Should You Give Your Kids the H1N1 Vaccine? I did.
Like many people, I have been wary of flu vaccines. My kids got the minimum shots they need against childhood diseases but I always draw the line when it came to seasonal flu shots. My skepticism is due to the varying and sometimes contradictory scientific reports about the effectiveness and safety of flu shots.
Then came the H1N1 “swine” flu this year. Is this the pandemic that we have been dreading? The World Health Organization thought so, and declared it as such, and they have data and experts to back this.
When the first H1N1 vaccine came out in October, it was also met with a lot of skepticism, even from healthcare providers themselves. Conspiracy theories about big pharma industries conniving with health authorities came out.
Learning From the Past
As a mother with scientific training, I tried to gather as much reliable information as possible before I make informed decision whether my family should get the vaccine or not. And here is what I found out:
- Researchers who studied the epidemiological pattern of the 1918 pandemic flu learned that many people died not from the flu itself, but from secondary infections that attacked the body weakened by the flu. The secondary bacterial infections resulted in severe respiratory symptoms, especially pneumonia.
- Another cause of mortality due to the last pandemic was the misuse of aspirin, which just came out around that time. The drug was popularly used against fever and pain but unfortunately, without carefully regard for dosage. Many people suffered from overdose and severe drug reaction.
Learning From the Present
Health authorities warned that young children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune system are most susceptible. Theoretically, if you are older than 5 years old, healthy, and not pregnant, you do not have anything to worry about the flu. Fatal cases of the H1N1 flu were mostly people with underlying medical conditions, and therefore weakened immune systems.
Then in November came reports about healthy children and young adults developing severe and sometimes fatal symptoms. All had suffered from secondary infection that led to severe pneumonia.
To Vaccinate Or Not To Vaccinate
That is the question. My twin boys are as healthy as 6-year olds can be. However, one who was underweight at birth has had several severe respiratory infections during the first 3 years of his life which luckily never developed into full-blown pneumonia because it was always caught early. He had to use an inhalator for time to time. However, he hadn’t had any major health issues during the last three years. Is he a high risk person for H1N1 flu? Our current pediatrician doesn’t think so but I did. So I went to search for the flu vaccine.
My Quest For the H1N1 Vaccine
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy to get the H1N1 vaccine here in this European country where we live. Don’t get me wrong. Switzerland has a wonderful health care system. But the approval of the H1N1 vaccine in the country got a bit delayed and the distribution only started in mid-November. So while school children in New York City got their shots as early as October, we had to wait a couple of weeks later. In addition, it’s not just about walking into the doctor’s office or queuing at the school nurse’s office. You really have to go and find it.
Week 1: I called our pediatrician’s office as soon as I heard of the drug approval and asked for the flu. No, they haven’t received any vaccine shipment yet.
Week 2: I called our pediatrician again. Shipment is expected within the week. They will reserve two doses for my kids and call me.
Week 3, Morning: I called the doctor’s office again. Shipment has come and gone. My kids weren’t on the high priority list. No, they can’t tell me when the next one will come. I panicked and demanded to speak to the doctor himself. “We’re right in the middle of the epidemic now. I don’t know whether it still makes sense,” he said. Yes, I think it still makes sense to get the shots. I begged for even just 1 dose, yet feeling very guilty that I gave preference to one son over the other.
I called my own doctor. Yes, they can give me the shot immediately but not to my kids. They only give the shots to their own patients. By then, I was almost tearing my hair out. How I can get the flu shot but not my kids? The lady on the other line probably sensed the panic in my voice and told me that their shipment just came in that very minute, so most probably the pediatrician will also receive theirs within the day.
Week 3, Afternoon: I called our pediatrician again. Has their shipment arrived? Yes, it has, and they have two doses for my kids if we come immediately. They need to use up the batch within the same day. So I left work, grabbed my kids from the after school care and drove to the pediatrician.
Week 3, Evening: I heard over the radio about the vaccine recall in Canada. I put my kids to bed, but I couldn’t sleep the whole night, worrying about side effects. Did I make the right decision?
It’s been over a month since we had our H1N1 shots and I am happy to report that my boys and I didn’t suffer from any side effects except pain on the injection site. My husband remained adamant about not get vaccinated.
How Other People Reacted
When I told people, including family and friends, that I and my kids got the H1N1 flu shot, I get mixed reactions. Many looked at me strangely. “You did what?” I didn’t realize that skepticism about the vaccine was so widespread. I told my father-in-law, who is 70+ and has a heart condition (he had a bypass surgery a couple of years back) that he could well be a high-risk case and should talk to his doctor about it. He (and his doctor) remained skeptical.
I read in the local newspaper that in some schools, children who got the flu shots were bullied and ridiculed by their classmates. My twin boys go to different first grade classes. One boy told me “You know what, Mom, my teacher also had the swine flu shot.” The other one said “My teacher said I don’t need it at all, I just need to wash my hands.”
I know that the vaccine is not 100% guaranteed that we are protected from the flu. We still have to take precautionary measures. In the meantime, the flu is easing up in northern hemisphere. People think the threat is over. Is it? It is too soon to celebrate.
My husband thinks I overreacted a bit. Did I? All I know I feel relieved that I did what I had to do – protect my kids
Doubtful Skeptic says...
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Samantha says...
I got the shot for my daughter and for myself as soon as she was eligible (6 months), that was just in late December. Our pediatrician felt that we could still have another wave of it in the spring just like last year. I feed my child homemade baby food, I try to keep her away from any sort of artificial anything in life but I 200% believe in vaccines. I think that anyone who does not vaccinate their child is not only putting their child at risk, they’re putting other kids at risk too. I have known parents who have lost a child to side effects of a vaccine and I know for them, it’s not an insignificant statistic. I think what people forget is that the regular seasonal flu kills children every year, this H1N1 flu is just another strain. The doses that have been recalled that I have read about were recalled b/c they may lose potency… not b/c they were killing children. Just remember that if we didn’t vaccinate kids, we would lose so many more every single year.
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kacyb says...
“I read in the local newspaper that in some schools, children who got the flu shots were bullied and ridiculed by their classmates.”
This is another reason why they should not be administering the shots on school campuses. And I can tell you it goes the other way too – children being criticized for not getting the shot. I chose not to permit my children the shots (and if you knew our family history you would understand why), and asked them not to discuss it with other children, but it inevitably comes up when half the class are getting it and half are not – the children discuss it reflecting their parents opinion. Some children were humiliated as well – if they had to get the shot instead of the spray due to allergies and they wailed or screamed – everyone in the school talked about it (the kids were lined up in the cafeteria). Finally, mistakes have been made and children who were not supposed to receive the shot, did receive it. This is a serious mistake – one child was hospitalized due to a reaction and there was no consent form sent in – she had a pre-existing condition. I am very supportive of parent’s choice, but if they really feel this needs to be done in the schools, then do it after hours or on weekends to prevent these problems. No child should be bullied on either side of the issue – they are not even making their own decisions.
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