Flu Shots

[jbyrd898]

Will you and your little ones' be getting them this year? have you in the past?

[GrannyM.]

And thank God we can indeed make this choice for our selves....I choose the shot and you do not...

Go America....

[lenoxclan]

WOWZA! Just realized this post has nearly 500 replies!

Who would have thought the flu shot would cause such controversy!!

Okay, yeah I know..This is cm, what did ya expect..

[onthebrink333]

The bottom line is, the shot nor the spray protect you for every strain of flu.  We don't do shots and it's ok if someone does.  :)

[Dinosaurspiders]

Well, my husband is in the Air Force so no choice there, lol, and our four year old got his as well. I am getting mine tomorrow since I am pregnant and I have read the danger of the flu and pregnancy, but I have also read about the danger of (well possibly the danger of) Thimerosal, so I will be asking for a Thimerosal Free vaccine. Even though the CDC still claims no Thimerosal (mercury) is linked to any ill effects.....this year they made vaccines without it, yay! However there are still vaccines with it that need it as a preservative. So, ask for a single dose vaccine or a prefilled syringe, those are all thimerosal free. The multi-dose vials are not. So thats my informed decision. :)

[Dinosaurspiders]

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6132a3.htm#tab

This is where I got my info, though googling always seems like a good idea at first all that ends up happening for me is fear. Fear if I don't vaccinate, fear if I do....  I really need to stop that, lol. :)

[leanbi]

ok..maybe the CDC is wrong...however they do collect information before they make recommendations. In this past year they have take the question of pregnancy right out of the questions you have to answer before you get the flu shot.  I have read the inserts directly out of the packages myself...and while it does state that it hasn't been tested on pregnant women...it does not say that they can not recieve it.  My OB/GYN strongly suggested getting it when I was pregnant 2 yrs ago.

As far as vaccines in children go...the government madates what needs to be given..jpharmaceuticals mandate when. Babies are given "boosters" so often because their immune sysytem is not complete until around the age of 2...so the vaccine may prevent illness for a short time, but the immunity wears off.

Whooping cough vaccine is recommended for care takers/parents of children under the age of two because they have not yet recieved their full series of shots for pertussis and therefor are still succeptable.

I do not agree that vaccines are needed for everything. I also believe in allowing the body to build up a natural immunity to various diseases instead...however, there are some illnesses that are better left alone. My pediatrician gives me a hard time at each of my son's well visits because I won't let him give him the chicken pox vaccine...I consider it more of a cosmetic vaccine than a necessary one...however, if my son did not have a good immune system to begin with, I would go ahead and let him get it.

Ther are a lot of sites out there on the internet to research for/against vaccination.  I warn everyone that does this to check the valididty of the author before taking thier "research" as fact. I have read both sides and hope/pray that I make the right decision based on ALL the information and not just one side or the other. As a nurse and patient advocate, I always make sure the patient FULLY understands what they are getting before I proceed.