Flu Shots - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jplinville · #1 03-21-2009, 09:35 AM

I encourage everyone to make sure they have gotten their flu shots for this year.

Last night, I took my fiance to the doctors, where they tested and confirmed that she has Influenza A, which can be deadly this year. it is resistant to Tamiflu, so there is no treatment for it at all this year.

She has been quarantined at home for the next 7-10 days per doctors orders.

She already has lung issues, from years of smoking, so her lungs are weak. I was told to get her to the hospital ASAP if there are any problems with her breathing...As I sit here and type this thread, her breathing is a bit labored now, but not bad enough to take her yet.

I had the flu shot in December, so if anything, I'll get a few days of aches and pains.

We've already had a couple of flu related deaths in my area this year, so I am scared ****less right now.

Please...for yours and your family's sake, go out and get this flu shot.

t walgamuth · #2 03-21-2009, 10:55 AM

We did.

Thanks for reminding folks, though.

We will be thinking of you. I hope she comes through it with flying colors.

Fitz · #3 03-21-2009, 11:20 AM

Hopefully your flu shot will be effective, but if you feel something coming on you might try Oscillococcinum at the first onset of symptoms:

http://www.oscillo.com/

Good luck to your fiancee.

aklim · #4 03-21-2009, 05:15 PM

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/vaccines/477.html

What are antiviral flu drugs?
Antiviral flu drugs are prescription medicines that can be used to help prevent and/or treat the flu. There are four antiviral flu drugs: amantadine (one brand name: Symmetrel), oseltamivir (brand name: Tamiflu), rimantadine (brand name: Flumadine) and zanamavir (brand name: Relenza). All 4 of these antiviral drugs have been approved to treat the flu. If you take one of these drugs within 2 days of getting sick, it can lessen your symptoms, decrease the amount of time you are sick and make you less contagious to other people. However, most healthy people who have the flu get better without using an antiviral flu drug. Your doctor will decide whether one of these medicines is right for you.

Three of the antiviral flu drugs have also been approved to prevent the flu. These drugs are not a substitute for the influenza vaccine. They are most often used for flu prevention in institutions where people at high risk for flu complications are in close contact with each other, such as nursing homes or hospitals. For example, during a flu outbreak in a nursing home, residents and staff might be given the flu vaccine and an antiviral drug to prevent the flu until the vaccine takes effect.

jplinville · #5 03-21-2009, 06:58 PM

As I understand it from the doctor last night, this strain is resistant to all flu medications. the only thing that can be done is let it run it's course, and treat the effects of it such as lung issues and such.

If her breathing gets any worse than it is right now (which is worse than it was last night), I'll be taking her to the hospital for a nice little stay there.

kerry · #6 03-21-2009, 07:09 PM

Knew a colleague who contracted Buillain-Barre syndrome from a flu shot. Makes you think more than twice about getting one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain-Barr%C3%A9_syndrome

dannym · #7 03-22-2009, 12:54 AM

I had a flu shot, at the doctors office when I went for flu symptoms

She'll be fine, take care of her, make sure she drinks a lot of fluids.

When are you getting married?
I'm tying the knot this Friday

Danny

jplinville · #8 03-22-2009, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannym

I had a flu shot, at the doctors office when I went for flu symptoms

She'll be fine, take care of her, make sure she drinks a lot of fluids.

When are you getting married?
I'm tying the knot this Friday

Danny

We were going to on Saturday

dacia · #9 03-22-2009, 11:12 AM

So, we should all get a useless and possibly dangerous vaccination because your fiancée is a heavy smoker with weak lungs?
Get real, flu shots are useless. The flu virus mutates every year hence the shots are not effective for the new strain. You've got an immune system don't you, let it fight. And if somebody is stupid enough to smoke to the extent that his/her lungs are weak I have no sympathy.
You should research it, talk to pharmacists before advising "everybody".

MTI · #10 10-20-2009, 09:18 PM

Isn't it odd that seemingly every news report about the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine, that the "teaser" leading to the story always has "Is it safe?" as part of the pitch?

Just for a second, suppose that the answer was "No, it's not safe" or "We really don't know if it is or not." . . . would it then make much sense that physicians and nurses are 1) going to be the test subjects; and 2) that the plaintiff attorneys of the US aren't lined up filing suits in court?

From Wired Magazine:

MYTH 1: Vaccines cause autism.
FACT: Until 2001, vaccines included thimerosal, a preservative containing ethylmercury. Mercury, of course, can cause neurological damage. But there’s scientific consensus that the amount once used in vaccines — around 50 micrograms per 0.5-ml dose — was far short of toxic. And autism rates have continued to climb, suggesting that there’s either a different cause or, more likely, that a better understanding of the condition has increased diagnoses. A comprehensive review of the research, conducted in 2004 by the prestigious Institute of Medicine, found no evidence of a connection between vaccines and autism. None.

MYTH 2: Giving too many vaccines overwhelms a child’s immune system.
FACT: This argument echoes the “too much of a good thing” chestnut, but there’s no science behind it. With millions of vaccines administered every year, a handful of allergic reactions do happen. But severe cases are so rare that the CDC cannot calculate a statistical risk for the population — the numbers are just too small.

MYTH 3: Vaccines cause diabetes.
FACT: This idea relies on the flawed work of one doctor, who gathered data on a slew of vaccines and failed to follow standard study protocols. No other study — including those using the same data — could reproduce the results. The CDC and the Institute of Medicine have both dismissed any possible link. This argument also ignores the obvious and well-established fact that diabetes rates in children are climbing because obesity rates are climbing.

MYTH 4: Vaccines are no longer necessary, because the diseases are no longer a threat.
FACT: The opposite is true. Because of vaccines, diseases that once killed millions are now invisible. But if only a few families stop vaccinating, the illnesses could reemerge in a community. And the diseases are horrible — mumps and Haemophilus influenzae type b cause meningitis, which can lead to deafness, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment. Measles can lead to encephalitis, blindness, and death.

MYTH 5: Scientists are divided about the safety of vaccines.
FACT: By any measure of scientific consensus, there is total agreement: Vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary. Twelve studies have shown that the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine is safe. Many other studies have disproved the theory that the Hib shot is toxic. The few dissenters get lots of attention, but it’s always the same old names.

MYTH 6: Aluminum in vaccines is just as toxic as mercury.
FACT: Aluminum, the most common metal in nature, is perfectly safe in small amounts. (A dose of antacid has about 1,000 times as much as a vaccine does.) Aluminum salts are used in vaccines to increase antibody response. They make it possible to use less vaccine less often.

Look, if an ideology or philosophical war is being waged on science, then the attackers should at least get their science and facts in order. . . and the media should not be aiding and abetting in this hoax scare.

Fitz · #11 10-20-2009, 11:05 PM

Germans Unhappy with Alternative Swine Flu Vaccine for Politicians

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,656028,00.html

Damage control is the name of the game in Berlin on Monday as politicians rush to deny that they are receiving a better, safer swine flu vaccine than ordinary Germans. The first of 50 million doses arrived in Germany on Monday.

One might think that the arrival in Germany of the first of 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine on Monday might be cause for celebration. But with news breaking over the weekend that top government officials in Berlin will be injected with an alternative vaccine -- one widely seen as safer -- a debate about an alleged two-class medical system has erupted.

SPIEGEL over the weekend reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel, a number of her ministers and other government officials would receive a vaccine manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Baxter -- the same vaccine that the German military opted for, as was reported last week.

The mass-circulation tabloid Bild on Monday plastered the story on its front page on Monday, assuring its readers that "experts are accusing the government" of serving up "second class medicine" to ordinary Germans.

Fevers and Headaches

The controversy centers on an additive included in the vaccine manufactured by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The additive includes an inactive strain of the entire flu virus as opposed to virus fragments. Critics say the additive can increase the risk of side effects from the flu vaccine such as fevers and headaches.

Supporters counter that the additive is safe, and its use allows the drug manufacturer to quickly produce more doses of the vaccine. The SPIEGEL story mentioned that the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine, with the additive, has undergone more testing than the Baxter version.

An Interior Ministry spokesman told SPIEGEL that the Baxter vaccine had been ordered for all ministries and other agencies as well as for the employees of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the authority responsible for approving vaccines.

Merkel's spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm on Monday denied that Merkel was taking a different vaccine than the one available to ordinary Germans. He said that the Baxter vaccine had been ordered four months ago as part of a deal hammered out one year ago and has nothing to do with recent concerns surrounding the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine.

'Second-Class Medicine'

Still, voices have become raised. The Green Party's health expert Biggi Bender said that the separate vaccines amount to "big risk for the people, little risk for the government. This type of second-class medicine cannot be allowed to exist in a democracy."

Leading physicians also complained about the planned vaccination. The head of the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at the University of Bonn, Martin Exner, said: "The fact that politicians and top civil servants in ministries will be vaccinated with a vaccine other than the people is a terrible sign. Today politicians must take what they recommend."

Virologist Alexander Kekulé Hall of the University Hospital said the fact "that the members of the Federal Government and the authorities have any other vaccine is a scandal."

The Interior Ministry has also rejected the sharp criticism. A spokeswoman for Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble pointed out that at that time the Baxter vaccine was ordered the differences between the two vaccines was not yet an issue. The Paul Ehrlich Institute has repeatedly defended its decision to provide the population with the GlaxoSmithKline version, known as Pandemrix.

'Alleged Threat'

Germany is not the only government working to contain a potential outbreak of swine flu, the popular though inaccurate name given to the H1N1 flu virus. The UK has seen an increase in cases in recent weeks. As a result, the country has purchased 60 million doses of Pandemrix. Since swine flu emerged, a number of people in the US showing symptoms have died, leading the government to purchase 251 million doses of the swine flu vaccine from various manufacturers. The European Medicines Agency approved Pandemrix for use recently, amid concern for the upcoming winter flu season and the expected uptick in swine flu cases.

Some German politicians have joined Merkel in opting out of the alternative vaccine. Health Minister Ulla Schmidt said in Bild, "I will allow myself to be vaccinated with the same vaccine as the people. It is exactly like the other approved vaccine, safe and effective."

The weekend scandal has drowned out a second debate which has been raging in recent weeks in the US and which has also found resonance here in Germany: whether such a massive vaccination program is necessary in the first place.

Wolf-Dieter Ludwig, chairman of the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association, has called the planned vaccination campaign a "scandal." "The health authorities have fallen for a campaign from the pharmaceutical companies, who simply want to earn money with an alleged threat," he told SPIEGEL.

The Clk Man · #12 10-20-2009, 11:29 PM

I have met Jplinville's fiance she is alive and well. OTOH I refuse to take the new shot, let's see how I fare. Stay tuned.

dacia · #13 10-20-2009, 11:47 PM

Well it looks like some people did get their science and facts in order:
Oct 3, 2009
Canada: Study prompts provinces to rethink flu plan
Report suggests people who get vaccinated are more likely to catch H1N1.
.
A “perplexing” Canadian study linking H1N1 to seasonal flu shots is throwing national influenza plans into disarray and testing public faith in the government agencies responsible for protecting the nation's health.
.
Met with intense early skepticism both in Canada and abroad, the paper has since convinced several provincial health agencies to announce hasty suspensions of seasonal flu vaccinations, long-held fixtures of public-health planning.
.
On Sunday Quebec joined Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia in suspending seasonal flu shots for anyone under 65 years of age. Quebec's Health Ministry announced it would postpone vaccinations until January, clearing the autumn months for health professionals to focus on vaccinating against H1N1, which is expected to the more severe influenza strain this season.
.
There are a large number of authors, all of them excellent and credible researchers,” he said. “And the sample size is very large – 12 or 13 million people taken from the central reporting systems in three provinces. The research is solid.”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=15516

When a government is pushing something so very hard, even though it costs the government tons of money, something is up.

They are talking about making the shot mandatory for everyone in France.

Sarkozy’s Secret Plan for Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccination
.
"According to a report in the May 30 edition of the French newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, the Sarkozy government has authorized spending of an estimated €1 billion to buy vaccines allegedly to combat or protect against H1N1 Swine Flu virus. The only problem is that to date neither the WHO nor the US Government’s Center for Diseases Control (CDC) have succeeded to isolate, photograph with an electron microscope and chemically classify the H1N1 Influenza A virus. There is no scientifically published evidence that French virologists have done so either. To mandate drugs for a putative disease that has not even been characterized is dubious to say the least.

Even more bizarre is the admission by the US Government’s Food & Drug Administration, an agency responsible for health and safety of its citizens, that the ‘test’ is approved for premature release to test for H1N1 is not even a proven test. More to the point, there is no forensic evidence in any of the deaths reported to date that has been presented that proves scientifically that any single death being attributed to H1N1 Swine Flu virus was indeed caused by such a virus. European epidemiologists believe the deaths reported to date are ‘coincidental’ or what are called opportunistic infections."
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13835

People surely know about this little fiasco:
"In 1976 in the US President Gerald Ford, nervous about winning a close election ordered mass immunisation of the population in the face of a possible pandemic to show voters he was a ‘hands on’ President. The 1976 pandemic never came but a vast number of people suffered serious neurological side effects from the vaccine that was rushed into production, including 25 reported deaths from Guillain-Barré syndrome."

Quote:

Just for a second, suppose that the answer was "No, it's not safe" or "We really don't know if it is or not." . . . would it then make much sense that physicians and nurses are 1) going to be the test subjects; and 2) that the plaintiff attorneys of the US aren't lined up filing suits in court?

It looks like some healthcare professionals do not like to be the "test subjects":
Nurses to sue New York over vaccination mandate
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=15674

Lawsuit to Attempt to Stop Swine Flu Vaccinations
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=15607

Brits Protest Mandatory Vaccinations
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=15401

Hi, I am form the government and I am here to help.
Sure.

Ineffectiveness and Dangers of Flu Shots
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=15536

"In the October 2006 British Medical Journal, Dr. Tom Jefferson wrote about "Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence" and concluded:

"Evidence from systematic reviews shows that inactivated vaccines have little or no effect on the effects measured. (In addition), Little comparative evidence exists on the safety of these vaccines....The optimistic and confident tone of some predictions of viral circulation and the impact of inactivated vaccines, which are at odds with the evidence, is striking. The reasons are probably complex and may involve a messy blend of truth and conflicts of interest making it difficult to separate factual disputes from value disputes."

In other words, influenza vaccination programs are ineffective and worthless. They're also dangerous."

Now this might be a bit far fetched but who knows, there is serious talk about reducing the Earth's population:

"On September 29, Wall Street Journal writers Jonathan Rockoff and Peter Loftus explained that the industry believes vaccines:

"will become an increasingly important source of growth to replace aging blockbusters that are poised to lose patent protection. Vaccine sales are growing faster than sales of other prescription medicines and are largely immune to the generic competition that is already cost drug makers billions of dollars in revenues on their top-selling treatments. Moreover, government agencies both in the US and around the world are increasingly reliable buyers of vaccines as they seek to stockpile medicines that could help protect the public in case of a major flu outbreak."

Or perhaps, in the case of Swine Flu, infect it as part of a sinister depopulation scheme through involuntary male and/or female sterilization and future deadly illnesses while rewarding producers with hundreds of billions in profits from global inoculations over the next few years. For what may be planned, it doesn't get any better than that. As a result, the public is cautioned to ignore media and official hype and stay safe by refusing all vaccines, especially the new Swine Flu ones that may, in fact, be bioweapons."

So I rather have my immune system do its job and fight than take something that is dangerous to my health.

JordaanDMC-12 · #14 10-21-2009, 12:14 AM

I've never had a flu shot, just because I've never gotten around to it or didn't really care lol...

Don't need one now especially, I already caught it in mid september.. It did suck though.. a lot cause I got it and two days later I went to a football game I was looking forward to and felt like crap the whole game -_-

Fitz · #15 10-21-2009, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JordaanDMC-12

I already caught it in mid september.. It did suck though.. a lot cause I got it and two days later I went to a football game I was looking forward to and felt like crap the whole game -_-

Try thinking of other people and stay home when you're sick!

To avoid the flu in the first place, wash hands obsessively and take Vitamin D.