H1N1 Flu shot - Your take?

H1N1 is affecting a younger population than the usual seasonal flu. Older folk, in part because those over 65 have been exposed to the same constituents at least twice in the past, are less affected.

The H1N1 vaccine is no more dangerous to those vaccinated than the usual flu vaccine -- the only difference is the mixture of inactivated viruses contained in the vaccine. H1N1 has become sufficiently widespread in our population, at least in western Canada, that the chances of catching the H1N1 flu are much increased over the usual culprit. This, coupled with the age group it affects, has a considerable effect in our population -- rather than it being older (retired) folk, it is affecting children to middle age folk -- the working population. Should it affect a sufficiently large portion of the population, there is a very real possibility that many of the services we have come to expect, may not be available, simply because there are too few folk able to work & provide the needed services.

Vaccination programs such as we are seeing in Canada hope to garner enough vaccinated individuals in the population to slow or stop the spread of illness by what is called 'herd immunity': if most in a population are vaccinated, the likelihood of the whole of the population escaping illness is increased. Since some cannot be vaccinated (due to egg allergies, or other risk issues) ensuring those around them cannot spread the illness protects those who are not vaccinated.

THAT is the real reason for the current program -- not only does it protect those who get vaccinated, if enough of the population does get vaccinated, the spread is stopped.

DAvid

The problem as I understand it with H1N1 is that death is by a mechanism called a cytokine storm, this is basically an overreaction by your own immune system to the flu. That is it affect and kills very healthy people. People most at risk of death are the 20-40 age group.

Contrast this to the usual death by flu which is death by pneumonia as a complication. Usually unhealthy people, young children and the elderly.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/05/06/H1N1-flu-may-induce-a-cytokine-storm/UPI-50901241584708/

Get the shot if you are between 20-40.

There is also an email going around that shows a "news report" showing a young woman who developed dystonia within 10 days of getting the flu shot. In my opinion this is fallacious reasoning during those 10 days she also probably drove a car and also ate onions and did several thousand things none of which are related to getting dystonia including getting the flu shot.

For me this is like saying I brushed my hair the morning of the car accident so I must never brush my hair to avoid getting into a car accident. The two things are very unlikely to be related by anything except coincidence. I'm sure if you polled 1,000,000 people within 10 days of getting the flu shot some will have been served with divorce papers. Does this mean if you get the flu shot you are at risk of getting a divorce? Yes you are but not a higher risk than usual.

Ok I'm done now