Strollerderby : flu shot

Flu Has Claimed at Least Three Kids This Season

JeanneSager — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:09:00 GMT

When people ask me why I'm so pro-vaccine, I have one answer: they prevent disease and/or death.

So why have three kids already died in what is being described by doctors as a pretty average flu season?

At least one of the children went unvaccinated not because his parents were lax, but because the twelve-year-old reportedly lost his permission slip to get the immunization at a school clinic. Hunter Pope is the first child in Massachusetts known to have died from the flu this season; he was fine on a Friday and gone by Sunday.

Sadly, the weekend also brought the death of a ten-year-old boy on Long Island, the first ever pediatric flu death in the five years since public health officials have been tracking the diease. First believed to have been fighting meningitis, tests eventually showed the boy was carrying the A-strain of the flu, one of two preventable by this year's vaccine. The two deaths followed the announcement of a six-year-old North Carolina child who succumbed to flu complications on February 9 - again because he had not been vaccinated.

Why? It's the question you always ask when a child dies (when anyone dies, really, but the question is more plaintive when a child has been taken). It's just that much more confusing when there was a clear method for preventing a tragedy, and people opted to ignore it. I equate vaccines with seatbelts - they might not work every time, but there's a much higher degree of success with them than without them.

The Centers for Disease Control came out with new recommendations this flu season, calling for every single American under the age of eighteen to get the shot - which paved the way for insurance companies to cover the shot and for those on public assistance to get them for free. They made it even EASIER this year, and yet parents refused.

Why? Read the answers to my post on the CDC recommendations last fall: because they've never gotten it before (neither - might I add, had Hunter Pope - whose parents said he had no pre-existing health conditions), because they are afraid of thimerosal (not necessarily - there are thimerosal-free flu vaccines available for kids six months to twenty-three months), because they think the pro-vax crowd is too preachy.

I realize I stand on a soapbox and beat the vaccine drum, but I will tell you I also practice what I preach. On Halloween day, I lined up at a crowded neighborhood clinic with my daughter so the two of us could get our flu shots. My husband got his - separately, but around the same time.

Seeing the flu really can kill children, will you do the same?

Image: Flu-Vaccine.org

Florida Dad Pushing To Ban ALL Thimerosal in Vaccines

JeanneSager — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:01:00 GMT

I'm already prepared for what "Dr. Gary" is going to say to this post.

Because the chiropractor friend of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and father of two autistic children isn't listening to anyone in his bid to have the state ban all vaccines that contain thimerosal.

All of them. Even those not administered to kids.

The proposal by Dr. Gary Kompothecras would be the strictest in the nation, and doctors say it would keep vaccines like the one that prevents the flu, from saving people most at risk of dying. Kompothecras's response? He calls everyone who dares disagree with them "dirt bags."

The argument over vaccines and autism is at an all-time fervor of late, spurred by last week's revelation by the London Times that the "study" that started all the hubub about autism and thimerosal back in the nineties was bogus. As in fabricated. Made up. Nonsense. Then came the report from a special court here in the states that says the measles vaccine didn't cause three children's autism. All of that was preceded by another study, this one in Italy, that determined thimerosal itself is safe.

What's concerned me most in the responses here on Babble to each reporting of these incidents is not that parents are concerned about autism or concerned about vaccines. That's natural. Autism is real. Autism is terrifying. And there is still a lot about vaccinations that we don't know.

It's the all-consuming nature of the focus on vaccinations. It's the refusal to home in on anything else. It's the assumption that disagreement means another parent doesn't care about your plight. We have written dozens of stories here on the 'Derby about other studies that have been linked to autism. The environment. Aged parents. Prematurity.

But there are still parents like Kompothecras who are blind to any other suggestions. Dare disagree with him, and he calls you a "dirt bag." The trouble is, they are not only doing a disservice to their own kids, but a disservice to other people. In Kompothecras' case, his proposed ban of the flu vaccine would put the thousands of Florida residents who are at highest risk for the flu - ie. the elderly, the asthmatic - at permanent risk. People die from the flu. But he doesn't care.

He is doing this because, as he told the Herald Tribune, "If I can do this, my son won't go down for nothing."

How can you argue with that? How can you argue with the parent of an autistic child who only wants an answer? Because I do believe autism is real. And I do believe that the parents of autistic children need an answer. The fact that I am pro-vaccination because I've seen it save lives does not mean I am unfeeling or that I refuse to see the forest for the trees. Autism diagnoses are up, and there are children in trouble. Somewhere, some scientist has to break this code.

But I don't see how taking the flu vaccine out of the hands of people who need it, people who choose to use it, is going to help the parents of autistic children. I don't see how ignoring existing science and accusing parents who are "pro-vax" of being "dirt bags" or "not caring," is going to provide an answer.

Might there be something else in a vaccination that might lead to autism? Maybe. There might also be a link in the environment. In aged parents. In prematurity.

So let's get started on those. Thimerosal is a dead horse. It doesn't deserve another beating.

Image: Herald Tribune

New Jersey Lays Down the Law: Vaccinate All Kids Against the Flu

JeanneSager — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:36:00 GMT

I should probably preface this with a bit of a disclaimer: I'm a pro-vaccine parent, particularly the flu shot. But I still think the ultimate choice for vaccinating my child should rest with me. Which is why I'm glad I live an hour outside of New Jersey.

Parents were storming the statehouse in Trenton this week, protesting a new law that mandates children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years be vaccinated against the flu. Mandated. As in, made law.

It's the first law of its kind in the country - although plenty of other states have rules regarding medical interventions and our kids. I had no reason to protest the Vitamin K shot administered when my daughter was born, but then again, I wouldn't have been able to. I live in New York, one of a number of states that requires babies be given the injection right in the hospital, shortly after birth.

New Jersey's new law, which technically states children (under 5 and over 6 months) who attend daycare or preschool need to be vaccinated against the flu and pneumonia by Dec. 31, comes as we enter the first flu season for which the CDC has advocated all children (not just those under 5) be vaccinated. Advocated. Not mandated.

The flu shot has a lot going for it, don't get me wrong. The flu sends 200,000 Americans to the hospital every year, 20,000 of them children under 5. It kills 36,000 Americans, including people who die from a secondary illness due to an immune system weakened by the flu. It's a disease that spreads easily and can hit anyone. It's a shot I'm going to get, my husband is going to get and our daughter is going to get.

But I've seen nothing in all the news reports - even those that have come out in support of the new mandate - to explain how parents are supposed to pay for this. And I'm still leery of letting the step in at surface level to tell us how to parent. When a child is in clear danger, yes. When a child might or might not get a disease that might or might not make them seriously ill and might or might not be avoided by a shot, I wouldn't call it a clear and present danger. Are parents who don't get the shot playing with fire? Personally, yes, I think so. But I don't think there's enough evidence to show that the state stepping in on this one will make a difference in a child's life.

Image: Health News-Stat

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They Say: no cold medicine for kids 4 and under

Brett Singer — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Kid has a stuffy nose? Suck it up. Well, not literally. But don't give them over the counter cold medicine. That's the word from the FDA, who are now saying that you shouldn’t give cold meds to any child under 4 years old.

The cough and cold medicine industry, in the wake of intensifying criticism from consumer groups, lawmakers and pediatricians, agreed Tuesday to add "do not use" warnings to pediatric cough and cold medicines.

Taken literally, this would mean that they will sell you the product, but add a label that says not to use it. I know that's not exactly what they mean, but it's funny to think about anyway. It's sort of what cigarette companies have to do, right? They can sell you the cigs, but they have to include a label that says YOU WILL DIE IF YOU SMOKE THESE. Of course, it doesn't say, "do not use." Just that if you DO use them, you'll get emphysema.

The real problem, according to the FDA, is misuse of the meds. "[Parents] should follow very carefully the directions on the package," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "The No. 1 cause of problems is children getting into medicine for accidental ingestion."

The American Academy of Pediatrics wanted the FDA to tell people that the meds didn't work for kids aged 6 and under, but the FDA was concerned "that parents would give adult doses if it instituted a ban of products for children under age 6." Well, duh. If I can't give them their own drugs, I'll just cut mine in half.

Now look. I'm being obnoxious here, and I apologize. But as I understand it, no one is saying that over the counter cold medicine is unsafe when the recommended dosages are used. They do seem to be saying that the medicines are ineffective, which I can believe. In my own experience, I have more success treating my old colds with Ginger Tea, Vitamin C and sleep. (Those three things even rhyme, sort of.) The best thing in the world, for me, is acupuncture. Two needles in the right spots on my nose and poof – no more snot. That's not going to work for everyone, and on the rare occasion when I have severe sinus pain, I'll take something stronger (an over the counter sinus pill usually does it for me). Again, this is only my own experience, your mileage may vary, and I'm not a doctor nor have I played one on TV. I don't even watch "Grey's Anatomy." So don't take this as advice.

Bottom line: the FDA says don't give your kids cold medicine if they are under 4 years of age. They would say under 6, but they're afraid that if they did, you'd give them your drugs. Thanks guys.

Source: Chicago Tribune

image: webmd

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The Flu Shot: Do You Dare Not to Get It?

Jen Chaney — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:04:00 GMT

It's that time of year again: Flu shot season. As items like this remind us, it's especially important for pregnant women to get the vaccine because the flu carries potential risks for both baby and mother. Really, anyone with a child under the age of five is encouraged to sign-up for a shot for the same reason: It's no good for a kid that young to contract a potentially serious virus.

All that said, I find myself wondering how many pregnant women or parents ignore this advice and don't bother getting flu shots. I ask this as someone who never once got the shot until I was pregnant and felt like I had to. I had absolutely no solid medical reason for believing this, but I always thought the flu shot was b.s. I knew people who got it and still wound up sick. And I knew people who didn't and were perfectly fine.

Of course, once I was pregnant and a walking candidate for an HOV lane, I figured the potential benefits of the flu shot outweighed any doubts I had about it. And I'll probably get my third consecutive one this year, primarily to protect my son from any germs I might inadvertently pick up.

But what about you? Is anyone bold enough to admit to avoiding the flu shot during pregnancy or while raising young ones? Or, on the flip side, do you have a flu horror story that will scare all of us into running to the nearest doctor's office to get the vaccine? If so, by all means, post a comment. Just do me a favor: If you must cough or sneeze while adding your thoughts to this post, please -- cover your mouth.

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They Say: Get Your Kid the Flu Shot

JeanneSager — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:40:00 GMT

My mother used to roll me over early in the morning and poke a needle in my arm. "Good morning, honey, you've just been vaccinated against the flu." Welcome to life as a nurse's kid.

It's no wonder I've been lining up each year to get my daughter her flu shot since her first shot at 7 months. Yes, 7 months - her summer birthday set her up to hit the minimum approved age for the vaccine in the heart of flu season, and I wasn't taking any chances. So I was one mom who was happy to hear the CDC extend the recommended age for vaccinating kids against the flu this year.

For us, it's just in time. Recommended before for kids 6 months to 2 years and only to kids older if they're at a heightened risk, this would have been the first year I would have had to pay for her shot out of my own pocket. Then the word from the CDC - get a shot for every kid, age 6 months to 18 years. Which means my insurance company should pony up. It also means I'm pressing harder on other parents to follow suit.

What makes the flu vaccine so important? The flu is rampant. It's easily transmitted from person to person, and it puts 20,000 American children in the hospital every year. And every year, 36,000 Americans die from the flu. From the flu? Yes, from the disease I hear people tell me year in and year out is "no big deal. It's just a like a bad cold."

Wrong!

Sorry, I think something that kills people is sort of a big deal. Something that sends 20,000 kids to the hospital every year sounds like more than a bad cold. The flu is symptomized by high fevers, nausea, diarrhea, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, sore throat, stuffy nose - none of this is fun stuff.

Second claim I hear from moms (and dads) who don't get their kid vaccinated? "You can get the flu by getting the shot - so what's the point?"

Wrong again.

The flu shot contains an inactivate (dead) virus. As your body builds up antibodies to the virus, you can experience low grade fever and muscle aches. Now compare that to the list above of what the flu can do to your body. Do they really compare?

The flu shot doesn't always work - some people still get the flu. But anyone who's just sent their kid to school or just put a child in daycare knows how fast the bugs spread from kid to kid and then from your kid to you. So let one flu germ loose on a school and every kid is going to have it, and so is every parent of every kid.

So it's up to you - do you want to run the risk of being one of 200,000 Americans sent to the hospital every year because they got the flu? One of 36,000 who die? The parent of one of the 20,000 kids sent to the hospital? Or do you want to suck it up, call the pediatrician and get your kid a flu shot?

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