H1N1 in retrospect...

[Wolfehunter]

The whole thing was a scam for the pharmaceutical industry to make profits. They use fear and media to sucker people in. Yes it helps some people but for others the vaccine can kill as many people as did the flu did. So I take my chances with the flu.. I die then my time is up. That's life.

I'll be concerned when I see millions of people dropping from a flu.. Then its time for me to consider getting a vaccine.. Otherwise.. not going to happen.

[Tchocky]

One hand - Pandemics are wonderful news outlet panic-fodder. What you don't know could KILL YOU. Tune in after sports.
It's in the interest of news orgs to make this run and run. Not so sure about pharma, they came out of this looking pretty awful, by my recollection.

Other hand - This flu was killing people in ways we hadn't been seeing very often. It was infecting the young and healthy, not killing them, but these things mutate and evolve. This wasn't your normal flu. It wasn't more deadly than standard flu, because it was hitting less vulnerable people. That's what made it interesting.

So yeah, rather large broad-brush reaction to a nuanced issue. After the hubbub has died down it seems we're all pretty disappointed to still be surrounded by coworkers, and that post-acoughpalyptic wasteland ain't a-coming.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Wolfehunter

So I take my chances with the flu.. I die then my time is up. That's life.

Same here. Besides that, if I contract a virus and survive it, the likelihood of contracting it again is decreased. I didn't bother to get the shot, praying it would instead go to someone who would need it more than I did.

[tater]

Originally Posted by Wolfehunter

The whole thing was a scam for the pharmaceutical industry to make profits. They use fear and media to sucker people in. Yes it helps some people but for others the vaccine can kill as many people as did the flu did. So I take my chances with the flu.. I die then my time is up. That's life.

I'll be concerned when I see millions of people dropping from a flu.. Then its time for me to consider getting a vaccine.. Otherwise.. not going to happen.

Assuming you are a young adult to middle aged male, you're almost never recommended for a flu shot anyway.

When a shot is recommended for your age group, etc, then it is worth taking.

[Wolfehunter]

Originally Posted by tater

Assuming you are a young adult to middle aged male, you're almost never recommended for a flu shot anyway.

When a shot is recommended for your age group, etc, then it is worth taking.

Even If I was an old fart. I wouldn't just run and take it blindly. I'll only take it if there is a real pandemic. Then the odds favor the shot than the flu.

[baggygreen]

The govt has suspended flu shots for kids under 5 down here, because its made hundreds sick and killed at least 1.

What's different between last year and this year? they added the H1N1 vaccine.

Question for you: H1N1 was declared a pandemic. is each individual strain of flu called a pandemic by the WHO? No? then why this one, with its smaller infection and mortality rate than say, brisbane flu?

[Wolfehunter]

Originally Posted by baggygreen

The govt has suspended flu shots for kids under 5 down here, because its made hundreds sick and killed at least 1.

I don't remember the sources but there have been a many deaths from the vaccine. There was also two version of the vaccine. Privilege people received the good one.. The rest had the lesser. I guess it really depended where you lived.

Here there is a difference in belief's between the doctors. Some say take it others say you don't need it. I wouldn't never let my child have a flu shot.

My daughter brought home a government document from her school when it was at its height. Suggesting vaccination against the virus if they haven't gotten it already.

Problem with the government document had no address for the location inoculating the kids. No phone number to contact them. They where being ferried by bus. The only way I could reach her was contacting through her school? Also the way the document was written made it sound like there not responsible of any events that may occur.. Basically saying if she dies its my fault because I sign it!

I and my wife found that suspicious. We refused.

[Noren]

Just for medical profits, 2 versions of the vaccine?

Here in europe I've never heard such a thing. Its true that normal every-year flu mostly affects the weak and the old, this strain of swine-cross-over flu could make even healthy younger persons ill.

As usual, its difficult to predict exactly how dangerous an illnes is but I for one prefer a country to be little to careful than the opposite. Here in Denmark vaccine was bought from abroad, and health care and firemen etc had 1 priority. But then stories came that it was'nt as dangerous as was first expected....now we swim in the vaccines haha.

[tater]

Noren, due to antivax nutjobs, there are multiple versions in the US, including one for kids without a preservative (never mind that all of the many studies have shown no links between preservatives and ill effects (except the one guy who made up his data to the contrary—antivax people love HIM for some reason, lol)).