The Swine, The Vax, and the Angry.
H1N1 is here. And I'm angry.
I'm angry, probably, at you.
Don't take it personally. But if any of the below apply to you, then I'm probably angry at you. Because I don't understand what you're thinking. And what you're thinking is putting you in danger.
I'm angry that there is even a debate about whether or not a vaccine for the flu is "safe".
I'm angry that people think that they are "better off" not getting themselves or their kids immunized against a flu that is killing healthy children.
I'm angry that people are watching YouTube videos and letting that influence their decisions to vaccinate themselves or their families.
I'm angry that a Playboy model seems to have more clout in the vaccine argument than people who go to school for decades to research the way our immune systems work and how to fight disease.
I'm angry that ordinary everyday people think that they are better equipped to interpret study data than people who are thoroughly educated in and live and breathe this stuff.
I'm angry that the misinformation out there is so strong that I'm even hearing stories of doctors spreading bullshit about this vaccine to their patients.
Just angry. Because if you buy in to any of the above, you're putting yourselves at risk. And you're also putting other people at risk; people who cannot get the vaccine. People like my child.
And that makes me angry.
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Look, people. I know none of you were alive in 1918 (well, if any of you reading this blog were, in fact, alive in 1918, nice one. Let me know your secret.) But in 1918, an H1N1 virus started merrily jaunting its way around the world, much like this one is today. And way back then, in 1920, when that version of the flu had run its course, 50 million or so people were dead.
50 million. (Conservatively. The number could be double that.)
Just for the sake of writing it out, that's 50,000,000. (And change.)
And that's the same strain of the bug that's bouncing around our buses and subways and offices and schools right now.
And we have a vaccine that could keep it from killing people.
But there's this big anti-vaccine movement, see. And these anti-vaccine people don't believe that vaccines would have helped. They don't even see the flu as a big issue. Sure, it killed fifty million people. Oh, but the anti-vaxxers have an argument for that. Maybe it's that life was different back then, different diet and hygiene. Or maybe it's that the flu was invented by big pharma and released to scare the public. Or maybe the global H1N1 die-off just never happened. It's just a big myth.
These anti-vaxxers, boy. They're a fun bunch. They take all kinds of fun "science" that they can't back up with any actual research or facts, but then they push it around on the Internets like They Know Things. They take quotes from mysterious "heads" of agencies and swear by them, even though they can't be proven. They take two or three or five or ten stories and present them as trend, as actual fact. They take one YouTube video of one person who is claiming that a vaccine turned them into a goddamn mutant and hold it up as a banner to say BIG PHARMA IS TEH EBIL! VAXES ARE THE POISONZ!
(You know what? Here's a request from me to you. If you don't get your kid vaxxed, and he or she ends up in the ICU on a ventilator in a coma, could you do me a favour and put it on video so that we can put it on YouTube? It might be the only way to reach some of these people who think that YouTube is the Oracle and The Only God That Matters. Thanks.)
These are the people, the whackjob conspiracy theorists, that far too many people are allowing to have greater influence over them than they do physicians and public health officials. People are allowing others who believe that Cancer does not exist to influence their health decisions when it comes to their families. These people, these people who call those of us who live in the "mainstream" "sheeple" for simply following blindly what we are told, these people will seize on to any argument, however spurious the facts, however dubious the evidence, and call it the suppressed truth.
Jenny Freaking McCarthy, people. An MTV host and Playboy model who swears, SWEARS she KNOWS that a vaccine gave her kid autism. Jim Carrey. A funny guy who makes goofy faces for a living.
Are these the people you truly want to entrust with the lives of your kids?
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Hmm. Yeah. So let me ask you another question.
Are you concerned about the amount of testing done on this vaccine?
Yeah, I hear that a lot.
Let me ask you another question.
Do you have a PhD in Immunology? Virology? Respirology?
Do you have an MD?
Did you spend any time at all studying viruses? The human immune system?
No?
Hmm.
Are you a naturopath?
Have you actually taken any biology courses past first year university?
Do you spend any time at all reading and interpreting studies and data in your real life, at all?
No?
Then why do you think you are suited to appropriately interpret data and scientific studies in this case?
Not trying to bust your balls here.
But ask yourself: would you listen to an "expert" who had your credentials on this?
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Let me tell you a story.
Two months ago, I took my (then) two month old daughter for her first vaccines. I was nervous. I'm a modern woman and a modern parent and I have access to the internet where people say things like vaccines cause autism and vaccines aren't safe and even though I believe in western medicine, I believe it saves lives, those words planted seeds in the back of my head and I wondered. This is my child, the center of my life. I want to ensure no harm comes to her, especially not from something I did or allowed to have done to her. I wondered, Are all these vaccines safe? Can her little immune system handle it? What about the thimerosal and the viruses and the scary creepies?
But in we went for the jabs, despite my misgivings. I asked the doc what the jabs were for. One of them was for something called HiB. Haemophilus Influenzae type B. I'd never heard of HiB. Do we really need to give that vaccine? It obviously isn't a disease that's around anymore, is it?
..................wait for it...................
That's right, you moron. You don't hear about it anymore. That's the point.
Years ago, little babies died of HiB. They'd catch it and develop meningitis and they would die. Now, there is a vaccine that we can give them to keep them from getting HiB, and we can give it to them starting at two months. And we do, and now, little babies no longer die of HiB. So we don't hear about it. It isn't news anymore. It's gone.
Miraculous, this thing we call modern science.
If you choose to listen to the nay-sayers. If you choose to believe that more harm will come to you or your child by taking the vaccine than by taking your chances with the flu. If you choose to believe that this bug, this same strain of bug, showing the same characteristics as the bug that killed fifty million people in 1918, is no big deal. You are clearly not thinking clearly.
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Listen. I was the first one to say the media was hyping swine flu back in the spring. And it was. It was headlining every story and seriously, it was overkill. And especially now, because, guess what. We have a vaccine. We're saved. H1N1 can as easily go the way of HiB, because modern science made it so. Maybe you find that hard to swallow. You'll find swallowing anything a lot harder if you get the flu.
Get the jab, already.
I'm going to be closing comments on this post soon.. mainly because I have limited time and I can see that this will be an issue that will continue to generate discussion, and I won't always have time to respond appropriately. Thanks to everyone who has commented, I appreciate your input and the chance to discuss!
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22 things to say:
I did a lot of research about it. And I have to admit I am always a bit nerveous when it comes to vaccines, but I still do them. And this time was no exception. Mostly because of this little bundle inside me who can't protect himself. I want him to be safe and healthy. I trust the docs. Hell even my midwife got the vaccine.
I vaccinate. All of my children are up on their Hib and the MMR and one even has her first tetnus shot. Did we do prevnar? No. Did we do chicken pox? No. Do we get the regular flu shot? No.
Am I getting this shot? I don't know. My family doctor can't give it to me. The city alternates between clinic line up panics and panics of "we're running out". For me, it would mean 4 trips spread over how many weeks? I can do the baby now, but not the school agers, and my husband and I don't qualify until when? a month from now?
So. What do I do?
I couldn't agree with you more. I can't stand the idiocy that is the antivax movement. Did you read the recent article in Wired?
Sing it, Sister. I linked you. The antivax movement really gets me.
I'm getting the shot. In fact, after this comment I have to phone my doctor's office to see if I can get in this week. The Poptart turns 6 months right when the vaccine becomes available to the general public here, so we're skipping her and hoping that any antibodies I develop will be passed on to her via breastmilk.
I don't know - I just don't think it's ever as simple as black and white. I have had my older children fully immunized and my younger child will be immunized when he's 3. My doctor has okayed this after a proper discussion (aka, I didn't just decide on my own).
I have not gotten my children flu shots. I do not intend to get them flu shots. Yes the flu can be dangerous. Yes there have been a couple of rare cases where children probably died of H1N1 (waiting for full results personally). On the other hand, my own husband had a vaccine reaction when he was 12. His mother confirms it and his doctor said it was from the vaccine. He almost died. And the public health nurses always tell me that it is "impossible" that my husband had such a reaction. They weren't there, they couldn't know but they are so pro-vaccine that they don't acknowledge such adverse reactions it seems to me. That concerns me, as I'd rather hear that the benefits outweigh the risks, than be told nothing bad can possibly happen just get the needle already, ya know?
Anyway, for the H1N1, my children were exposed (school outbreak) before we had any access to the vaccine and as access to the vaccine is challenging and should be reserved for higher risk (according to my province anyway), I am not taking my boys.
I am not against all vaccines. My child is vaccinated against all those diseases that one or two shots can completely prevent for the duration of his life. However, I am anti seasonal flu vaccines. While a polio shot virtually prevents all chance of polio- this is not true of seasonal illnesses that change every year and often more than once in a single season.
I made my decision based on what I read about risks of the vaccinations, the death rates of the H1N1, and the efficacy of the shots on the CDC pages. If the CDC fails to give strong evidence that this flu shot is so effective- that's good enough reason for me to not get it.
In general it is much healthier to go through the seasonal colds and flus than to never get them, particularly when we're young, so that our immune systems get stronger.
I never make ill-informed decisions. You may not like the decisions I make, but I come by them as honestly and as intelligently as I assume you came by yours.
I'm comfortable with my choice and you are comfortable with yours. I don't see why it needs to be a fight. No one should be able to tell anyone else what to put in their own bodies.
Chantal - the decision is hardest, probably, for the pregnant woman. To me, it's because you really don't know what's happening in there at that very second - could the part of her brain responsible for higher reasoning be forming RIGHTNOW? And yet, as a pregnant woman, your level of risk of getting very sick or dying from this bug is the highest. It's so hard to go in to self-preservation mode when everything in your body and soul is in baby-preservation mode.
Rae - the lines and the way the vax is being rolled out is really tough, yes. Leaving those who are most at risk to wait 4-5-6 hours outside in the cold and rain makes no sense. There could - and should - have been better alternatives to getting people vaxxed. I think the late turning of the tide (ie the deaths of the two children) made a lot more people come out than had previously been planning to, but still it doesn't excuse leaving people outside in the cold that long. Sigh.
Michelle - the article in Wired should be required reading for everyone. Everyone. For anyone who hasn't read it, here's the link: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_waronscience
Nicole - we're getting our baby her four month jabs today, and I'm asking my doc about the flu immunity via breastmilk then - I'll let you know what he says. All's I know is, I've had a cold for two weeks now and she's not sick yet. Hallelujiah.
Laurie - it sounds like you're running in to some nurses who are far on the other side of the equation, who think that medicine is infallible. It isn't. They, too, haven't read the studies, most likely - the studies that say that rarely, serious side effects can happen. And in cases like yours, that's just as damaging as the anti-vax rhetoric.
Angelina - it's already a fight. It's a fight that's been started by the people who spread misinformation, and fear, and lies. People who are saying that vaccines are poison and that we don't need them and they don't work. Simply by getting the vaccine, you are making your immune system "work" and get stronger (ie. produce antibodies that protect you). In getting the vax, you just don't have to go through a week of fever and coughing and body aches and risk of serious complications to get there. Are vaxxes perfect? No. Do they save lives every single day? Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.
Living in Alberta, unless I'm a hockey player, the option doesn't currently exist.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2009/11/03/calgary-flames-h1n1-swine-flu-shot.html?ref=rss
Whether or not I believe in vaccines it is irrelevant. When we had access, people were shoving other people out of line to jump the queue and take care of themselves.
A homeless shelter offered the vaccine to our most vulnerable population. Adults left the suburbs dressed in sweats and got in line in front of people sleeping in alleys.
Today? Noone in the province has access to the vaccine. We're out.
I'm not going to argue whether or not the vaccination works, or whether or not I have proper information about what is getting jabbed in my arm.
I'm healthy, have the means to take care of myself, and was (and still am) willing to wait for those who are more vulnerable than I am.
No, I didn't in line for the vaccine. I'm hearing words tossed around for those 'like me': idiocy, selfishness, misinformed.
Really?
The misinformation is being spread by people on both sides of the issue.
I think that anyone who has bothered to read information/articles put out by both sides of the fence from good resources (such as the CDC and the epidemiologists- who don't all agree with each other though they're all experts) is doing a great job as a citizen and as a parent regardless of what they ultimately decide to do.
Please say you don't really wish that parents of unvaccinated children in ICU from flu complications video tape their sick children to hold up as an example of how right you believe you are. If your own children ended up in ICU from flu complications would you hold them up as an example of how sometimes the vaccinations don't protect children from getting deathly sick?
I wouldn't wish such a thing of you.
Mags - you're not hearing it from me. My beef is with those who are not vaccinating based on junk science, on lies and fears. The decision to vax or not vax is a personal one - but if people are deciding not to based on bad information that doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and they spread that information, you bet that makes me angry. The issues - big issues - with the vax rollout, including the fact that they didn't enforce their own high risk rules, is another post entirely.
Angelina - if you're getting information from the CDC and epidemiologists, I have no argument with you. If you're getting your information from Jenny McCarthy and mothering.com and whale.to and the like, then we have an issue. My reference to putting a tape of an ill child on youtube was somewhat tongue in cheek, and yet - I know of people who are refusing the vax based on youtube fearmongering videos. If that's the source they choose to believe, shouldn't the reality be available there too?
I was hoping it was tongue in cheek.
We agree on the main thing which is to get quality information before making such an important decision.
Thank you for listening to my comments and responding!
@mags - one more thing about the vax clinics. I love how health canada is saying that there will be enough vax to get everyone who wants a jab done by Christmas. Christmas. When the flu wave is meant to be over anyway. V. helpful.
Shan - yes, leadership at it's best! ugh!
And agreed, you certainly were clear about the focus of your rant...but you did conclude that getting a vaccination is the correct course of action (get a jab already).
I question how many of those who choose to get a vax find their information from rumours or Fox News. Their decision to get a vaccine is hardly more responsible or informed than those who rely on youtube videos.
I empathize with people who are suspicious of mainstream medicine, given accounts the pharmaceutical industry's influence on medical research, published findings and professionals.
Frankly, I consider myself well-informed and have done my due diligence on the pros and cons of the vaccination. My only conclusion is that fearmongering from both sides is over the top.
ps - a side benefit of it all: Showing up to work sick has lost it's cache. No more sitting beside me in meetings snot-nosed and hacking up a lung. Bliss!
I've been doing some reading; apparently the antibodies don't pass through breastmilk well. I'd love to hear what your doctor said and see if it jives with that and with what my doctor will say on Monday.
We're now leaning towards getting her a shot in a couple of weeks and possibly postponing her 6 months vaxes.
Also, the Canadian Parents message board has a place where you can post questions about H1N1 and an expert answers them every week. He's a professor of pediatrics at Dalhousie. This is the link to the first set of answers: http://www.canadianparents.com/article/h1n1-qanda
I haven't read the other comments, BUT:
I do have misgivings about this vaccine, and I am not anti-vax in general. What scares me about this vaccine is that the date for release was set before the vaccine was even developed. Which means the testing was done with an end-date in mind, and the race was on and I don't think anyone would have dared to stop that locomotive from running it's tracks, on-time and on-budget, if they had found something that looked just a little wrong.
I started this thing out leaning towards not vaxing, for this flu, and now I'm waiting for my turn to do it. I am more scared now of the flu than I am of the vax, but I don't think it's fair to blast everyone with misgivings as being little lambs being led to Jenny MacArthy's slaughter (I completely agree with you about that whole line of thinking).
I wrote a post on my own blog about this, which better explains my feelings, during a time when the paranoia was (slightly) lower.
Oh, and one of the factors leading me to change my mind? My great-uncle WAS alive during 1918 (he will be 102 this December), and he does remember what it was like. That said, I don't think you can compare the 2 outbreaks straight across: we've come miles in terms of treatment and hygiene since then, but I do understand and basically agree with your sentiment that horrible diseases have been essentially eradicated BECAUSE of vaccines - they are not inherently bad.
The media hysteria and fearmongering makes me tired. You take your life in your hands every time you jump in a car or get on a plane. Yet nobody gives it a second thought.
I'm not afraid of the vaccine. I'm not afraid of the flu (H1N1 or the other 'nameless' ones). Mostly I'm afraid of lost income from missing work if I'm sick or my kids are sick.
(I'm more afraid of laser vision correction than H1N1. Logical? Probably not.)
I'll get the vax (I'm in BC, they say we'll have enough) for myself and my kids if the opportunity presents itself and we haven't contracted the virus in the meantime.
I think that basing your decision to vax on misinformation and fear-mongering by the media is THE SAME as basing it on YouTube and Jenny McCarthy.
You can't excuse parents for getting the vax based on unconfirmed deaths and H1N1 hysteria and then lambaste those parents who chose not to vaccinate based on anti-vax hysteria.
Same shit, different pile.
You seem to be promoting a double-standard.
Amy - where am I saying I'm getting the vax based on misinformation and fear mongering by the media?
There have been several confirmed H1N1 deaths of children in Ontario. That isn't up for debate.
I decided to get the vax based on science, on recommendations by medical and health professionals, those who have been extensively educated and know what they're talking about, not based on hype.
My point is that thousands of people have made their decision based on hype. But because their hype-based decision TO VAX lines up with your research-based decision TO VAX, they seem to be excluded from your rant about idiots and morons (your words).
You rant about people not vaccinating based on YouTube and other less than reliable sources, yet your real issue is clearly with people who chose not to vax. You feel that to not vax is idiotic and implies reliance on misinformation. Because apparently no fact/science based resource would ever recommend not vaccinating.
As someone who lost her father last year because we believed the science/fact/medical community-based info, I now chose to not believe that going to school and getting an MD makes you a trust worthy source of information. It seems your faith in the medical profession has never been shaken. Lucky you. Ignorance is bliss.
(I'm not referring to the vax question here, but rather people's faith in modern medicine.)
Amy - I did not use the word idiot that I can see, and the word moron was more self-referential than anything, if you read the context.
And again, if you read the context: my rant is about people who rely on bad sources, like the Jenny McCarthys and the youtubes of the world - or, even, themselves if they make a decision based on sudden self smarting, as it were - reading two or three articles on the internet does not an expert make. If you feel my rant is against people who choose not to vax, you are free to interpret it that way, of course, but that was not my objective, nor do I believe my words make it appear that way.
I believe vaccines work. I believe they save lives. And I believe that anyone who chooses not to vax based on faulty information like that which Jenny McCarthy pushes is making a bad decision. I am all for critical thinking and I encourage people to do their own research. I am fully against lies and misinformation and misconceptions and agendas.
I am very sorry about your father. I, too, have lost people due to medical failures. But that doesn't mean I believe that the entire medical system is flawed - it is simply fallible, as is anything.
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