Free Republic

Last year's flu shot won't shield you this year: Two new strains of influenza have begun circling the globe, and the updated vaccine appears to work well against them, government officials said Thursday. [snip] Influenza strains constantly evolve, and some cause more illness than others. "...strains from the H3N2 family tend to be harsher than some other flu types, and a new H3N2 strain is included in this year's vaccine because it is circulating in parts of the world. Only one ingredient in this year's flu vaccine was retained from last year's, protection against the H1N1 strain that caused the...

I just got my flu shot on Tuesday and for the past couple of days I have been lightheaded and having mild nasuea. I checked and discovered that the swine flu strain was included in this years vaccine, even though I asked the nurse if this was for the seasonal flu only. This is also the first time I have ever had a reaction to a vaccine.

I was checking around online to find a convenient place nearby to get an annual flu shot, as is my habit, but so far, every place offering shots this year I have gone to is stating something along the lines of this: "The H1N1 component is included in this year's Seasonal Influenza Immunization." They don't offer a "plain vanilla" flu shot, so to speak, that is, a regular flu shot, WITHOUT any H1N1. If I am unable to find a flu shot offered without H1N1 included, then I will be skipping it this year. My wife is a health care...

First the problem was getting enough vaccine to treat the first flu pandemic in decades. Now the problem is getting rid of millions of doses of the H1N1 vaccine before they go bad. An estimated 71.5 million of the 229 million doses of swine-flu vaccine bought by the U.S. have been put in vials and syringes and will have to be discarded if they aren’t used before their expiration date, the Washington Post reported this morning. That’s after 25 million doses bought by the U.S. are sent to poor countries, the paper said.

Officials with RiverStone Health in Billings confirm that two employees were fired, one resigned and one retired after refusing to get flu shots. RiverStone Health ...policy ...included both the seasonal flu shot and the swine flu shot... Pat Leikam...said her work didn't include contact with patients.

A nurse herself for many years, the 47-year-old Milliken has spent the last 38 days in medical care. Her boyfriend and family said she may have been struck down by what's called Guillain-Barre Syndrome -- which starts with pain and ends with paralysis. Milliken's family said they believe the H1N1 flu shot she received in the first week of November may be to blame for her suffering. "Right now, she's in a lot of pain, mostly in her extremities. A lot of nerve sensations such as burning in her legs is what she's feeling," said Milliken's daughter Michelle Mellett. The...

I have some serious concerns about the yearly shot that most people get during the flu season. It has been many years since I have had a serious cold or the flu.. This year after I had my shot, I came down with serious flu symptoms and it has been hanging on for more than a week. My next door neighbor also came down with the flu after she had her yearly shot, she went to her doctor and confirmed she, indeed, had the flu. I know that that this happens on occasion that the shot can cause the flu...

I've had a hard time locating a flu shot around my locality, and for that matter one cannot find a flu shot in the entire state of New Hampshire unless you belong to a certain group of "at risk" people. More specifically, they are currently offering flu shots to those under 24 with certain underlying health problems. Well it appears that to the south in the people's republic of Massachusetts, both flu shots are available to anyone. Could it be that there are politics behind the availability of flu vaccine? Are democratic lives more valuable than those of somewhat more...

The shortage of swine-flu vaccine results not from drug- company greed or outsize demand but almost entirely from the government's decision to pander to unfounded and unscientific fear. As The Wall Street Journal reported last week, the US government set out to have the H1N1 vaccine produced largely in single-dose syringes -- a demand that has set back production considerably, because multidose vials are far easier to make. And the only reason to seek single-dose production was to please people needlessly worried about the preservative thimerasol, which is used to provide multiple doses of the vaccine. The fear -- utterly...

How can the government pretend that it can manage, overhaul, streamline and reform the health care system in the United States when it can't even deliver enough flu shots to prevent a pandemic? We have seen the H1N1 virus coming for over a year. It is no surprise that much of America needs vaccination. It was no secret that the flu season was approaching. But, now that it is upon us, we find ourselves pathetically short of shots. One year ago, the government told us that we would have hundreds of millions of vaccinations available. Then, over the summer, the...

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted this photo essay showing the HUGE lines of people being forced to wait outside in the rain for flu shots.

A sad story out of Virginia, where a 25-year-old woman, who was training to be a Washington Redskins cheerleader, has come down with a rare neurological disorder days after receiving a seasonal flu vaccination. Now she can hardly walk forward without severe contortions or speak normally. But amazingly, she can walk backwards, run forward and speak just fine as long as she's running. The question is, did the flu shot cause this? Watch the story from Inside Edition: VIDEO AT LINK

Rally in Albany Tuesday Over H1N1 Flu Shot Debate (New York, NY) -- Hundreds of health care workers will rally in Albany Tuesday, angry that they are being made to receive H1N1 flu shots. The State Health Department has made it mandatory that all health care workers get immunized by November 30th. The protestors say their rights are being violated and that they can not be forced to get a H1N1 flu shot. Officials say there will be exceptions for those health care workers who have a personal health issue that would prevent them from getting the shot. WOR News...

WASHINGTON — More than 3,000 people a day have a heart attack. If you're one of them the day after your swine flu shot, will you worry the vaccine was to blame and not the more likely culprit, all those burgers and fries? The government is starting an unprecedented system to track possible side effects as mass flu vaccinations begin next month. The idea is to detect any rare but real problems quickly, and explain the inevitable coincidences that are sure to cause some false alarms. "Every day, bad things happen to people. When you vaccinate a lot of people...

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Wednesday said it was residents' "patriotic duty" to get seasonal flu shots in coming weeks to make it easier for health officials to determine if outbreaks are related to H1N1, or swine flu. If residents do not get vaccinated against seasonal strains and later get sickened by them as a result, there will be little way to determine if those falling ill this fall and winter have been infected by less worrisome strains, or by the more contagious H1N1 virus, O'Malley said. The governor characterized that scenario as serious because it could stress supplies...

As flu season approaches, West Virginia's largest hospital has given its employees a choice: Get a flu shot, or get another job . . . A mandatory flu shot policy like CAMC's is rare for U.S. hospitals, but it may soon become more common. A New York State law that takes effect this month requires hospitals to provide records showing all their workers have seasonal flu vaccinations or face fines, and

Swine Flu Vaccine: Will It Catch On? Some Health Care Workers and the Public May Refuse the New Flu Vaccine for Fear of Possible Side Effects, Study Shows Aug. 25, 2009 -- Less than half of health care workers surveyed in Hong Kong intend to get vaccinated against swine flu, citing uncertainty about its effectiveness and possible side effects, a new study indicates.And another new study shows that health care workers and some people in the general public may refuse to get immunized or vaccinate their kids, fearing that risks of a novel vaccine could outweigh benefits.The Hong Kong study...

With plush swine-flu toys stocked on its gift-shop shelves, citizens earning $50 to attend forums on the virus and an additional $50 for those willing to take a vaccine, it's a $16 million swine-flu shot bonanza hosted by the federal Center for Disease Control.

The inoculation for the swine flu strain, officially known as H1N1, will be distributed as a separate shot from the shot designed to protect against the seasonal flu, according to Los Angeles County’s top public health official, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, at a press conference today. But, after those two shots, you then may need a third shot. Get this, according to Fielding preliminary studies have suggested the swine-flu shot does not provoke as strong an immune response as does the seasonal flu vaccine, thus, it may be necessary to administer two doses of the swine-flu inoculation for it to be...

Most children will be forced to wait for swine flu vaccine H1N1 swine flu virus culture (HO/Reuters) David Rose, Health Correspondent Pregnant women, children with chronic health conditions and others with weakened immune systems will be the first people to receive a swine flu vaccine as part of the national immunisation campaign this winter. Frontline NHS and social care workers, pensioners and household contacts of people with HIV or undergoing chemotherapy treatment will also be offered the vaccine from October, the Department of Health has announced, although previously healthy children and adults may have to wait until next year. Sir...