6 October 2009

Swine flu vaccine - shutting the gate after the pig has bolted

| Kramer
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The CT reports that Canberrans have rushed to get the recently released swine flu vaccine, and orders have been placed for another truckload. Seems a bit late for my liking as all reports indicate that the latest mutations of the swine flue were less intense, and we’re heading into summer (out of flu season). Is everyone really rushing out to get it? or is it just GPs trying to drum up some business during school holidays??

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It’s generally a good idea to get a flu vaccination, but I wouldn’t rush into arranging for your children to get this one. The children’s trials for this drug involved a very small sample (about 200 from memory). Best to way and see.

It’s also, understandably, a vaccination designed to be distributed as cheaply and quickly as possible. Four doses are packaged in one phial, which means that, once opened, a doctor/nurse must administer it to four patients, preferably immediately, or risk contamination (of both the phial and the environment). This sort of drug administration can get messy.

And, trust me, doctors are by no means looking to “drum up business”. They’re dreading the rush of patients.

astrojax said :

if you want to benefit from all the myriad benefits you derive from being part of this community, think for a moment about what you contribute to it.

get a life, and in the process, give one… (btw, do you give blood?)

I would donate blood in a flash however I am not allowed due to having lived in the UK in the early nintees. You know…the whole ‘mad cow disease’ thing…and yeah, yeah before you even have a go…maybe it is too late and this cow is already mad!!!

I am however, a registered organ donor…does that lower my score on the Selfish Register a bit?

Reading between the lines I can see this is a sensitive subject for you…so apologies for any insensitivity on my part…however, I stand by my right to choose.

I am immunosuppressed so will get it and I get the yearly flu shot as well. but if I had a healthy immune system I probably wouldn’t worry too much about it at all 🙂

Research has so far shown that wearing face masks is totally ineffective at stopping people from catching the swine flu.

My version of taking responsibility would be to have the vaccine. But I trust the actual medical doctors, who have seen that young healthy people seem to be more succeptible to swine flu than older generations – note that older people are not on the priority list for vaccine, as they normally are for the annual flu vax?

If you want to rely on being fit and healthy and hoping for the best go for it.

As for the correct course of action for the vaccine, that may be the way to go right this second, but the govt had to order this multitude of vaccines months and months ago, amidst global competition for them, they didn’t get to wait til right now to decide.

BabyGirl15742:38 pm 07 Oct 09

sepi said :

“I am not advocating forced vaccintions” quote

Are you sure?
Because it kinda sounds like you are.

Busgirl has every right not to get the Swine Flu injection, I’m not getting it either because I believe that I don’t need it, does that make me selfish?

plus one to what sepi said – and you are being selfish, busgirl, if you think [think, not ‘know’ – big difference] you’re ‘healthy’ and so decide not to stop the spread of this potentially very serious contagion when it gets to you but pass it on, willy nilly, to others who may not be so lucky to have your robust constitution. i don’t agree with the ‘murder’ bit, but! however, if you want to benefit from all the myriad benefits you derive from being part of this community, think for a moment about what you contribute to it.

get a life, and in the process, give one… (btw, do you give blood?)

How dare you call me selfish just because I don’t want to live my life your way. And saying that by not injecting myself with something foreign, something I don’t even need, I should be punished as if I were a murderer…are you mentally deranged? If you truly believe that, you need psychiatric help.

You know…to protect yourself from selfish, germy people like me you can always wear a face mask for the duration of the flu season…or do you expect me to do that for you too precious?

Take responsibility for protecting yourself instead of expecting the rest of the world to do it for you.

Swine Flu is just the normal flu.
If it mutates then the vaccine will be useless, just like the normal flu.

Herd Immunity works great for viruses that don’t change as much as the flu does or else we could have almost eradicated the flu in developed nations already.
It is effective on viruses that have no known non-human reservoir such as polio, but the Flu can be transmitted to multiple other species.

I won’t be getting a vaccine as it’s a waste of time because I’m pretty sure I already had the swine flu

The correct course of action should have been to wait and see how it plays out in the northern hemisphere, and then have a vaccine available for whatever the dominant flu strain is expected to be as we go back into our flu season, just like we do every year.

busgirl – if your constitution is so healthy you should be fine to have the vaccine.

and one characteristic of swine flu is that it is far more infectious than standard flu. they estimate 1 in 2 people who have come into contact with it have contracted it, as opposed to around 1 in 5 for standard flu.

you can’t base your decisions about swine flu on standard flu, becuase it is quite a different thing, and it is unknown how bad it might get in the near future. I am not advocating forced vaccintions, but I do find your attitude pretty selfish – survival of the fittest – tell that to the parents whose 6 month old died of whooping cough (most likely caught from an unvaccinated adult).

If you are yet to have swine flu then my guess is that the pig has not bolted, and indeed it is not too late.

It’s not really that extreme. Many developed countries have compulsory vaccination programs, and many viruses have spread due to the refusal of some individuals to be vaccinated. These viruses have killed innocent third parties.

I am not even advocating mandatory vaccinations, just responsibility for the result of your actions.

Hells_Bells747:17 am 07 Oct 09

and for arguments sake, that particular youtube clip was saying how they had thermisol (sp) (a mercury preservative)(as well as Squalene, not sure if ours does) in America’s batch, now thinking we had different vaccines and took out the thermisol (sp) in most vaccines some recent years ago I was shocked to discover the PanVax we are getting has it also.

Take your mercury kiddies, is so good for you I’m sure!

*ducks*

Hells_Bells747:07 am 07 Oct 09

hax said :

GregW said :

In my opinion that is reckless indifference to life and should be punishable in the same way as it is with murder.

Well, your opinion is extreme to say the least

I think people are entitled (free) to choose what gets put in their body. (I shudder at the alternative)

I agree hax.

The alternative I shudder to think of was the New York health workers.

As for GregW he is sounding like the woman in this youtube clip at 00.10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMqYlnAiIUU

GregW said :

In my opinion that is reckless indifference to life and should be punishable in the same way as it is with murder.

Well, your opinion is extreme to say the least

I think people are entitled (free) to choose what gets put in their body. (I shudder at the alternative)

You’re damn right that people are going to criticise you for your extreme ignorance.

Swine flu has so far killed about 4,500 people, a large number of these deaths resulted from people with weakened immune systems due to HIV/AIDS or similar. You can bet that these individuals did not willingly contract such a disease.

By refusing to recieve the vaccine you are placing such people at risk. They will not simply be contracting the disease, you will be giving it to them. In my opinion that is reckless indifference to life and should be punishable in the same way as it is with murder.

Stop being so self-righteous and selfish and get vaccinated.

I think it’s a personal decision. As one of those people who have medical issues and are encouraged to have a flu shot every year I don’t because I very rarely get the flu. I uhmed and ahed about whether to get the swine flu vaccine and finally decided I would, only to ring my doctor’s office and find out that they won’t have it for a couple of weeks. I’m curious as to whether any doctors in the ACT do have it yet.

Thoroughly Smashed said :

Even if you don’t think you need to be vaccinated personally, you will still transmit the disease once you’ve become infected. The point of offering the vaccine to the entire population is to develop herd immunity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity

So don’t be selfish, get the jab.

Puhleease…don’t tell me to take a jab I don’t need. I happen to have a strong, healthy constitution. In 36 years, I have had the flu twice (18 years ago and 5 years ago). The common cold?…sure, at least once every winter…but the flu, where it sets you on your arse for 4 days?…only twice.

If everyone stopped carrying on like pork chops every time they got a sniffle or a cough they would admit that 95% of the time what they really have is also just the common cold and not the flu.

I do realise there are those among us who are not as healthy as myself and who do actually catch the flu every year, and I do feel sorry for them as it is truly awful not being well. But dang nebbit…don’t tell me that I should have to take a jab for them. The theory of ‘herd immunity’ is logical and of course it makes alot of sense…but do you know what? so does ‘survival of the fittest’.

Now before you all go jump on me and scratch my eyes out…I’m not saying we should leave all the flu-sufferers to die a slow death because it serves them right for having poor constitutions…all I’m saying is don’t tell me I need to inject myself with H1N1 just to save someone else from catching it. You know…my body, my choice kinda thing.

Thoroughly Smashed3:22 pm 06 Oct 09

AG Canberra said :

The cost of the consultation should be included as well.

Well, technically that’s also paid for by the government.

Your doctor may have different ideas regarding how much he/she deserves to be paid for the consultation, obviously…

The cost of the consultation should be included as well.

This vaccine takes two weeks to kick in. My GP advised that it is free for everyone. The only cost to me is the cost of the consultation.

it might be out of ‘flu season now, but the vaccine will be active when it kicks back in again next year – and this isn’t, apparently, a usual ‘flu in that it doesn’t only come on in winter. they expect this ‘flu to mutate and the vaccine is, from my understanding, to reduce the risk of greater catastrophe when it comes back and means it…

Hells_Bells741:51 pm 06 Oct 09

I don’t like how they report Canberra as having 732 (last time I heard) cases of swine flu. Without taking into consideration that we are talking about a virus, not a lifelong disease.

Most people were sick and better again in short periods. So why hang on to the past and talk in the media like we still have 732 people suffering?

I have been most unimpressed as per usual with any spin out of the media especially towards my health and well being.

Inappropriate1:50 pm 06 Oct 09

I’m in two minds about getting this jab simply because the regular flu vaccine makes me sick (flu-like symptoms) and I’m not at all convinced that H1N1 is worse than the regular flu. Also, if the flu mutates, then won’t this vaccine be about as effective as salt water?

Thoroughly Smashed1:32 pm 06 Oct 09

Even if you don’t think you need to be vaccinated personally, you will still transmit the disease once you’ve become infected. The point of offering the vaccine to the entire population is to develop herd immunity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity

So don’t be selfish, get the jab.

They are recommending everybody gets it (over 10 years old), starting with those at higher risk (pregnant women, asthmatics etc). they are also recommending parents of babies get it as a priority. If you live with someone who is at high risk you should also get vaccinated, so as not to bring the virus home.

They are hoping to vaccinate between 30-50% of the population, so as to make inroads into how far the disease spreads next Winter. Just because it seemed mild in the first waave doesn’t mean it will stay in it’s mild form – and even in that form people did die, not all of whom had existing conditions.

I would have thought the last thing any GP in this town needed to do was “drum up some business”. They already have far more than they can handle.

I probably will be heading out (if not actually “rushing”) to get it, but only on account of an upcoming trip to the US which is heading in to ‘flu season. The last thing I want to do is have to rely on the US healthcare system.

Perhaps to prevent people bringing the infection to Australia when they go on holiday to places where it IS flu season?

I think they’ve been pretty clear that its only if you’re at risk eg chronically ill.

While I won’t need it, I’ll be making sure one of my significant others gets it.

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