Va. teen suffers rare illness after swine flu shot

msnbc ^ | 11-12-09 | JoNel Aleccia

[Myrddin]

I usually get the seasonal flu vaccine each year. I'm skipping both seasonal and H1N1 versions this year.

[mysterio]

You can get GBS after the actual flu, as well. Avoiding a flu shot doesn't protect you.

The anti-vaccine nutjobs always seem to forget to mention that particular fact, though.

[Scotsman will be Free]

Don’t know where you are getting your numbers. The CDC reports 477 swine flu deaths in the U.S. through August 8, 2009. The CDC also stated that the regular “seasonal influenza” kills about 36,000 americans every year.

[Tunehead54]

Just keeping facts straight: “So far, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have received five reports of GBS in people who received the H1N1 vaccine since Oct. 6, not including Jordan’s case, said Dr. Claudia J. Vellozzi, deputy director for immunization safety.” (From this article’s excerpt itself) - Just so you know. ;-) Of course that’s only confirmed cases from vaccinated people from Oct.6 - in many cases, I’ve read, GBS is rare enough to be a difficult diagnosis ...

[CottShop]

Thanks- I wasn’t aware of those other cases- but again, remember, many millions of people have been vacinated since April al over the world, and this is still a very low incidence of GB possibly from flu hsot- possibly from gettign hte flu itself even after getting the shot. And again, the risk is far far lower than the risk for common drugs that many people take without a second htought.

[CottShop]

[[The CDC also stated that the regular “seasonal influenza” kills about 36,000 americans every year.]]

Yes- that’s for hte hwoel year- And the numbers came from Fox news

[[Don’t know where you are getting your numbers.]]

From Fox news and other sources-

Swine flu deaths in U.S. near 4,000

“Niagara County reported its first death linked to swine flu Thursday, the same day that federal officials released more-accurate statistics that show the new flu virus killed an estimated 3,900 Americans from April to October.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been estimating 1,200 deaths related to swine flu, which is officially known as H1N1, since the disease emerged in April.

It’s not that the number of swine flu cases suddenly skyrocketed, officials said. Instead, the new estimates reflect a better way of calculating cases.”

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/859656.html

[CottShop]

more from the link:

“Nationally, in the first six months since the arrival of H1N1, an estimated 22 million Americans became ill with H1N1, 98,000 were hospitalized, and 3,900 died, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease.”

Again- it’s not even ‘flu season’ where people really begin spreadign the flu around (mostly because schools are on, and peopel travelling and goign to work etc really start spreadign hte flu- so it’s premature to look at the ‘low’ numbers and conclude it isn’t goign to be bad- experts are alarmed it’s as high as it is amoung certain groups of people, and htis is before the flu season has really gotten going

[rintense]

Yet they won’t have tort reform in the HC bill.

[awin]

READ THE ARTICLE ..you missed two important statements:

1)So far, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have received five reports of GBS in people who received the H1N1 vaccine since Oct. 6, not including Jordan’s case, said Dr. Claudia J. Vellozzi, deputy director for immunization safety.
AND
2) So far, CDC officials have received about 1,700 reports of adverse events linked to the new shot, Vellozzi said. Of those, only about 4 percent, or 68, were coded as serious. That’s on par with reports regarding seasonal vaccine.

[taxesareforever]

So whose pockets are being lined? I don’t have any doubts.

[CottShop]

I READ THE ARTICLE, and I didn’t miss anything- people have been statign htat this flu shot is ‘worse than regular flu shot’ which isn’t true- as point number two suggest- Secondly, as I’ve pointed out numerous times, millions of doses have been given out and only 5 people have gotten GB and only 68 have had serious reactions- which is inline with regular flu shots stats- and htose having reactions are people who are allergic to the shots- severely allergic to eggs, and don’t realize it until after getting hte shots

another point you are missing is that had millions of people NOT received the flu shot- a great many more poeple would have gotten GB. As I’ve also pointed out, GB is caused by virus in the lungs, and/or intestines, and people gettign the flu shots are NOT prtevented from getting the flu- but will usually have milder symptoms but can STILL get GB fro mthe flu even htough they’ve had the shots-

[CottShop]

another point is that more people are already dying from this flu than fro mregular flu stats-wise (again and hte season hasn’t even gone full swing yet), and the risk for dying fro mthe flu is far far greater than the risk of getting GB or of havign a bad reaction to the shots. This is especially true of at risk groups, and of those who don’t get the shots to help cause milder symptoms when they do get the flu (again, the shots don’t prevent getting the flu- they simply help minimize symptoms). Those not getting the shot because they htink the ‘risk is too high for complications’ are infact takign a far greater risk because the flu complication stats are far greater than is suffering from GB

[CottShop]

again, I’m not trying to either encourage or discourage anyone from getting the flu hsot- just asking that the issue be reasoned out- study the facts, and determine from there

Every year, worldwide, 12 people per 100,000 get GB. The flu shot (any flu shot, not just this swine flu shot) adds only 1 making a total of 13 per 100,000. However, had all those folks not been imunized, more poeple would get GB because any flu in the lungs or intestines can cause GB. The stats for people per 100,000 getting GB would be greater, especially in the sick who immunity is already compromised, and who happen to survive the flu. GB is a risk whether you get the flu shots or not, and as I mentioned, there is research that indicates that we’re actually protected somewhat from GB by gettign hte flu shots- so the scare about the flu shots ‘causing GB’ is overhyped. There are far more people dying from complications from any flu, than there are people who will get GB.

GB is very very rare- whether you get the shots or not, and as mentioned, there is evidence the shots actually provide a measure of protection

[Scotsman will be Free]

I believe that swine flu has been hyped to a certain extent. When the first swine flu deaths were reported I noticed a trend. The patients were virtually terminal already from other causes, and the swine flu pushed them over the edge. The swine flu was then given full credit for killing the patient. I don’t doubt that that has happened repeatedly, and is creating false numbers.
Secondly, the estimate of 22 million is pulled out of thin air. They have no clue how many people have gotten it. Most people have not run to the doctor when feeling ill(from whatever cause).
You are saying that the CDC is getting their numbers from Fox News and using that as their statistic?
Which “federal officials” are you quoting?
“Fox news and other sources”. Who are the “other sources”?

[CottShop]

[[The patients were virtually terminal already from other causes,]]

Well, we’re finding out that that isn’t the case anymore- as I mentioned, my neighbor, a 20 year old athletic girl in very good physical condition, got the flu, got pneumonia, and developed Guillian Barre. another woman downstate, 39 years old, no previous medical conditions, died, and a child i nthe state has died (those are the only ones I know of so far in my state, but kids in the school in my town are just now getting the flu, and within a week or two, this is really goign to spread as the kids bring hte flu home, parents go to work, spread it to coworkers etc). Most, from what I* understand, are weathering hte flu ok so far, but we’re in a small town, low income, with a lot of folks that are not really well (I think the low income causes peopel to just give up trying, they become less active, and as a result, just develop health problems- )so we’ll see how this town fares with hte flu. I myself have Asthma, and not sure how the lfu is goign to affect me yet- but we’ll see.

[[Secondly, the estimate of 22 million is pulled out of thin air. They have no clue how many people have gotten it. Most people have not run to the doctor when feeling ill(from whatever cause).
]]

Those are reported numbers- those who need hospitalization, and htose who die of course get reported, but as you say, peopel are ifnact underreporting, but the fact is that the numbers that are beign reported are far above average for regular flu, and again ,the season is just beginning- and it’s the hcildren gettign htis that has health officials alarmed.

[[You are saying that the CDC is getting their numbers from Fox News and using that as their statistic?
]]

No, I’m saying news orgs are citing sources such as Who and CDC. I gave hte link last night to hte who stats.

I also want to point out that there is an attitude I have noticed where peopel just shrug off hte lfu as ‘only really affectign the sick’ liek they are not really worthy of concern- ‘oh well, they were sick anyways- no big deal’. I don’t understand this kind of thinking by those who blow the flu off as no big deal because they themselves are healthy

[Scotsman will be Free]

Don’t understand that attitude either. Oh well.
Hope that you don’t get sick, regardless of the type of flu. It usually sucks no matter what.

[mupcat]

That crap shot has mercury in it

I had heard that there were/are actually two versions of the shot---one with the mercury, and one without. Not sure why it's in there anyway, if there's a type without it.

[CottShop]

mup- the mercury is supposed to make the shot more effective- the body builds imunity to the dead virus that’s in the shot faster and more thoroughly if the shot has mercury from what I understand.

The mercury i nthe shots is less than a 1/2 can of tuna fish from what I’ve read on the issue (and anyone eating fish from lakes and streams is gettign more mercury than a shot has- I personally don’t eat fish now, as they’re finding out that the levels in fish all across the US are higher than the toxic minimums)

[mupcat]

the mercury is supposed to make the shot more effective

Thanks Cottshop. I had just heard that without the mercury the threat of GBS is gone. Who knows, maybe that has nothing to do with it.

[wideminded]

the mercury is supposed to make the shot more effective- the body builds imunity to the dead virus that’s in the shot faster and more thoroughly if the shot has mercury from what I understand.

The only reason the thimerosal is in the shot is to keep it sterile before they inject it in your body. This is especially important when they are injecting a lot of people and drawing the vaccine solution from one container.