omega_Precision

If vaccines wiped out polio, then polio should be extinct, therefore there is no need for anymore polio vaccinations. Unless a case occured?......I have never knew or heard of anyone catching polio in my life.

Henry, we were vaccinated against Polio in Elementary school in the 50's and early 60's.

I had a grade 5 teacher that had Polio.

And yes as far as I know it is now eradicated.

[Earl]

Originally Posted by sexner

Henry, we were vaccinated against Polio in Elementary school in the 50's and early 60's.

I had a grade 5 teacher that had Polio.

And yes as far as I know it is now eradicated.

Please, don't forget about all the disease (and I mean it) coming north into the USofA from 3rd world countries south of our boarders. Outbreaks are happening and this is what scares me! They have not immunized against the many "eradicated" disease's that did not exist here for over 40 or 50 years but, they are coming back and from where?

Thank you for letting me vent.

[Dr.B]

Originally Posted by Omega_Precision

If vaccines wiped out polio, then polio should be extinct, therefore there is no need for anymore polio vaccinations. Unless a case occured?......I have never knew or heard of anyone catching polio in my life.

Just wanted to share some info.

Polio in the USA has essentially been eradicated, however it does continue in selected countries.

Here is some info from the "WHO"



Fact sheet N°114
Updated January 2008

Poliomyelitis


Key facts

* Polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under five years of age.
* One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
* Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases then, to 1997 reported cases in 2006. The reduction is the result of the global effort to eradicate the disease.
* In 2008, only four countries in the world remain polio-endemic, down from more than 125 in 1988. The remaining countries are Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.
* Persistent pockets of polio transmission in northern India, northern Nigeria and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan are the current focus of the polio eradication initiative.
* As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Between 2003 and 2005, 25 previously polio-free countries were re-infected due to imports of the virus.
* In most countries, the global effort has expanded capacities to tackle other infectious diseases by building effective surveillance and immunization systems. Knowledge of the poliovirus has expanded with aggressive research carried out under the eradication effort.
* Success for the effort hinges on closing a substantial funding gap to finance next steps of the global eradication initiative.

Polio and its symptoms

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

People most at risk

Polio mainly affects children under five years of age.

Prevention

There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.

Global caseload

Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries then, to 1997 reported cases in 2006. In 2008, only parts of four countries in the world remain endemic for the disease - the smallest geographic area in history.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative

Launch

In 1988, the forty-first World Health Assembly, consisting then of delegates from 166 Member States, adopted a resolution for the worldwide eradication of polio. It marked the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF. This followed the certification of the eradication of smallpox in 1980, progress during the 1980s towards elimination of the poliovirus in the Americas, and Rotary International’s commitment to raise funds to protect all children from the disease.

Progress

Overall, in the 20 years since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched, the number of cases has fallen by over 99%. In 2008, only four countries in the world remain polio-endemic.

In 1994, the World Health Organization (WHO) Region of the Americas (36 countries) was certified polio-free, followed by the WHO Western Pacific Region (37 countries and areas including China) in 2000 and the WHO European Region (51 countries) in June 2002.

In 2007, more than 400 million children were immunized in 27 countries during 164 supplementary immunization activities (SIAs). Globally, polio surveillance is at historical highs, as represented by the timely detection of cases of acute flaccid paralysis.

Persistent pockets of polio transmission in northern India, northern Nigeria and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan are key epidemiological challenges.

Objectives

The objectives of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are:

* To interrupt transmission of the wild poliovirus as soon as possible;
* To achieve certification of global polio eradication;
* To contribute to health systems development and strengthening routine immunization and surveillance for communicable diseases in a systematic way.

Strategies

There are four core strategies to stop transmission of the wild poliovirus in areas that are affected by the disease or considered at high risk of re-infection:

* high infant immunization coverage with four doses of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in the first year of life;
* supplementary doses of OPV to all children under five years of age during SIAs;
* surveillance for wild poliovirus through reporting and laboratory testing of all acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases among children under fifteen years of age;
* targeted “mop-up” campaigns once wild poliovirus transmission is limited to a specific focal area.

Before a WHO region can be certified polio-free, three conditions must be satisfied: (a) there are at least three years of zero polio cases due to wild poliovirus; (b) disease surveillance efforts in countries meet international standards; and (c) each country must illustrate the capacity to detect, report and respond to “imported” polio cases. Laboratory stocks must be contained and safe management of the wild virus in inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) manufacturing sites must be assured before the world can be certified polio-free.

The Advisory Committee on Polio Eradication, the independent, technical body providing strategic guidance to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, is overseeing a programme of research and consensus-building that will lead to the development of post-eradication polio immunization policy options, which will be considered by the World Health Assembly.

Coalition

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is spearheaded by WHO, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The polio eradication coalition includes governments of countries affected by polio; private sector foundations (e.g. United Nations Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation); development banks (e.g. the World Bank); donor governments (e.g. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America); the European Commission; humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations (e.g. the International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies) and corporate partners (e.g. Sanofi Pasteur, De Beers and Wyeth). Volunteers in developing countries also play a key role: 20 million people have participated in mass immunization campaigns.

Countries at risk

As long as a single child remains infected with polio, children in all countries are at risk of contracting the disease. The poliovirus can easily be imported into a polio-free country and can spread rapidly among unimmunised populations. Between 2003 and 2005, 25 previously polio-free countries were re-infected due to importations.

The four polio-endemic countries are Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Priorities for polio eradication

To stop transmission of the wild poliovirus and optimize the benefits of polio eradication, the global priorities are:

Closing the funding gap: Substantial external financial resources are required to support the efforts of endemic countries to eradicate polio. Economic modelling in 2007 demonstrated the financial and humanitarian benefits of polio eradication. Success in carrying out the necessary vaccination campaigns and surveillance hinges on sufficient funds being made available by the financial stakeholders.

Stopping wild poliovirus transmission in endemic countries: Polio is today more geographically restricted than ever before. The highest priority is reaching all children during SIAs in the remaining four endemic countries. To succeed, high levels of political commitment must be maintained at national, state/provincial and district levels. In 2007 an intensified effort to eradicate polio occurred in each of these four countries, with tailored eradication approaches to address the unique challenges of each of the infected areas. Efforts fully exploited new monovalent vaccines and diagnostics that are significantly more effective in detecting and stopping polio transmission.

IMPACT OF THE INITIATIVE

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988. More than five million people who would otherwise have been paralysed are today walking because they have been immunized against polio since the initiative began.

By preventing a debilitating disease, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is helping to reduce poverty, and is giving children and their families a greater chance of leading healthy and productive lives.

By establishing the capacity to access children everywhere, more than two billion children worldwide have been immunized during SIAs, demonstrating that well-planned health interventions can reach even the most remote, conflict-affected or poorest areas.

Planning for SIAs provides key demographic data – “finding” children in remote villages and households for the first time, and "mapping" their location for future health services.

In most countries, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has expanded the capacity to tackle other infectious diseases, such as avian influenza or Ebola, by building effective disease-reporting and surveillance systems, training local epidemiologists and establishing a global laboratory network. This capacity has also been deployed in post-disaster health emergencies such as the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in south-east Asia.

Routine immunization services have been strengthened by bolstering the cold chain, transport and communications systems for immunization. Improving these services helped to lay the groundwork for highly successful measles vaccination campaigns that have saved millions of young lives.

Vitamin A is often administered during polio SIAs. Since 1988, more than 1.2 million childhood deaths have been prevented through provision of vitamin A during polio SIAs.

On average, one in every 250 people in a country has been involved in polio immunization campaigns. More than 20 million health workers and volunteers have been trained to deliver OPV and vitamin A, fostering a culture of disease prevention.

Through the synchronization of SIAs, many countries have established a new mechanism for coordinating major cross-border health initiatives aimed at reaching all people – a model for regional and international cooperation for health.

Future benefits of polio eradication

Once polio is eradicated, the world can celebrate the delivery of a major global public good – something that will equally benefit all people, no matter where they live. Economic modelling published in 2007 established that significant financial benefits will also accrue from eradication.

[scottschoe]

About 50% of my friends are sick. If I was still on a college campus, I'd be the first in line for one.

[redshirt1957]

Flu..oride. Run fast. It can't be a coincidence. Only brush your tooth with rain water.

[yurigia]

Originally Posted by scottschoe

About 50% of my friends are sick. If I was still on a college campus, I'd be the first in line for one.

I think that you are sick before to do the vaccine,..!!

[Art 1]

I have no way of knowing and haven't done research enough to know.

[JBat]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

What if the government has something up their sleeves..
Few months = Vaccine backfires.. Kills 10 million people.


Isn't this how Resident Evil started?

That's a little paranoid, don't you think?

I don't go in for flu shots myself. I work mostly outside, and when I do come in, I try to avoid people who are sick, and insist on coming to work, and wash my hands a lot. It's not perfect, but I don't get the flu very often either.

[Dr.B]

You guys are something else......Have you forgotten that the flu KILLS!!!!

36,000 DEATHS in the US each year because of the flu.

The best way to prevent seasonal flu is by getting a seasonal flu vaccination each year. Each year in the United States on average, 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; on average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications, and; about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications. This flu season could be worse. There is a new and very different flu virus spreading worldwide among people called 2009 H1N1 flu. This virus may cause more illness or more severe illness than usual.

Questions and Answers Regarding Estimating Deaths from Seasonal Influenza in the United States
How many people die from seasonal flu each year in the United States?

The number of seasonal influenza-associated (i.e., seasonal flu-related) deaths varies from year to year because flu seasons often fluctuate in length and severity. CDC estimated that about 36,000 people died of seasonal flu-related causes each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States. This figure includes people dying from complications of seasonal flu. This estimate came from a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medication Association (JAMA), which looked at the 1990-91 through the 1998-99 flu seasons [10]. Statistical modeling was used to estimate how many flu-related deaths occurred among people whose underlying cause of death on their death certificate was listed as a respiratory or circulatory disease. During these years, the number of estimated deaths ranged from 17,000 to 52,000.

In 2009, CDC published additional estimates of seasonal flu-related deaths comparing different methods, including the methods used in the 2003 JAMA study. The seasons studied included the 1993-94 through the 2002-03 flu seasons [9]. Results from this study showed that during this time period, 36,171 flu-related deaths occurred per year, on average.

How did CDC estimate that an average of 36,000 people die in the U.S. each year from seasonal flu?

This statistic came from a 2003 JAMA study by CDC scientists [10]. The study used statistical modeling to estimate that during 9 influenza seasons from 1990-91 through 1998-99, an annual average of 36,000 flu-related deaths occurred among people whose underlying cause of death on their death certificate was listed as a respiratory or circulatory disease. A 2009 study that appeared in the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses made a similar estimate for the 10 influenza seasons from 1993 to 2003 [9].

What are seasonal flu-related deaths?

Seasonal flu-related deaths are deaths that occur in people for whom seasonal influenza infection was likely a contributor to the cause of death, but not necessarily the primary cause of death.

Does CDC know the exact number of people who die from seasonal flu each year?

CDC does not know exactly how many people die from seasonal flu each year. There are several reasons for this: First, states are not required to report individual seasonal flu cases or deaths of people older than 18 years of age to CDC. Second, seasonal influenza is infrequently listed on death certificates of people who die from flu-related complications [12]. Third, many seasonal flu-related deaths occur one or two weeks after a person’s initial infection, either because the person may develop a secondary bacterial co-infection (such as a staph infection) [1,8,11] or because seasonal influenza can aggravate an existing chronic illness (such as congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) [3]. Also, most people who die from seasonal flu-related complications are not tested for flu, or they seek medical care later in their illness when seasonal influenza can no longer be detected from respiratory samples. Influenza tests are only likely to detect influenza if performed within a week after onset of illness. For these reasons, many flu-related deaths may not be recorded on death certificates. These are some of the reasons that CDC and other public health agencies in the United States and other countries use statistical models to estimate the annual number of seasonal flu-related deaths. (Flu deaths in children were made a nationally notifiable condition in 2004, and since then, states have been required to report flu-related child deaths in the United States through the Influenza Associated Pediatric Mortality Surveillance System).

Why does CDC estimate deaths associated with seasonal flu?

CDC feels it is important to convey the full burden of seasonal flu to the public. Seasonal flu is a serious disease that causes illness and deaths nearly every year in the United States. CDC estimates of annual influenza-associated deaths in the United States are made using well-established scientific methods that have been reviewed by scientists outside of CDC [10]. CDC feels that these estimates are a timely representation of the current burden of flu on the United States.

Why does CDC model seasonal flu-related deaths using death certificates with the underlying cause of death listed as a respiratory or circulatory disease?

CDC uses underlying respiratory and circulatory (R&C)deaths in its mortality modeling because (R&C) deaths provide an estimate of deaths associated with respiratory infections that is more sensitive than underlying pneumonia and influenza (P&I) deaths and more specific than all-cause deaths.

What proportion of pneumonia and influenza deaths, respiratory and circulatory deaths and all-cause deaths are attributed to seasonal influenza?

For pneumonia and influenza (P&I) deaths, CDC estimates approximately 8,000 deaths are associated with seasonal flu. This represents 9.8% of (P&I) deaths. For respiratory and circulatory (R&C) deaths, CDC estimates approximately 36,000 deaths are associated with seasonal flu. This represents 3.1% percent of those deaths. For all-cause deaths, CDC estimates that approximately 51,000 deaths are associated with seasonal flu. This represents 2.2% of all deaths.

What proportion of acute respiratory disease hospitalizations is associated with seasonal influenza?

In one recent study of children younger than 5 years of age (Poehling et al, 2006), 6% of children hospitalized during the year with an acute respiratory tract infection or fever tested positive for seasonal influenza [5].

Why doesn’t CDC base its seasonal flu mortality estimates only on death certificates that specifically list influenza?

Seasonal influenza may lead to death from other causes, such as from congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as was observed during the 1957-1958 pandemic. [2] It has been recognized for many years that influenza is infrequently listed on death certificates [12] and testing for seasonal influenza infections is usually not done, particularly among the elderly who are at greatest risk of seasonal influenza complications and death. Some deaths – particularly in the elderly – are associated with secondary complications of seasonal influenza (including bacterial pneumonias). Influenza virus infection may not be identified in many instances because influenza virus is only detectable for a short period of time and many people don’t seek medical care until after the first few days of acute illness. For these reasons, statistical modeling strategies have been used to estimate seasonal flu-related deaths for many decades, both in the United States and the United Kingdom. Only counting deaths where influenza was included on a death certificate would be a gross underestimation of seasonal influenza’s true impact.

[Dr.B]

don't be ignorant get your flu shot and h1n1 vaccination if indicated!!!