H1N1 Info
I forgot to add this to my super-post below..... :)
The obligatory legal-ese: This is NOT medical direction. Please talk with your doctor about your situation before making any decisions. This is what was told to US in relation to our situation.
OK. Here is what we received - straight from the immunologist in Wisconsin:
I have been worried about this as well, not just because we are pretty much quarantined anyway, but because I was afraid of the vaccine itself.
The immuno doc said that the priority children are those who have seizures, CP, heart defects, and lung issues - so far we are 4 for 4. Any other chronic medical conditions are also high on the list, but the majority of children who have died from H1N1 are those who have the first 4 medical conditions.
Anybody under the age of 10 will need to have 2 vaccines, three weeks apart. You should also have the regular flu vaccine, but NOT at the same time as H1N1. The immuno said we could do flu one week, H1N1 2 weeks later, flu one week after , then 2nd H1N1 2 weeks later.
Christopher has to have 2 flu vaccines because it has been so long since he was vaccinated for the flu (due to his immune issues). If you have never had the flu shot or have not had one in the last 5 years, you will need 2 vaccines to get the full effect. This goes for all ages.
OK. The next thing on the list is which type - there is the mist and a regular shot. The difference being the mist is a LIVE virus. Anybody who takes the mist is then considered contagious for 14 days. Period. So what you are going to have is a bunch of people who were vaccinated, but still have the potential to spread it for 14 days!
The shot is recommended for the high risk people. It is NOT a live virus. It was developed on the same premise as the regular flu vaccine. It only contains PROTEINS from the H1N1 virus (not the entire thing). So, you develop an antibody to the particular proteins and your body will attack the proteins in the virus if you are exposed. These proteins are essential for replication of the virus, so your body will/should stop the virus from replicating and infecting you. So you are not really getting a vaccination for H1N1, just proteins that it contains.
I think we are going to try to get the vaccine. In our case, the risk of infection sooooooo outweighs the risk of the vaccine reaction. The only place we get to take Christopher is the hospital - the WORST place to be.
One other thing that the immuno strongly suggested, was that if your child is in one of those 4 high risk categories listed above, to take a prophylaxis of Tamiflu or Relenza until Spring. I questioned him about lowering the effectiveness of the drugs (like antibiotic resistance) by doing that. He said for people with normal immune systems that would be true - for what ever reason, those with neurological problems just can't seem to fight this off. The drugs would be a first line of defense and hopefully lessen any infection should the vaccine not work.
So, now we have to check with 14 other docs to get their opinion on the drugs, as we can't even give him cold medicine because of his heart.
Hugs!
Steph
The obligatory legal-ese: This is NOT medical direction. Please talk with your doctor about your situation before making any decisions. This is what was told to US in relation to our situation.
OK. Here is what we received - straight from the immunologist in Wisconsin:
I have been worried about this as well, not just because we are pretty much quarantined anyway, but because I was afraid of the vaccine itself.
The immuno doc said that the priority children are those who have seizures, CP, heart defects, and lung issues - so far we are 4 for 4. Any other chronic medical conditions are also high on the list, but the majority of children who have died from H1N1 are those who have the first 4 medical conditions.
Anybody under the age of 10 will need to have 2 vaccines, three weeks apart. You should also have the regular flu vaccine, but NOT at the same time as H1N1. The immuno said we could do flu one week, H1N1 2 weeks later, flu one week after , then 2nd H1N1 2 weeks later.
Christopher has to have 2 flu vaccines because it has been so long since he was vaccinated for the flu (due to his immune issues). If you have never had the flu shot or have not had one in the last 5 years, you will need 2 vaccines to get the full effect. This goes for all ages.
OK. The next thing on the list is which type - there is the mist and a regular shot. The difference being the mist is a LIVE virus. Anybody who takes the mist is then considered contagious for 14 days. Period. So what you are going to have is a bunch of people who were vaccinated, but still have the potential to spread it for 14 days!
The shot is recommended for the high risk people. It is NOT a live virus. It was developed on the same premise as the regular flu vaccine. It only contains PROTEINS from the H1N1 virus (not the entire thing). So, you develop an antibody to the particular proteins and your body will attack the proteins in the virus if you are exposed. These proteins are essential for replication of the virus, so your body will/should stop the virus from replicating and infecting you. So you are not really getting a vaccination for H1N1, just proteins that it contains.
I think we are going to try to get the vaccine. In our case, the risk of infection sooooooo outweighs the risk of the vaccine reaction. The only place we get to take Christopher is the hospital - the WORST place to be.
One other thing that the immuno strongly suggested, was that if your child is in one of those 4 high risk categories listed above, to take a prophylaxis of Tamiflu or Relenza until Spring. I questioned him about lowering the effectiveness of the drugs (like antibiotic resistance) by doing that. He said for people with normal immune systems that would be true - for what ever reason, those with neurological problems just can't seem to fight this off. The drugs would be a first line of defense and hopefully lessen any infection should the vaccine not work.
So, now we have to check with 14 other docs to get their opinion on the drugs, as we can't even give him cold medicine because of his heart.
Hugs!
Steph
posted by Stephanie at
7:12 PM
3 Comments:
Oh, I can't thank you enough for sharing this info. you got regarding H1N1...I'm pretty much in a state of hyper-paranoia since I couldn't find lots of concrete information about the vaccine or what specifically indicated whether or not LC was in a high risk group. This definitely informs my own question-asking session coming up this week...couldn't have timed it better. (As always...)
THANKS!
I just had a similar conversation with Hannah's pediatrician (whom I adore). We have the added issue of Guillain-Barre syndrome in my family, and the early version of swine flu was a trigger for it. I have not yet made up my mind. It seems to be one of those 50-50 things.
Glad that your trip went well, even with the so-so doctor. Also glad that Lil Man got to enjoy his chest x-ray! You gotta get your fun when you can!
Hey girl, you've been very quiet lately. How are things?
I just talked to our ped yesterday about this new vaccine, it makes me nervous giving him a new vaccine. She said its not new, they just take out the flu virus and put H1N1 in, everything else is the same. Of course she said Jax NEEDS this vaccine. So we will get it.
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