Need opinions quick! Another H1N1 vaccine question....

All my kids had swine flu.  Our doctors office says they are still recommending that we all get the shot even though we had it.  My mom gut says this is stupid.  Can someone please explain the logic in this?  I am really trying hard here, but I would think the kids had natural immunity.  Isn't that what the vaccine is all about?  We have appt's on Saturday afternoon so I don't have much more time to ponder this...

Someone please shed some light on this.  I'm going crazy

TIA

I am in same boat as you!! We all had swine flu last week, yet kid's ped. is STILL recommending the shots! When I took dd to ER last week w/ 105 temp, that dr. said there was no need to get the shots bc they will be immuned to it!? So, to be on the safe side, I think I will get them done. Actually, 6 month old ds had his las Mon, and by Wed, be was diagnosed .lol (my luck) He still has to go back in 3 weeks for the booster shot, though.

One thing I have heard fear about is whether the virus is going to  mutate into something else!

Yeah, it makes no sense to me.  I personally think they are just telling people to get it to CYA...but really there is no need.  I still want someone to explain the logic in this.  Isn't the vaccine just a dead virus...the same strain as the swine flu?  Well, if you had swine flu, you should have had the LIVE virus which I would think is more potent?  My doctors say you don't make enough antibodies getting the real thing?  Weird!!  I am just so stuck.  I still don't know what I will do Saturday...

xoxomytwo:

One thing I have heard fear about is whether the virus is going to  mutate into something else!

 

I've heard the same and I believe if it does mutate, you'll need to get another vaccine shot because it's a different strain and therefore you need to protect against the new strain.

I agree, it makes no sense.  If you've caught the swine flu, it really doesn't make sense to get vaccinated from it assuming when you recover your body would have build immunity to it.  However, I've also heard that the vaccine does not protect against the swine flu either, it just minimizes the impact of the swine flu (something I think is very hard to prove unless we live in a parallel universe and can test that theory).

How sure are your Dr's that you already had H1N1? As far as I know, they are no longer sending off cultures unless you're hospitalized. For everyone else, it's just the Influenza A swab and if it's positive, they are *assuming* you have H1N1 as it's the most prevalent strain of Inf. A. Here's the thing though - it's still not the *only* strain of Inf. A and the swab can have false positives. So, my guess is you're being told to get the vaccine because the Drs aren't 100% sure you truly had H1N1, they're just pretty sure and w/the shot, they *know*. Does that make sense? 

 Not really sure what I'd do in your case though...

mydreamteam:

How sure are your Dr's that you already had H1N1? As far as I know, they are no longer sending off cultures unless you're hospitalized. For everyone else, it's just the Influenza A swab and if it's positive, they are *assuming* you have H1N1 as it's the most prevalent strain of Inf. A. Here's the thing though - it's still not the *only* strain of Inf. A and the swab can have false positives. So, my guess is you're being told to get the vaccine because the Drs aren't 100% sure you truly had H1N1, they're just pretty sure and w/the shot, they *know*. Does that make sense? 

 Not really sure what I'd do in your case though...

You are right!  The kids were swabbed and it came up positive for influenza A which they assume (because it was October) was swine flu.  My kids have never gotten regular flu in October.  They have always gotten it in January/Feb when real flu really peaks.  So in my gut, I'm sure it was H1N1 and so was the doctor who diagnosed it that way.  They aren't sending cultures off to the lab anymore.  All 4 of my kids were really sick with it.  They got on tamiflu within a few hours of onset and I think that really helped them recover quicker. 

I read on a medical site somewhere (wish I remembered where - that would be helpful, huh?) that if you have had confirmed H1N1, you are immune to it and should not be in danger of getting it again.  I wish I could find that again...although I'm sure all over the web there are conflicting ideas about this.  Sorry, I guess this post has helped at all.

Personally, if I knew my kids already had it, I would not get the vaccine for it.

mtgirl:

I read on a medical site somewhere (wish I remembered where - that would be helpful, huh?) that if you have had confirmed H1N1, you are immune to it and should not be in danger of getting it again.  I wish I could find that again...although I'm sure all over the web there are conflicting ideas about this.  Sorry, I guess this post has helped at all.

Personally, if I knew my kids already had it, I would not get the vaccine for it.

No worries....I have probably been on that site already ...I have been researching it for over a week now and have read the same thing...but for every article I read that says that, I still find articles saying the opposite.  It's quite frustrating!  My own doctor says you don't make enough antibodies when you get the actual disease and to me, that just sounds whack!  Live vs dead virus?  Hmmm...it sounds like a bunch of crapola to me.  I am leaning towards not getting it but I am going to message other families that I knew had it to take an informal poll of what they are doing...LOL!

 

We're in the same boat too.  All 6 of us had the swine flu in October.  My oldest ds was a confirmed case of swine flu (not just positive for flu A).  Within 2 days the rest of us caught it.  The ped told me the CDC says to get the vaccine "just to be sure".  Well, if we had swine flu, how would a vacinne give us more immunity than the flu itself???

Anastasia Beaverhausen:

My own doctor says you don't make enough antibodies when you get the actual disease and to me, that just sounds whack!  Live vs dead virus?  Hmmm...it sounds like a bunch of crapola to me. 

 

I'm like the rest of you who really don't know what to believe . . .

Also, isn't the vaccine is in short supply?  If I vaccinate my family (who should be immune), could I be "taking" the vaccine from a pg person or child who has no immunity???

I don't know what to do . . .

The shot is still recommended unless it was confirmed to be H1N1 which means the positive rapid swab would need to be sent to state lab to confirm the H1N1 strain. If it was not confirmed that way then they should get the shot.

Anastasia Beaverhausen:

My own doctor says you don't make enough antibodies when you get the actual disease and to me, that just sounds whack!  Live vs dead virus?  Hmmm...it sounds like a bunch of crapola to me.

 

Yeah, I'd really question that too. I mean, if you get measles or chicken pox virus, you are protected for LIFE. However, with the vaccine, we need boosters, so clearly, the virus provides more protection than the vaccine, right? Makes no sense!

I know someone that is not getting the shot as they 'think' they had the swine flu already but unless you have had clear tests saying it was actually H1N1 then if it were me i'd get it done.

i'm sure that if you've had it (the actual virus) it will offer protection/immunity... i'm sure i've read it does somewhere..

 My kids were confirmed cases of H1N1(swab sent out to the lab). My Ped told me on the phone, "atleast they don't need the vaccine now".

The schools in my district gave the shot out to the kids last week. I took my kids off the list and never went. 

Interesting!  My kids ended up getting sick so I couldn't get them the vaccine on Saturday.  I did have my mom ask the doctors she works for (they are allergists) and they said they are not recommending if you had a confirmed nasal swab.  Oh well, I might still get it...just not sure...and the key would be keeping my kids well enough to even consider it.