The swine flu vaccine will be available very soon, but there is still skepticism surrounding its safety. Generally, I have a strong opinion about these types of things, but my feelings about this vaccine are still uncertain.
One thing I am sure about though…This vaccine should not be made mandatory for anyone (including health care workers). I do believe health care workers should be among the first to have access this vaccine, since they will be the ones treating the sick. However, making it mandatory and threatening peoples jobs (especially in this economy) is totally unacceptable. But that is exactly what is happening in some states.
The controversy surrounding the Gardasil vaccine has been around from the moment it was approved for use in young girls. And from the very beginning I have had a problem with Gardasil being referred to as a cervical cancer vaccine – because it’s not. I also have a problem with the ‘fear mongering’ commercials designed to look like public service announcements, and the possibility of making this vaccine (yet another) required by the government.
In the end, I want to research the facts and be the one to make an educated decision about whether or not to vaccinate my daughter for the HPV virus. To be perfectly honest…At this point I don’t see any indication that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh the risks. Although the risks are very small, the benefits seem to be even smaller.
But don’t take my word for it…Look at some of the most recent facts about Gardasil.
Like many other moms out there, I’m getting ready to send my child off to college in a few weeks. So I thought a post that addressed some of the health and wellness issues of college students might be helpful.
On Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the first flu pandemic in 41 years. But there is no need to panic, the H1N1 virus (swine flu) has not become any more lethal, it’s just being recognized as a pandemic now because of the numbers of cases and areas affected.
As of Thursday, the WHO reported 28,774 confirmed cases of H1N1 in 74 countries, including 144 deaths. A sharp jump in cases in Australia, where more than 1,300 people have been diagnosed, contributed to the decision to raise the alert level.
In Hong Kong, the government on Thursday ordered the closure of all nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools for two weeks after a dozen students at one school tested positive for swine flu.
While the new flu strain has spread rapidly, fewer than 1% of reported H1N1 cases have resulted in deaths. The most recent pandemic in 1968 killed about one million people, according to some estimates. The most lethal flu pandemic of the past 100 years, in 1918, is believed to have killed tens of millions of people.
The WHO estimates that seasonal flu kills up to 500,000 people each year.
So what does all of this mean for you and me? Here is a video from The New York Times…
Whether you are suffering from a chronic illness, pregnant, or just getting older. Keeping a personal medical journal, is important, and can really come in handy. Some may want to do this on a weekly or monthly basis, others on a daily basis, this will depend on the severity of your health issues.
STEP ONE: Just go out and get a notebook that you can use for this purpose alone. This journal will be helpful to you, as well as the medical practitioners you are working with. Especially, if you move, need to change doctors, or are hospitalized. Which reminds me, if you go on vacation, or extended holiday, bring your medical information with you, it will make it much easier if you need to see an unfamiliar physician, or be hospitalized.
This may come as a surprise to some…But, I haven’t been a big proponent of the Gardasil vaccine.I think if Merck had been upfront and honest about what this vaccine was, they could have avoided much of the controversy that surrounds Gardasil. Instead, in the name of profits, Merck has misrepresented what is an HPV vaccine, as a cervical cancer vaccine. Then, they proceeded to scare parents with their “one less” commercials, while also attempting to buy government mandates for girls as young as nine.
There’s been a lot of talk here at BlogHer about Gardasil, over the past year or so. I wrote about it a year ago, trying to articulate my feelings on it as a mom to a daughter who would soon be eligible for vaccination. Catherine Morgan has kept her finger on the pulse of the matter with multiple posts, including pointing out that several young girls have died within hours of receiving the vaccination.
My initial optimism was, perhaps, premature.
In the meantime, various states have been discussing mandating the vaccine, or trying to, with varying levels of success. (Check out Vaccine Awakening for a good explanation of what recently happened in the Virginia legislature.)
My name is Catherine Morgan, and I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. Above are links to my blogs, that also list many of the posts and articles that I've written for them.
I'm also at BlogHer Health & Wellness.
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