To not give my children the swine flu vaccine?

[wintersnow]

I decided not to last year as I wanted to wait and see how safe it was but am reconsidering this year after several people have died. Did you give it to your children and what were your reasons to give/not give it?

research the medicines that you take. there are side effects, be aware of what they are, and make a judgement about the risk.

The ITU numbers are from the intensive care society, 190 ITU related cases as of thurs this week. The measle numbers are from the hpa, these numbers were only for England and Wales.

Leonie, those drugs aren't even in the same classes as one another.

Cephalexin is a cephalosporin, and levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone. Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine, cipramil is an ssri...

Flu vaccine may not work for older patients

What other medicine is given free and costs the NHS this amount of money, if there are doubts about whether it works?

I got my measles figures from hpa too elephantine. Did you read the notes underneath?
What are the corresponding itu figures for seasonal flu to compare?

Leonie - You haven't said whose cash cow Wakefield was endangering:-

"Leonie - Exactly whose cash cow? Which conspiracy theory is this? There was/is good money in giving seperate vaccines. That's what you would do if you wanted to maximise profit."

I know what they all are!!!

My point was just that you're not completely comparing like with like.

No need to be sarky.

'Flu admissions are not currently up. H1N1 results in ITU admissions from groups who are not traditionally at risk, and therefore may not get vaccinated.

I don't read the Guardian, because I don't believe much of what it says. I avoid Goldacre, Monbiot et al. But here is an article from the Guardian from a supposed GP, writing under the pseudonym Dr. Crippen. Maybe regilar Guardian readers know of him?

He says he won't take the swine flu vaccine, he says

'Professor David Salisbury, has said that nurses have a "duty" to be immunised against swine flu. A poll by nursingtimes.net showed that 30% of respondents would refuse to have it. If the government is surprised at the number of nurses who will not have the immunisation, just wait to see what happens when they offer it to doctors. On the facts available to date, I will not be having it. Nor will my family. I will not be the only doctor taking this view.'

and he also says

Every year, like obedient sheep, thousands troop into their local health centre to have a "flu immunisation". You may have had one last year. Did it work? I am amazed that there has not been a public outcry of people saying, "Excuse me, I had a flu jab last year and I still got swine flu."

Quite amazing for the Guardian.

[[Every year, like obedient sheep, thousands troop into their local health centre to have a "flu immunisation". You may have had one last year. Did it work? I am amazed that there has not been a public outcry of people saying, "Excuse me, I had a flu jab last year and I still got swine flu."

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/08/dr-crippen-swine-flu

Different antibiotics treat different infections.

While SSRIs and benzos can both treat anxiety, SSRIs main indication is depression.

I wasn't disagreeing - but your point makes more sense with your other example.

Yes I have read the notes. Late effects are still deaths attributable to measles. H1N1 is seasonal flu ( for this year anyway). Admissions to ITU were 15 times more for H1N1 compared to viral pneumonitis (all causes, not just flu) in Oz and NZ - this is from and old news article on the Lancet website, might still be around now.

your figures are innacurate bubblemummydeath rate some years have been 1 in 2 or 3000
I think the rate of brain damage from measles is 1/2000 and brain damage can occur years later.

Again, I really do know a fair bit about my pharmacology - I'm not looking for a lecture.

I just didn't see your point in your earlier example.

Your further example cleared it up.

"flu patients do not in general end up on ITU but a disproportionate number of patients with H1N1 do. ". If we don't know the figures for seasonal flu then how do we know this? Do the thousands of people who die from flu every year not end up in itu at some stage?

X post elephantine. I was under the impression that h1n1 was 1 of three prevalent strains this year. I'd be interested to read that article if you can find it elephantine.

Bruffin, that's the same info I'm using. Read the notes underneath. The other deaths are attributed to cases in the 1980s so we would have to look at considerably more than 80000 cases to compare those figures... Not sure where you're getting 1 in 2-3000 tbh.

www.thelancet.com/H1N1-flu/egmn/0c03befb
Hope I managed to copy the whole link.

The predominant strain this year is H1N1, followed by flu B.