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| FLU SHOT HYPE ... ------------------------------- Third of parents oppose swine flu vaccine Published: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:36 AM CDT ATLANTA (AP) - As the first wave of swine flu vaccine crosses the country, More than a third of parents don't want their kids vaccinated, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. Some parents say they are concerned about side effects from the new vaccine - even though nothing serious has turned up in tests so far - while others say swine flu doesn't amount to any greater health threat than seasonal flu. Jackie Shea of Newtown, Conn., the mother of a 5-yearold boy named Emmett, says the vaccine is too new and too untested. “I will not be first in line in October to get him vaccinated,” she said in an interview last month. “We're talking about putting an unknown into him. I can't do that.” The AP poll found that 38 percent of parents said they were unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated at school. The belief that the new vaccine could be risky is one federal health officials have been fighting from the start, and they plan an unprecedented system of monitoring for side effects. They note that swine flu vaccine is made the same way as seasonal flu vaccines that have been used for years. And no scary side effects have turned up in tests on volunteers, including children. Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appealed for widespread inoculation against swine flu, vouching unconditionally for the vaccine: “We know it's safe and secure.” The AP poll, conducted Oct. 1-5, found 72 percent of those surveyed are worried about side effects, although more than half say that wouldn't stop them from getting the vaccine to protect their kids from the new flu. Giving flu shots to schoolchildren is also an idea many parents are still getting used to. It was only last year that the government recommendation kicked in for virtually all children to get it. Seasonal flu vaccination rates for children last year ranged from about 48 percent for toddlers to about 9 percent for teens. It traditionally takes a while for parents to learn about and accept a new vaccine and years for immunization rates to grow, said Dr. Matthew Davis, a University of Michigan Medical School associate professor who has overseen polling on flu issues. Special swine flu vaccination clinics at schools are being planned in many states. Children are the main spreaders of infectious disease, and if large numbers are coming down with swine flu, there are ripple effects for everyone else. The AP poll found 59 percent are likely to let their kids be vaccinated at school. But the kind of concerns voiced by parents could put a dent in public health efforts. A survey Davis directed for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Michigan suggested one reason for rejecting the vaccine is that about half of parents said they did not consider swine flu any worse than the seasonal bug. “Basically, the swine flu is the flu. I'm not overly excited about it,” said Julie Uehlein, a Tullahoma, Tenn., mother who is against swine flu vaccinations for her 8-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. “My concerns about the vaccine are what are the longterm effects,” she added. Some, like Shea, recall the 1976 swine flu immunization campaign that vaccinated 40 million Americans against an epidemic that never materialized. Worse, many who got the shots back then filed injury claims blaming health problems on the vaccine, with some reporting a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome. Health officials did not find evidence the vaccine caused the condition, noting it occurs naturally anyway and would be bound to show up in such a large group. Many people were unjustifiably blaming all sorts of health problems on the vaccine, some health experts believe. That's why the government is already trying to educate people about how common many health problems are, and why it's handing out cards telling people how to report any side effects. For some parents, fears are compounded by worries about thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that will be in roughly 60 percent of the 225 million swine flu doses ordered for Americans. The preservative is not in the FluMist nasal spray, which can be given to healthy kids age 2 and older. But it's in many injectable doses, which are packaged in multi-dose vials that require thimerosal to prevent bacterial contamination. Fears that the preservative or something in vaccines themselves can lead to autism remain entrenched in some quarters - despite no evidence from the most rigorous scientific studies. Some autism advocacy groups echo parents' concerns about swine flu vaccine, and also argue it's a bad idea to spend so much time and money on the new flu. “We're flipping out over swine flu, but it's only affected a few thousand people. Why isn't somebody freaking out about the autism epidemic?” said Wendy Fournier, president of the National Autism Association. Vaccine makers are sensitive to demand for preservative-free shots. Parents can ask their doctors to order preservative- free, single-dose vaccine for their kids, said Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. As for his own two schoolage children, Frieden said in a recent interview: “I would have no hesitation about getting my kids vaccinated by thimerosalcontaining vaccines.” Health officials and many parents are strong believers in the vaccine, and warn about the potential dangers of a virus that has caused at least 9,000 U.S. hospitalizations and at least 600 deaths, including 60 children. Jennifer Barnes enrolled herself and her two children in one of the government studies of the new vaccine, seizing an opportunity to get them all immunized before the illness became widespread. “I thought, 'This is an opportunity to get the kids vaccinated, and I better jump on it,”' said Barnes, 32, a speech language pathologist who lives in Decatur, Ga. Barnes said she gets her kids vaccinated against flu each year not only for their own health but to protect others. “My kids hang around kids who might have lowered immune systems. I would hate for them to get something and pass it on,” she said. Shea said she appreciates those arguments, but she's hesitated to talk about swine flu vaccine with other parents, who seem polarized on the topic. “There's the crunchy granola group” against flu vaccinations, she said, “and the very staunch, follow everything group” who extol them. She also worries that swine flu could become more widespread and dangerous than it is now. If that happens, she said, she would probably try to get her son vaccinated, though she's aware there are risks in waiting, too. “It's one of those things where you're almost damned if you do, damned if you don't,” she said. ============================================================== Many Americans Still Leery of Swine Flu Vaccine – Ind. doctor among 1st to get swine flu vaccine Slideshow:Swine Flu AFP/File – A nurse prepares an anti-flu vaccine at the Clermont-Ferrand hospital in central France in September … By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter by Amanda Gardner healthday Reporter – 9 mins ago TUESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Even as the H1N1 swine flu vaccine is distributed coast to coast, many people say they have safety concerns that may stop them from getting vaccinated. HERE'S ONE THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU RECONSIDER Although experts say those fears are unwarranted, a recent Associated Press-GfK poll found only about half of Americans said they are planning to get the vaccine. Most of those are older people -- so far among the least vulnerable to the virus. Almost three-quarters of respondents said they were concerned about the vaccine's safety (although many of these said they still were going to get the shot). A University of Michigan poll found that only 40 percent of parents wanted to get their children inoculated. And a survey released Tuesday -- commissioned by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists that polled pharmacy directors at 341 hospitals across the country -- found that many hospital employees are asking if the H1N1 vaccine is safe. In response, experts and officials continue to stress that not only is the vaccine safe, it's the surest way to protect yourself from the H1N1 swine flu virus. "The H1N1 vaccine is made in exactly the same way, using the same material, the same companies, the same process as the seasonal flu vaccine we make every single year and give to tens and tens of millions of people," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci explained that even the seasonal flu vaccine is changed slightly each year, with slightly different strains. Had the H1N1 virus emerged just a little bit earlier, it would have been included in this year's regular flu shot, he stated. "We wouldn't be talking about safety now if [the H1N1 vaccine] were given within the context of the seasonal flu," Fauci continued. Nor has the vaccine been made too quickly, as some have worried. In fact, "it hasn't been faster at all," said Dr. Robert Frenck, a professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious diseases. The seasonal flu vaccine goes into production around March and is available around August. The H1N1 virus was isolated in May and became available this month. Side effects from the H1N1 vaccine have been mild, including tenderness and swelling at the injection site and a mild fever. In China, four of 39,000 people vaccinated reported muscle cramps and headaches. "We've had experience with this particular variety of killed vaccine for 20 years, and the risks are primarily swollen arm and low-grade fever," said Dr. Nathan Litman, director of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "There are some very, very rare other events, but some of them happen naturally even in those who don't have the vaccine. The risk of disease and complications of disease is far greater than the vaccine." Some concerns were precipitated by an earlier experience with swine flu vaccine. In 1976, the U.S. government vaccinated 43 million people against swine flu following an outbreak at Fort Dix in New Jersey. Some 500 of those vaccinated developed a rare neurodegenerative condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which many experts believe was linked to the shot. Twenty-five of those 500 died. But the equation for this year's swine flu pandemic is already vastly different. The 1976 virus never spread beyond 240 soldiers stationed at the base, while the current outbreak has already sickened more than 340,000 people worldwide, killing 4,100 or more, according to the World Health Organization. ============================================================= A nurse prepares an anti-flu vaccine at the Clermont-Ferrand hospital in central France in September 2009. The European Union warned against complacency over the spread of swine flu and urged people to get vaccinated even though the potentially deadly disease has not hit as hard as first feared. (AFP/File/Thierry Zoccolan) ============================================================== THE SCARE TACTICS >>> Swine Flu Debate: Vaccinate or not? Published: Sunday, October 11, 2009 By Abbe Smith The initial doses of the new swine flu vaccine will only be given to young people, pregnant women and other high-risk groups. (Associated Press) The first doses of swine flu vaccine are here, but for some parents fear of a flu pandemic does not outweigh fear of complications from the new vaccine. Pediatricians locally and across the country are fielding phone calls from parents concerned about side effects or unknown long-term complications from the newly developed H1N1 vaccine. Doctors say it’s as safe as the seasonal flu vaccine and public health officials from the local to federal level are recommending vaccination for at-risk populations. “Parents should get their children vaccinated,” says Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. Katz is not just a renowned medical authority with knowledge of the swine flu; he has personal experience with the virus. Katz’s entire family came down with the swine flu last spring. The infection was mild for Katz, his wife and two of their children, but his youngest child came down with a fever of 102 and was much sicker than the rest. So far, swine flu appears to be milder than the seasonal flu, which kills an average of 36,000 people a year in the United States. However, swine flu has been disproportionately affecting pregnant women and young people, hitting them harder than other populations, such as the elderly. The heightened risk to children and pregnant people alone is enough reason to support vaccination programs, Katz argues. “I think parents who are feeling a little anxious about the vaccine should consider, ‘How will I feel if my child gets dangerously ill from an infectious disease that I could have prevented?’” A recent Associated Press poll stated that 72 percent of people surveyed are worried about side effects from the vaccine, but more than half said they would probably give permission for their children to receive the vaccine at school. Much of the fear is rooted in the 1976 swine flu vaccination campaign, in which millions of people were vaccinated and a small percentage developed Guillain-Barr? syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that can cause paralysis. Doctors say the flu vaccine has come a long way in the three decades since and is a lot safer now. While there is risk associated with any vaccine, doctors say the benefits outweigh the risks. “We all have this 1976 flu vaccine boogieman in the back of our heads and we need to get rid of that,” Katz said. So far in Connecticut, only about 20,000 doses of the vaccine have been made available and all of them are in the form of a nasal spray, which includes a live but weakened H1N1 virus. The nasal spray vaccine has been approved for healthy people ages 2 through 49, but is most effective in children. The state Department of Public Health is recommending the vaccine be used first on children 2 through 4, who are most at risk for getting very sick from the flu itself. Because the nasal spray contains a “live” virus and there is more of a chance, though slight, of complications, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women are not supposed to receive it. “Given to healthy individuals, it shouldn’t create any kind of complication,” said Kenneth L. Rubano, New Haven’s assistant director of environmental health and emergency response. Rubano said the city plans to launch an educational campaign with public service announcements about swine flu and vaccination displayed on the backs of public buses. He said the city will offer the swine flu vaccine at dozens of local clinics and medical offices, including the city’s 14 school-based clinics. Some school districts will be offering the vaccine to students in school with parental permission. In Milford, students in middle and high school will have the opportunity to receive the injection form of the vaccine when it becomes available later this month. After-school vaccination clinics will be offered for the younger kids so that their parents can accompany them. “We expect that we are going to have to do a lot of vaccinations,” said Milford’s public health director, Dr. A. Dennis McBride. He also encouraged parents to contact their pediatrician or primary care doctor about getting the vaccine for their kids. PARENTS CAN’T DECIDE Deborah Culligan, deputy director of the Quinnipiack Valley Health District, is coordinating a school vaccination program that will target five local communities — Bethany, Hamden, North Haven, Woodbridge and Orange. While the program is still in the planning stages, the goal is to offer students in kindergarten through grade 12 the nasal spray vaccine, also with parental permission. “I am hearing so many different things from parents — parents who want it, parents who don’t want it, parents who don’t know what to do,” she said. Culligan said that since the vaccine is the best tool available to prevent the flu, she recommends it for children. As the vaccine is only now starting to become available, it remains to be seen how many parents will opt to get their kids vaccinated. Parents outside of Mackrille School in West Haven last week had mixed opinions about the vaccine. Ellen Collins has three children, two of them at Mackrille, and she has not decided on having them vaccinated, but she’s leaning against it. “I just don’t feel it’s necessary,” she said. “I’m not a big believer in vaccines for everything because you need to build up an immunity.” Bert Siclari, on the other hand, is not wavering; he is not getting his daughter vaccinated because he thinks the vaccine has not been tested enough. “I do plan to emphasize handwashing and Purell,” he said. Another parent, Dora Landeno, is getting the vaccine for her daughter. “My doctor recommended it,” she said. Lumped into the group of people who are concerned about the new swine flu vaccine are people wary about vaccines in general. Stephanie, a mom in Wallingford who declined to give her last name, said as long as people are healthy, their immune systems can naturally fight off disease. She thinks the swine flu ordeal has been blown out of proportion. “I think it’s media hype,” she said. “I also think it’s a money maker for the pharmaceutical industry.” The H1N1 virus was first identified last April and sparked international attention and concern as doctors and scientists scrambled to determine how dangerous the strain of flu was. The outbreak began in Mexico and quickly spread to countries all over the world. Unlike the seasonal flu, which is most dangerous for the elderly, the swine flu seems to be more dangerous for children, young people and pregnant women. Eric Triffin, health director in West Haven, said one interesting characteristic of the swine flu is that is seems to be edging out the seasonal flu in number of infections. He said the vast majority of flu infections that appeared in the Southern Hemisphere during their flu season over the summer were swine flu. “It may be protecting us from these other flus that are more dangerous and more deadly,” he said, but quickly added: “Those with risk factors should still be getting the protection.” Most doctors recommend at-risk populations get both the seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines. The latter is recommended for pregnant women, people caring for infants up to 6 months old, health care and emergency medical service personnel, people from 6 months old to 24 years, and anyone between the ages of 25 and 64 who have medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes that put them at greater risk for flu-related complications. For more information about swine flu and the vaccine, go to www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch or call the state swine flu hot line at (800) 830-9426. =============================================================== H1N1 Vaccine Suit New York nurses sue to block mandatory swine flu vaccine for health workers... Abigail Bleck (WNYT) October 13, 2009 - 10:56am A lawyer representing four Albany, New York nurses is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a mandate requiring all health care workers to be immunized against the seasonal flu and swine flu. Right now they risk losing their jobs if they don't roll up their sleeves by the end of November. The nurses believe their safety is at risk if they get the shots. The state health department counters that public health is at risk if they don't. "We're being coerced to consent to receiving this vaccine that as educated health care professionals we don't believe in," nurse Lorna Patterson said. This year every health and emergency worker in New York is required to get the immunizations. Many question the efficacy of the shots. Some also question its safety. "We know as nurses that every medication and substance has a risk of side effects and adverse reactions and we don't know what the risks and adverse reactions are with these vaccines," Patterson said. The state Department of Health defended its stance Monday, stating the commissioner has "clear legal authority to promulgate the mandatory influenza vaccination regulation to protect the public health." "We're going to lose our jobs. We're going to lose our jobs if we don't get this vaccine," nurse Kathryn Dupuis said. The nurses and their lawyer, attorney Terry Kindlon, believe the civil rights of thousands of health care workers will be violated if the mandate isn't overturned. "Everything is done by way of stampede," Kindlon said. "We have to invade Iraq or New York will be ruined. We have to give billions to the banking industry or the economy will collapse. We have to give these shots or everyone will die." The federal government recommends, but does not mandate, that health care and emergency workers receive the H1N1 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control also suggests the immunization for pregnant women, adults who care for children less than 6 months old and young people aged 6 months to 24 years. Older than that, the CDC only recommends the vaccine if you have a pre-existing health condition. |