Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

What it says on the official vaccine insert:

62 replies

tinalouiseuk · 21/11/2009 15:11

I don't understand how the manufacturers can say this vaccine's safety is asserted based on the safety of the seasonal flu vaccine - it may be made the same way but it is made with different ingredients! That is like saying one cake is like any other because they are baked the same way - and they aren't.

I read the package insert for this vaccine (copy here: tinyurl.com/les32r ) and it actually says:

?Safety & effectiveness of A (H1N1) vaccine have not been established in pregnant women, nursing mothers or children less than 4 years of age.?

For me, that is a gamble just not worth taking. How dare the manufacturer insist that children and pregnant women need the vaccine and yet make it perfectly clear on the packet ,that they have NOT established its safety!

We will all wrestle with our choices and can only research as thoroughly as possible, gathering all the information available and go from there.

I wish us all good health.

OP posts:
edam · 22/11/2009 10:19

V. good point about diagnosis on assumptions. Clearly dodgy. Look at that poor kid who nearly died from tonsillitis thanks to docs assuming it was swine flu.

Headache isn't a defining symptom of swine flu, as far as I know it's often a symptom of any flu. Dh had a nasty dose back of really nasty flu in the summer, swine flu hotline said it was swine flu, but given no-one saw him, I have no idea whether it actually was or not. Except it was in the summer, but even then normal flu does strike occasionally.

tinalouiseuk · 22/11/2009 10:26

I can't understand why they would have stopped diagnosing properly with a swab? Surely diagnosing and prescribing accordingly are what Doctors are there for?

Particularly with the vulnerable, I think diagnosis with a swab is essential. Over-medicating is a dangerous path to take and it makes so many of us nervous.

The reporting is important and I am happy to see the link (thanks RubberDuck) and wonder where and how we can see the ongoing statistics of side-effect and effectiveness? Anyone know...

OP posts:
tinalouiseuk · 22/11/2009 10:35

Found the answer to the question myself (must read whole site before questionning! lol)

www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/Swinefluinformation/index.htm

I did read though that only 5% of adverse reactions are reported which could make this info academic and less relevant

OP posts:
luciemule · 22/11/2009 10:57

Surely if they had ploughed all the money they spent on Tamiflu into blood testing everyone(much less cost I imagine), then they could have had more exact figures. How easy would it have been to do that................but instead, they just assume that everyone with a cold and temp has swine flu. Barmey!

A doctor (friend of a friend) agreed with me that the Tamiflu thing is dodgy and there were underlying reasons as to why they so easily hand it out. She's a doctor - not a conspiracy theorist!

AbricotsSecs · 22/11/2009 11:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

sarah293 · 22/11/2009 11:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

tinalouiseuk · 22/11/2009 11:17

It seems that the only people keeping 'conspiracy theories' on the board are those who don't doubt the vaccine - surely we can only stick with what we know?

None of us here knows all the facts and that is the problem - we should. Thories (conspiracy or otherwise) will of course arise when there is a lack of transparency and accountability.

I don't think theories of any sort are worth anything (at this point) - it is not about 'why' ...this discussion is surely about 'how' the vaccine will work, 'how' the reactions are being monitored, 'how' it was tested and 'how' we can discover more so that we make right decisions.

OP posts:
Musukebba · 22/11/2009 12:03

Testing people individually for swine flu had to stop because there wasn't the lab capacity to sustain it. Testing is however continuing for outbreaks in schools, where a reasonable number of children are tested to find the cause. Also hospitals are testing their in-patients with signs compatible with swine flu.

@tinalouiseuk: the live vaccine made by Medimmune is not licenced in the UK.

tinalouiseuk · 22/11/2009 12:09

Thank you for the information Musukebba - I knew that this site would be a help in finding information

OP posts:
TottWriter · 27/11/2009 12:52

Not entirely on the point here, but I do have something to add, so bear with me!

I have epilepsy, which was diagnoed in my late teens. After a spell on one tablet, I was placed on another, which happens to be a relatively new drug. New enough that most of the paramedics who pick me up when I have a fit in public have never heard of it. I was told by my neurologist that it was relatively safe to take during pregnancy (some are really not, which is why they try and avoid putting women of childbrearing age on them). When I became pregnant, I had to go through the risks with my neurologist and Epilepsy nurse. At the time I concieved, there were around sixty women on record who had had a pregnancy while on the drug, as part of a study into the risks. Of those, a few had miscarried, but it looked as though that was part of the national average. I was told that it didn't seem like it caused any problems, but the drug was new enough that, as you can see, no huge pattern had emerged.

If I took the medication, I would run the risk of it affecting my baby, although the signs were that it was safe. But if I didn't take it, and had a fit, I could have starved my baby of oxygen in the womb, and either miscarried, damaged him, or died myself. My fits have never been very severe, but they could get worse because of the stress of being pregnant. I chose to take the tablets, and, thank god, my son is a perfectly healthy little boy.

What has this got to do with swine flu? Well, I'm now pregnant again, so it's an issue I have to think about. That vaccine is very new - it has to be, because the disease is new. There hasn't been time yet to test it, and have the detailled results on the leaflet,but people are pregnant now and at risk now. I will do more of my own research, and make a descision that I feel comfortable with, which will most likely involve the vaccination. If I can be part of a survey to help increase medical knowledge of the drug, then so much the better.

These are hard choices, but I don't see the advantage in getting angry at the manufacturers because of circumstances out of their control.

tinalouiseuk · 28/11/2009 10:25

Tottwriter:
I am not 'angry with the manufacturer' - I am deeply concerned for the safety of my loved ones... as you are.

I refuse to get caught in arguments or anger on this issue - we are all united in the search for a healthy and safe outcome for our families and we can all only do the best we can.

Sharing information here is helpful and researching elsewhere is essential - I wish you luck with your decisions

OP posts:
daisy5 · 09/12/2009 23:07

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but in Manchester a few months ago I know that at two large hospitals they were testing all cases of suspected swine flu referred by doctors and both hospitals reported only 1 in 10 cases to actually be swine flu.

My dd has twice had most of the SF symptoms but both times I was almost certain it wasn't SF and went to hospital. First time it was croup that needed to be treated. Second time it was a bad throat infection. There is no way I would be ringing up their national hotline to be told she had swine flu when I could tell it wasn't flu.

I do struggle to understand why squaline and thimerisol (sp?) have been used in the vaccine. Surely there are better alternatives?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page