Flu kills previously healthy teen

[Poohforyou]

I only ever got the flu shot once and that was in preparation for a trip to China in 2010. I got both the regular flu shot and the H1N1. I came down with a virus that lasted 18 months and attacked every system of my body. I've been advised by infectious disease specialist not to get the flu vaccine.

My DD also got sick after getting both vaccines but not to the extent I did. She won't be getting the flu shot again until perhaps she's in college.

DH gets it every year and hasn't ever had a reaction.

My heart breaks for that boy's family. However, he didn't die from simply having the flu.

 

[Ppufi]

I hate seeing so many people scoffing at getting shots. Thanks for absolutely killing herd immunity and putting others at risk, people. :/

 

[drag n' fly]

I am allergic to eggs so getting the flu shot/mist is not an option for me. You would think with all this technology they would have figured something better by now? Creating a control group with egg allergy people would be a good start

 

[Colleen27]

Why get any vaccine then? You get measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. What are the chances you'll contract that? Low considering most people are vaccinated so their vaccines help you. So why bother?


No one is forcing anyone to get the shot but arguing that the risk is low so why bother seems odd to me. Do you never protect yourself against low risk things?

To be honest, the primary reason my family has some vaccines against low-risk diseases is because we're required to comply. I probably wouldn't vaccinate against chicken pox, for example, but have to unless I want to homeschool. I believe strongly in vaccines for diseases that have significant risk of complications but for lower risk illnesses I think we're better off letting our immune system do what it was built to do.

 

[Poohforyou]

I hate seeing so many people scoffing at getting shots. Thanks for absolutely killing herd immunity and putting others at risk, people. :/

The flu is a year round illness that mutates and creates new strains over and over. It is not an illness that will be eradicated through immunization like small pox or the measles.

 

[EveDallas]

The flu is a year round illness that mutates and creates new strains over and over. It is not an illness that will be eradicated through immunization like small pox or the measles.

Exactly. It's not like polio or something.

 

[MamaLema]

My best friend passed away from complications of the flu, at age 36, left behind 3 kids under 5.

 

[crz4mm2]

Was it the "flu" or MRSA? not quite sure.

 

[Ember]

A PP asked about how likely you are to get the flu. Here's what I found:

According to WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-statistics):

- Percentage of the U.S. population that will get the flu, on average, each year: between 5% and 20%.

- Number of Americans hospitalized each year because of flu complications: 200,000 on average.

- The number of people who die each year from flu-related causes in the U.S.: varies with a range of 3,000-49,000 people yearly

- In the U.S., influenza and pneumonia were the eighth leading cause of death in 2007.

- Number of flu vaccine doses available in the U.S. for the 2010-2011 flu season: 160 million to 165 million.

- In 2010, the CDC began recommending that everyone over six months of age get a flu vaccine as soon as it’s available.

- Flu activity usually peaks in January and February.

- In 2008, the estimated vaccination levels for people over age 65 was: 70% for non-Hispanic whites, 52% for non-Hispanic blacks, and 52% for Hispanics.

- It takes about two weeks after vaccination for an adult to develop antibodies against the flu.

- The typical incubation period for the flu is one to four days. Adults can be contagious from the day before symptoms begin through five to 10 days after the illness starts.

As far as I'm concerned, the flu shot is playing a numbers game. The odds of getting the flu and having serious complications vs. the odds of possible outcomes of having the shot (possible side effects, exposure to a non-vaccinated for strain, etc) weigh in as it being better to get the shot. I may never get into car accident in my lifetime, but I still put on my seatbelt.

 

[sam_gordon]

Why get any vaccine then? You get measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. What are the chances you'll contract that? Low considering most people are vaccinated so their vaccines help you. So why bother?


No one is forcing anyone to get the shot but arguing that the risk is low so why bother seems odd to me. Do you never protect yourself against low risk things?

As mentioned, some vaccines are required for kids to attend school/day care. Also, once you've run the course of the various vaccines (some boosters are needed depending on the vaccine), that's it, you're done. You don't have to get the vaccine every year.

Also, how often do you hear about someone who got vaccinated for chicken pox (for example), but still came down with it?

Last but not least, I'm not trying to convince anyone to NOT get the shot. You want it? You want your kids to have it? Go for it. However, many try to convince those of us who don't get the shot that we NEED it.

 

[sam_gordon]

A PP asked about how likely you are to get the flu. Here's what I found:

According to WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-statistics):

- Percentage of the U.S. population that will get the flu, on average, each year: between 5% and 20%.

- Number of Americans hospitalized each year because of flu complications: 200,000 on average.

- The number of people who die each year from flu-related causes in the U.S.: varies with a range of 3,000-49,000 people yearly

- In the U.S., influenza and pneumonia were the eighth leading cause of death in 2007.

- Number of flu vaccine doses available in the U.S. for the 2010-2011 flu season: 160 million to 165 million.

- In 2010, the CDC began recommending that everyone over six months of age get a flu vaccine as soon as it’s available.

- Flu activity usually peaks in January and February.

- In 2008, the estimated vaccination levels for people over age 65 was: 70% for non-Hispanic whites, 52% for non-Hispanic blacks, and 52% for Hispanics.

- It takes about two weeks after vaccination for an adult to develop antibodies against the flu.

- The typical incubation period for the flu is one to four days. Adults can be contagious from the day before symptoms begin through five to 10 days after the illness starts.

As far as I'm concerned, the flu shot is playing a numbers game. The odds of getting the flu and having serious complications vs. the odds of possible outcomes of having the shot (possible side effects, exposure to a non-vaccinated for strain, etc) weigh in as it being better to get the shot. I may never get into car accident in my lifetime, but I still put on my seatbelt.

OK, let's see... according to http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=kf7tgg1uo9ude_&met_y=population&idim=country:US&dl=en&hl=en&q=united+states+population, there 311,591,917 people in the US. Let's round that to 310M.
So, 5-20% get the flue each year, that's between 15M & 62M.
Approximately 200,000 get hospitalized. If I'm doing my math right, that's 0.06% of the population.
The number of deaths attributed (or related I'm guessing) to the flu is 3K-49K. Let's even say 50K. That's ~0.01%

Sorry, I see it different than you do. I don't think the numbers equate to NEEDING the shot.

 

[luvmy3]

OK, let's see... according to http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=kf7tgg1uo9ude_&met_y=population&idim=country:US&dl=en&hl=en&q=united+states+population, there 311,591,917 people in the US. Let's round that to 310M.
So, 5-20% get the flue each year, that's between 15M & 62M.
Approximately 200,000 get hospitalized. If I'm doing my math right, that's 0.06% of the population.
The number of deaths attributed (or related I'm guessing) to the flu is 3K-49K. Let's even say 50K. That's ~0.01%

Sorry, I see it different than you do. I don't think the numbers equate to NEEDING the shot.

I don't think they do either, especially if you consider that those numbers include high-risk people. How many of those deaths are people who do noy have any high risk factors?

My dses have asthma, one more severe than the other, so they get the flu shot every year. It is recommended that the rest of us do too, and some years we do, and some years we don't.

 

[Colleen27]

Last but not least, I'm not trying to convince anyone to NOT get the shot. You want it? You want your kids to have it? Go for it. However, many try to convince those of us who don't get the shot that we NEED it.

 

[Ember]

Sorry, I see it different than you do. I don't think the numbers equate to NEEDING the shot.

That's fine. While an argument could be made regarding lowering herd immunity, I don't actually care one way or the other if others vaccinate against the flu. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I have stronger opinions on some of the other vaccines, but I just can't get that upset over the flu shot. Quite frankly, I feel any preventable death is a tragedy, but you're right in that the odds are pretty low. My heart does go out to the family in the news article, though. No matter how rare the occurrence it wouldn't be fun to be the family who was on the wrong side of the statistics.

 

[mefordis]

To be honest, the primary reason my family has some vaccines against low-risk diseases is because we're required to comply. I probably wouldn't vaccinate against chicken pox, for example, but have to unless I want to homeschool. I believe strongly in vaccines for diseases that have significant risk of complications but for lower risk illnesses I think we're better off letting our immune system do what it was built to do.

In Michigan you may take a philosophical waiver from vaccines if you wish. It is the law.

Here is the form:
http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/michigan.htm#forms

 

[Ppufi]

The flu is a year round illness that mutates and creates new strains over and over. It is not an illness that will be eradicated through immunization like small pox or the measles.

So that means, eh, it changes so often so why bother? You may be a perfectly healthy person, but there are plenty of people out there that cannot get vaccinations due to medical issues that rely on others getting vaccinated to protect them from contracting diseases that have the potential of killing them. What good is a civilized society if we can't help each other out?

 

[Poohforyou]

So that means, eh, it changes so often so why bother? You may be a perfectly healthy person, but there are plenty of people out there that cannot get vaccinations due to medical issues that rely on others getting vaccinated to protect them from contracting diseases that have the potential of killing them. What good is a civilized society if we can't help each other out?

You missed the point of my post entirely. I was responding to the claim that the flu vaccine is like that for other diseases. My statement is that it isn't since the flu cannot be eradicated since it mutates.

Also if you read my earlier post I stated that I was advised by leading immunologists not to get a flu shot for medical reasons. My dh will get one but honestly I am not expecting anyone to keep me healthy but my doctors and myself.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks for posting this Deb. I have never gotten a flu shot however I insisted my 21yo dd get one last yr. & she did. She is riding the fencing of needing a pulmonary valve replacement.

In my family we have had the flu many times over the years. Shoot when my dd was a Freshman in college she got the flu TWICE in that yr. and that was 3yrs ago during the flu scares.

So she has moved back home and I have been thinking about getting myself a flu shot.

Tamiflu can help you. If you think there is a chance that someone in your house has the flu, get swabbed and get everyone Tamiflu.

Just passing that on for those of you that don't ever get the flu. It really reduces the symptoms. However you need to get it right away. So make sure you are vilgilant about getting anyone swabbed if you suspect the flu.

I had to argue with my PCP's office for it. However I knew that it was my right to get it having someone in the house with the flu. I have a new PCP now, thank goodness.
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[Tinijocaro]

I hate seeing so many people scoffing at getting shots. Thanks for absolutely killing herd immunity and putting others at risk, people. :/

No such thing as herd immunity with the ever changing flu viruses that are out there.

How would my not getting the shot impact those of you who DO get the shot anyways? You got the shot, you're protected, remember??

 

[FireDancer]

Why get any vaccine then? You get measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. What are the chances you'll contract that? Low considering most people are vaccinated so their vaccines help you. So why bother?


No one is forcing anyone to get the shot but arguing that the risk is low so why bother seems odd to me. Do you never protect yourself against low risk things?

I can't speak for anyone else but my decisions comes down to the likely risks of getting the disease. Getting measles, mumps, polio, and diseases like that scare me much more than the flu because of both the likelihood that my body would combat it effectively and the long term health effects even if I am able to survive it. The flu just doesn't scare me at all.

So that means, eh, it changes so often so why bother? You may be a perfectly healthy person, but there are plenty of people out there that cannot get vaccinations due to medical issues that rely on others getting vaccinated to protect them from contracting diseases that have the potential of killing them. What good is a civilized society if we can't help each other out?

Um, yea, I don't buy this argument at all. I will not take medication (including vaccines) because of some other random person's compromised immune system. I'm not part of the Borg which is all I think when I hear this argument or "herd immunity".