When are? you getting the H1N1 flu vaccine?

I’m getting a free regular flu shot from work in a week or so, but from what I’ve heard the H1N1 vaccine won’t even be available for a while yet, and even then in limited quantities. I’d probably get it if it were available and free.

I’m not a conspiracy theory nut but I believe the H1N1 hysteria was irrational and unwarranted and a vaccination is going a little overboard.

So, no. No vaccine for me.

What, no “it’s just the flu; stop freaking out about it” answer?

When the vaccine’s available here I’m going to get it. My school is expecting swine flu to hit hard this semester, and I’d rather not catch it. (I already got a regular flu vaccine.) It’s not that I’m worried about dying or anything, it’s that I don’t want to miss classes. Two of my courses are really hard to catch up on if I miss just one day – much less a few days or more. Seems silly to skip the vaccine when I can get it for five bucks at the campus health clinic…

The way I look at it is this. Yes, it seems completely exaggerated and blown out of proportion in regards to how it affects you. I’m not worried about dying or having my arm rot off or anything crazy if I get the swine flu. However, I really can’t afford to miss a week worth of work while I puke my guts out and generally endure all the usual flu symptoms.

Judging by the experiences of people that caught it from PAX and such, it’s basically just a severe case of the plain old flu. It’s not going to kill you, but getting the flu still sucks. I don’t see why anyone would want to risk getting the flu of any kind if there was a way to avoid it.

I don’t think it will be available here any time soon, but I taked to a couple of doctor friends who said the vaccine has been rushed and not sufficiently tested. They said there have been higher instances of somethingorotheras opposed to the regular flu vaccine.

Who knows if that is 100% accurate. Just a couple of opinions.

Last night, I saw Bill Mahr railing against Bill Frist (of all people) about how he (Mahr) does not believe in vaccines.

I’m not going to get one. I feel that it’s seriously over-hyped and considering how ineffective the flu vaccine is every other year, I don’t see it as anything more than a placebo that’ll make people feel all protected until they realize whoops, the strain that’s hitting is different.

I’m going to get one. I’m waiting the first few weeks so that the high-risk folks can have a go at it, but it’s foolish not to. What’s the downside to getting the shot, other than momentary discomfort and a bit of money? Upside is being protected from an extremely virulent form of the flu that is going to be much likelier to affect you, even if it is only as lethal as regular flu.

Also, you only need one shot, and cannot contract the flu from the shot.

H.

Autism.

I probably won’t. I’m kinda anti-fad like that.

/never gotten a flu shot in my life either

Oh /come on/, can we stop peddling that myth, Jennie?

You’re an embarrassment to people who can use a computer.

H.

For real. A lot more people have to die from H1N1 before it matches your garden variety yearly Influenza strain. It was hideously irresponsible of the CDC to publicly declare it a pandemic. True, of course, but again, so’s the old school flu bug.

Of course, being a health care professional, I’m going to get it. Hurf.

Yeah the hospital where I work will offer it for free to employees. Odds are I’d get the disease eventually without the shot.

I was told by my doctor and pharmacist that you need two if born after a certain year (forget the exact one) because people born after that year have never been exposed and have no immunity built up. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but since my boss is paying for it anyway and the doc approves, I’ll be getting 2 if/when available.

Hmm, I was going on an article I had seen that said trials were showing that a single injection was as effective as two, but that may not have been referring to folks who needed two to start with.

The reason to be wary of it is because there is no immunity in the population, it will spread much more quickly than the normal yearly influenza, which runs in to constant roadblocks by immunized and immune people. At least, that’s what the CDC and others are worried about, not that it’s more deadly, but that 20-30x as many people will get it, and it will just be equally deadly. So instead of tens of thousands, there’s a million dead.

H.

I’m getting my shots when they are available, and since Sweden is a nice country the shots are “free”.

You take your dirty hippie socialist medicine and live longer!

So I’m getting my flu shot this thursday, and then my H1N1 shot a week after that. Boo to the flu! :P