As a physician, I get a lot of questions about whether or not to get a swine flu shot. Well, here’s my answer with a few interesting tidbits thrown in.
If you’re a pregnant woman, DEFINITELY get vaccinated. For some reason, H1N1 is particularly nasty in pregnant women. These women have six times the risk of dying from swine flu as compared with the general population. Tragically I have seen such a case in my own practice. A previously healthy pregnant woman contracted H1N1 and died a drawn out and ugly death. This is a no-brainer. If you’re pregnant, get vaccinated.
Get your child vaccinated if he or she has underlying health conditions. This year’s swine flu is a young person’s disease, disproportionately affecting people under 40. Children are excellent germ-spreaders and hang out in groups– the ideal set-up for flu transmission. A note of caution, however. The only available vaccine currently is the nasal spray variety. If your child has asthma, skip the nasal spray, as there is some risk that it could trigger an asthma attack. Wait for the “shot” form of the vaccine, which should be available later this month.
Older people with underlying health conditions should also get vaccinated. Interestingly, people born before 1957 have some immunity to H1N1. That’s because H1N1 circulated before 1957. Oddly, the H1N1 version of flu disappeared for 20 years after 1957, leaving a huge window of people with no previous exposure to the disease and thus no protective antibodies. That being said, this H1N1 is still different from earlier H1N1. Previous exposure (especially if it was sixty years ago) doesn’t guarantee full immunity. If you’re vulnerable, and people with underlying health conditions such as lung and heart disease are vulnerable, get the swine flu shot.
Lastly, a word about vaccine safety. I must admit that I feel some qualms about vaccinating my children with a new and rushed-to-service vaccine, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease, says, “The H1N1 pandemic flu vaccine is made exactly the same way by the same manufacturers with the same processing, the same materials, as we make seasonal flu vaccine, which has an extraordinarily good safety record.” That’s encouraging. The WHO is reporting that vaccine trials in China, in which 39,000 people were vaccinated, are very reassuring. Only four recipients reported side effects such as muscle cramps and headache.
I’m getting my flu shot next week. I’ll let you know how it goes.
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THANK you Rachel!
Lynn
I had heard that about skipping the nasal spray for those with asthma, so we are going to get the shot for our gal when it comes out. Do you recommend getting the regular flu shot AND the swine flu shot or can you do just one of them?
Love this blog.
Wow, it is so great to have a personal physician in the family who can explain things very well and answer questions without going through any bureaucracy.
So does that mean since I was born in 1940 I don’t need the H1N1 vaccini? I have never had a flu shot and never had the flu?
Should parents caring for a newborn get the shot? My regular flu shot was mercury free. Will the swine flu shot be? Does it matter since I am breast feeding?
Cathy, you may have some immunity to H1N1, but it’s unlikely that you’re fully immune. People over 65 are considered more likely to suffer serious consequences from any type of flu, so the CDC is recommending vaccination– only you’re in one of the lower priority categories for swine flu vaccine (after pregnant women, children, health care workers, and anyone with serious medical conditions), so if you do decide you want to get vaccinated you may have to wait.
Natalie: Parents caring for a child under 6 months of age should get vaccinated. The current swine flu shot has both thimerosol (mercury) and non-thimerosol formulations. Thimerosol is a preservative used in multi-use vials of flu vaccine. You can request to receive a mercury-free shot. The intranasal vaccine also is mercury-free, but it is not currently recommended for breastfeeding mothers, since it has a live attenuated (weakened) virus in it.
Lynn, the H1N1 shot and the regular flu shot cover different types of flu. Lucy should probably get both.