Photo: DPA

First wave of swine flu has probably passed

Published: 29 Nov 09 14:36 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20091129-23599.html

The first wave of swine flu, which has killed at least 59 people in Germany, appears to be subsiding, doctors told news magazine Der Spiegel in a report published Saturday.

The number of patients with acute respiratory illnesses in Bavaria had dropped compared with two weeks ago, according to figures obtained by the magazine.

“That is a gentle trend,” said Susanne Glasmacher, spokeswoman for the Robert Koch Institute, the federal centre charged with disease control and prevention.

The situation is also improving in the north of the country. Doris Schrage of the Altona Children’s Hospital in Hamburg, told Spiegel: “The big wave of infections has probably already passed.”

And children’s doctor Heiko Krude of the Virchow Clinic at Berlin’s Charite University said: “The symptoms are largely mild. We have no shortage of intensive care beds or artificial respiration equipment.”

Up to 4.8 million Germans, including high-risk groups such as children and the elderly, and health care workers, have been immunised, Spiegel reported.

A vaccination for pregnant women – who are also an at-risk group – is likely to be approved within a week.

On Tuesday, state health ministers are set to meet to discuss how urgently they should recommend vaccination for the healthy sections of the community – especially the possibility of organising mass immunisation.

The Robert Koch Institute confirms there have been 59 deaths so far from swine flu.

DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

#1
15:01 November 29, 2009 by wassimk
no vaccine for me thank you very much
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#2
16:53 November 29, 2009 by sparkling
ditto
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#3
14:29 December 6, 2009 by sparkling
A friend of mine got very sick, so I changed my mind and got the vaccine. Other than the heaviness on the arm, there were no side affects. The heaviness is still there though, after 6 days.
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#4
14:30 December 6, 2009 by Small Town Boy
Maybe they left the needle in there by mistake.
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#5
20:49 December 6, 2009 by sparkling
I hope not!

It is still sore, and actually it has been 7 days, not 6.
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#6
21:07 December 6, 2009 by wassimk
oh sparkling... why did you go ahead and do that?

side effects (if any) of this vaccine will not appear right away .. usually they take a pretty long time. I mean its true they might do their jobs and keep this particular flu out of your system, but side effects (if any) can be pretty fatal... is it a risk you were actually willing to take?

by the way, how is your friend feeling now? i am sure up and running...

my 2nd cousin back home for the H1N1 and his mom took him to the dr... he told her not to give him the special medication, and not to do the vaccination, he actually cured him by using only things containing paracetamol and usual "cold" medicaments... not flu... "cold" ... in 3 days the kid was up and running and went back to school.

I think this H1N1 is a simple flu being blown out of proportion... and for the sake of my newborn daughter i'd rather not have myself vaccinated against it and have the risk of not being fully there for her in a couple of weeks/months/years just coz of a bad decision.

ofcourse i really hope you dont get any side effects, and turn out to be one of the lucky people, or have your from a very good batch.

Best of luck for all you .. and good health
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#7
21:59 December 6, 2009 by Pas
So the flu has been blown out of proportion and the risks of the vaccine haven't. Right.....
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#8
23:03 December 6, 2009 by wassimk
well when the american association of whatever tells the vaccine manufacturing company that their off the hook in case happens to people coz of their fast cooked vaccine... that really worries a person...

we have proof that the H1N1 aint that bad... still no proof about the vaccine being that bad or good... AND the fact that the flu isnt so fatal makes the vaccine risk pointless to take...
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#9
00:04 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
oh sparkling... why did you go ahead and do that?

side effects (if any) of this vaccine will not appear right away .. usually they take a …
My friend is alright, but I didn't want to get sick. I was sick a bit too often this year, and just didn't want to spend time in bed. Plus, I travel a lot, and didn't want to carry the bug and make the loved ones sick, esp. a pregnant sister and old parents. Heaviness of the arm is unpleasant, but something I can deal with.

What long term side effects are you talking about btw? I'm not aware of the ones that appear after a long time.
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#10
01:45 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
we have proof that the H1N1 aint that bad... still no proof about the vaccine being that bad or good... AND the fact that the flu isnt so fatal makes …
What is it about 59 people have died in Germany alone that you don't understand? Over 9,000 people worldwide have died of H1N1 so far.

How many people have died from the vaccine? Zero, AFAIK.

So if you choose not to have the vaccine for yourself, that's dandy, but otherwise there's no need to scare other people off with unfounded conspiracy theories.
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#11
07:53 December 7, 2009 by ThomasSS
There is far too much irrational fear of vaccines. I would be tempted to laugh when people claim that it hasn't been well tested and that they somehow know that it will cause side effects, except that these attitudes do in fact cost lives. Given the amount of time the essentially impossible Autism/vaccine link spent in the American courts, I don't blame the vaccine manufacturers for being a touch paranoid at this point.

In my case, my arm was slightly sore for about 4 days.
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#12
08:10 December 7, 2009 by Pas
What is it about 59 people have died in Germany alone that you don't understand? Over 9,000 people worldwide have died of H1N1 so far.
And don't forget many will also die this year from other strains of flu. As they do every year. Flu is a killer. It's also usually pretty to have even if you don't get it really bad.

It's fascinating how much people can swallow up and believe is the truth. The flu jab seems to be becoming a new religion.
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#13
08:33 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
I'll also get the vaccine for the regular flu. There has to be 2 weeks between the two. My doctor recommends both, and I decided to trust him more than I trust the media.
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#14
08:45 December 7, 2009 by Crawlie
Over 9,000 people worldwide have died of H1N1 so far.
You are aware that 17K to 52K die every year from "normal" seasonal flu right? I mean, you must have done some research? Even Google? No? Oh.
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#15
08:59 December 7, 2009 by Pas
I'll also get the vaccine for the regular flu. There has to be 2 weeks between the two. My doctor recommends both, and I decided to trust him more…
The thing that worrys me most about the whole sorry episode is that there seem to be doctors without the sense your's seems to have giving bad advice.

Ultimatly everybody has to make a choice but it should be based, as far as possible, on facts rather than he who shouts loudest.
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#16
09:10 December 7, 2009 by leeza
You are aware that 17K to 52K die every year from "normal" seasonal flu right? I mean, you must have done some research? Even Google? No? Oh…
For the regular flu, those numbers represent almost exclusively the elderly, very young children, and people with dangerous pre-existing conditions, like asthma, heart disease, immunosuppressing diseases, etc.

H1N1 is killing, in many cases, totally healthy children and young adults. That's a significant difference, and was one of the deciding factors to get my son and myself vaccinated.

Edit: And as someone said somewhere on one of these threads - thousands upon thousands of people die from car accidents. But that doesn't stop us from wearing a seatbelt to reduce the risk.
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#17
10:05 December 7, 2009 by barbett
I'll also get the vaccine for the regular flu. There has to be 2 weeks between the two. My doctor recommends both, and I decided to trust him more…
My doctor's receptionist also said there should be 2 weeks between the two types, so 10 days ago I went for the normal flu shot.

I never took any flu shots before, but since my wife is pregnant I decided I did not want to pass her anything.

When I told the doctor why I wanted to get the shot, he said I'd better get the normal and the swine vaccines at once (*), left and right arm, and that there was no conflict between the two.

Both arms were occasionally sore for 4-5 days. So far, no other side effects.

(*) He could have said "Congratulations!", he's been my GP for 6 years, but that's another story.
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#18
10:14 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
(*) He could have said "Congratulations!", he's been my GP for 6 years, but that's another story.
That shows he is focused, and I really like that about a doctor. You will get the good wishes from others

Congratulations by the way!
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#19
10:16 December 7, 2009 by eurovol
he said I'd better get the normal and the swine vaccines at once (*), left and right arm,
Nice of him to recommend both, but it is most definitely not recommended to have both if both are live attenuated.
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#20
10:57 December 7, 2009 by ThomasSS
Pandemrix, which seems to be the standard H1N1 vaccine in Germany is killed virus, not live attenuated. In the US at least, seasonal flu shots are also killed virus, not live attenuated.
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#21
13:28 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
Seasonal flu is a killer just like the H1N1.

H1N1 kills just like the seasonal flu (for people who can not see past their nose).

H1N1 vaccine is not advisable , not based on the media, based on actual medical advice from several places, can not name the company, but my cousin works for a well esteemed medical international medical company (HQ in the states), which deals with many things including heart valves and other advanced medical stuff, and they advice completely against the vaccine.

The fact that some people actually survived it with a few paracetamol based pills should make you think that its not as dangerous as they try to make it sound.

I personally suffer from a serious illness (fallot tetralogy) , and currently waiting to see if i need a 3rd heart operation or not for my pulmonary valve... and my drS (such case can not rely on one dr only) all advised me not to take this vaccine.

So lets see... i actually built my information on several medical advices, from human beings (drs) and medical companies... oh gee i wonder why i love to misguide people and make them panic.

Its funny how these days when you try to pass some advice forward from the goodness of your heart you simply get trashed

(oh and did i mention another little kid + my actual heart dr got cured using normal cold pills as well? oh dear.. oh my..)
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#22
13:41 December 7, 2009 by Pas
Were those homeopathic cold pills?
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#23
13:42 December 7, 2009 by Kay
side effects (if any) can be pretty fatal...
Is that like being a little bit dead?
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#24
13:43 December 7, 2009 by eurovol
I personally suffer from a serious illness (fallot tetralogy)
Your condition suggests that you are in a high risk group and should most definitely consider vaccinations with the advice of a competent doctor and not a quack!
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#25
13:45 December 7, 2009 by Krieg
Cold pills? What's that?
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#26
13:53 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
due to the fact that each country uses its own terminology of medications, its hard to keep up with the same names of pills.. so i referred to them as cold pills... as in pills for when you have a regular cold (mostly containing paracetamol, caffeine and vitamin c at some other points)
Your condition suggests that you are in a high risk group and should most definitely consider vaccinations with the advice of a competent doctor and n…
i dont see how 3 heart drs specializing in this sickness who work in a uni-klinik in germany, and 1 american dr who happens to be a heart surgeon qualify to be quacks... not to mention the other medical sources i listed.

would you rather me go to a GD where the dumbasses told me to give my daughter some sugar milk coz she was pooping once every 3 days... liquid poop... and their advice was, lemme repeat... give her sugar milk (i was gonna kick his ass so hard!)

or another GD who told us to make her switch to regular milk?

or maybe another GD who , when my wife went with the following symptoms: constent dizziness + extreme fatigue , he just checked her blood pressure at the time of the visit when she was feeling fine, and told her there's nothing wrong... wihout doing any blood tests? (not even for anemia??)

several drs am reffering to... all of them advice in general to take the H1N1 vaccine, and yet are so wonderful with their expert opinions on how to drive you to the grave ASAP .

No thank you, i will follow the medical advice of my medical team....and my gut you do realize that the watermelon between your shoulders is to be used, not just to be hanging there while you follow people like sheep... oder?
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#27
14:00 December 7, 2009 by Pas
due to the fact that each country uses its own terminology of medications, its hard to keep up with the same names of pills.. so i referred to them as…
Pills which are designed to reduce the symptoms but in no way cure. Nobody got better because of taking them, they got better because the body is pretty good at sorting out these problems on it's own, most of the time.
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#28
14:11 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
would you say your theory applies on the bodies of a 5 and 7 year olds?
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#29
14:14 December 7, 2009 by Pas
It's not a theory.

Oh , and Vitamin C is as effective against colds as eating paper.
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#30
14:14 December 7, 2009 by eurovol
i dont see how 3 heart drs specializing in this sickness who work in a uni-klinik in germany, and 1 american dr who happens to be a heart surgeon qual…
Excuse me for not believing you are fully and competently expressing their actual views and recommendations.
People with heart disease are at a high risk for serious and potentially life-threatening complications from the flu. Therefore, the U.S. Centers for …
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#31
14:17 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
i never said they don't advice for me to have the regular flu vaccine.

maybe wasn't clear of you misinterpreted what i said... i usually take the flu vaccine every year (unless am sick, then its suicide ) , but i was referring to their advice on the H1N1 vaccine in specific.
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#32
14:29 December 7, 2009 by eurovol
Again, I don't believe you! Unless you are allergic to eggs or have other complicating factors, no heart doctor in their right mind is going to say "get the annual flu shot, but don't get the H1N1 shot specifically under any circumstances".
H1N1 Vaccine and Heart Disease

If you have heart disease, should you get the H1N1 vaccine?

Yes. The Center for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that people with certain conditions who have a hi…
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#33
14:39 December 7, 2009 by katekatekoala
Oh , and Vitamin C is as effective against colds as eating paper.
But it like, TOTALLY works Pas. I found a website on it on like, Geocities and stuff. Eating paper cured my flu! It's so much safer than those vaccines.
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#34
15:01 December 7, 2009 by Krieg
Pills which are designed to reduce the symptoms but in no way cure. Nobody got better because of taking them, they got better because the body is pret…
You beat me to it. AFAIK, all the "cold medicine" only gives comfort and makes the thing more bearable and/or create the conditions for the body to recover faster, but they do not really "cure" the cold.

Even Tamiflu does not really kills the virus, only controls it from spreading or something like that.

Of course I can be wrong, I am not a doctor.
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#35
15:02 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
side effects (if any) of this vaccine will not appear right away .. usually they take a pretty long time.
wassimk, what are the long term side effects?
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#36
18:05 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
Yes, Crawlie, I am fully aware of the annual mortality rates from seasonal flu.

I am addressing the mortality rate from the H1N1 flu vaccine thus far, which is zero. So it seems to me that making scary unfounded claims against the vaccine, which has killed nobody, is irresponsible in the face of a global illness which has killed thousands.

It's smart to make your own evaluation about whether or not to get the H1N1 vaccine (I'm not getting it, myself), but not so smart to let fears about the safety of the vaccine itself prevent you from getting the jab, if that's what you'd otherwise do.

(To be fair, some TTers, like sarabyrd, have gotten ill after receiving the H1N1 vaccine.)
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#37
18:11 December 7, 2009 by Kommentarlos
(To be fair, some TTers, like sarabyrd, have gotten ill after receiving the H1N1 vaccine.)
To be fair, some TTers do seem to get ill rather a lot indeed regardless. If they didn't get ill after the pork flu vaccine, then it would be more surprising. Kind of like being shocked that the sun rises every day.
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#38
18:12 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
Again, I don't believe you! Unless you are allergic to eggs or have other complicating factors, no heart doctor in their right mind is going to say "get the annual flu shot…
choose to beleive what you wish, am just stating the facts of what i have been told... we can go on with this mouse and cat "they told me so" "i dont beleive you" forever... won't change their advice... (or as i play with my wife "nein" "doch" .. one of the most useful german words hehe)
wassimk, what are the long term side effects?
not sure sparkling, only god knows what they put in it... if they actually overdosed it with mercury or not, whether the chemical stuff they have it that is not tested enough is really harmful as some say or not (by some i dont mean media crap, i mean medical ppl) .

about the whole vaccine probable side effect autism thing, they FDA could have simply told them you're off the hook in case anyone tried to blame you for autism... but they told them you're totally off the hook... which really would raise some eyebrows....

anyway sparkling like i said, i really hope am wrong about this, and/or that the batch you got vaccinated form is a good one (or a good manufacturer) .. am not trying to jinx anyone here

but to answer your question , some of the side effects i heard that could be caused (other than fatal) , is to be paralyzed, or some related effect (some motor skills could be affected) , some other effects which are too complicated to explain, it was explained to me wth extreme terms where i somehow zoned out hehehe, but point is... its not really that safe... but hey look at the bright side, it sure does its work... keeping you safe from the H1N1
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#39
18:15 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
To be fair, some TTers do seem to get ill rather a lot indeed regardless. If they didn't get ill after the pork flu vaccine, then it would be more…
heard of the old german lady who died right after receiving it? i dont have any documented proof, m mother in law was talking about it the other day... i simply ignored coz we're on "the less we talk... the more we survive under one roof" terms... so i cant even ask her now about it... but am sure if someone googles it then it can be found (preferably on google.de in german though...)
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#40
18:33 December 7, 2009 by perdido
but am sure if someone googles it then it can be found (preferably on google.de in german though...)
or check under "crazy stories on the internet" on google.com
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#41
18:38 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
or check under "crazy stories on the internet" on google.com
link to crazy stories on the internet
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#42
18:49 December 7, 2009 by Small Town Boy
link to crazy stories on the internet
He didn't die of the injection though, did he? He died of a heart attack, silly-billy.
i dont have any documented proof,
Well keep quiet then and come back when you know what you're talking about.
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#43
19:08 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
ofcourse he did... so did the other woman...what a coincidence!
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#44
19:16 December 7, 2009 by Pas
Incredibly two people in the world who have had the jab died of a heart attack. So clearly the jab caused it and it's bad.

I'm going straight to the doctors to get mine in the morning because one person on the internet who's not had the jab is spouting complete bollox. I fear catching the same disease.
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#45
19:18 December 7, 2009 by Moonboot
ofcourse he did... so did the other woman...what a coincidence!
believe what you want to believe, but dont waste your time here trying to convince people with more objectivity to believe the same.
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#46
19:24 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
i do believe what i want to believe, definitely don't need your permission for that ... but i still advice people on what i think is right, and in the end of the day, to each his own.
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#47
19:26 December 7, 2009 by Small Town Boy
You are in no position to "advice" people. You can state your opinion, which you did on page 1, and unless you have anything new to offer then leave it at that.
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#48
19:26 December 7, 2009 by eurovol
What pray tell are your qualifications for advising people on life and death matters of a medical and scientific nature?
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#49
19:27 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
fine... not advice... relaying advice .. or is this the crime of the century as well?
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#50
19:57 December 7, 2009 by Pas
If the information relayed is poor and people die because of it then it's certainly not good.
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#51
20:00 December 7, 2009 by Pas
What was the time frame for Mad Cow Disease wiping out humanity , by the way? Could it be all the crazies coming out at the moment correlates to the incubation period of MCD?
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#52
20:00 December 7, 2009 by Moonboot
its all very Chinese Whispers, wassimk, at least post some independent links to back up your advice.
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#53
20:04 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
moonboot... i was simply relaying what my drs advised me... not to take it... and other people in the medical business gave the same advice... i wonder how by relaying such an advice i am hurting and killing people... what a bad person i am after all!
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#54
20:14 December 7, 2009 by eurovol
Again, you are not a credible witness to what your doctors may or may not have said. As I have posted credible links, what you say does not compute. Danger Will Robinson!
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#55
20:15 December 7, 2009 by ThomasSS
People have died because of the swine flu. They would likely not have died if they had gotten the vaccine. Germany has many more doses of the vaccine than it expects to use. Basically, some people will die because they don't get vaccinated, and some of those people in Germany will have failed to get vaccinated because they took medical advice from people with less qualifications that the CDC.

Yes, relaying bad medical advice can kill people.
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#56
21:21 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
and in case.. .just in case it was actually as bad as what the advice i received stated... then in case some1 read this and stopped him/herself from taking it could have his/her life saved in the long run... and just down with this flu for a couple of days...
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#57
21:28 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
wassimk, so far here's the score:

H1N1 disease: hundreds of thousands sickened, 9,000+ deaths worldwide

H1N1 vaccine: millions vaccinated, 0 deaths

Those are the facts. Why should anyone even consider your opinion?
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#58
21:38 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
the fact that most people who warn from the vaccine say that it has a long term side effect... then these numbers still arent quite accurate or final

besides, people did die from the vaccine, stories have been covered up by fake autopsies and media

look guys am sorry i dont mean to be pig headed or smthn, and am the last one who would ever try to mislead people, but the thing is when i get the same big fat NO from many drs, who i trust literally with my life, and one of them is from and living in a totally different country, and having my cousin who works in the medical business give me the same big fat panicking NO... with the other very weak and few facts out there... well i gotta tell you, am pretty convinced. and since am convinced of it, i just feel that its my duty to relay the advice, just like you are convinced that what am saying is wrong due to some readings, media, or your drs, and feel its your job to shut me up...

lets tango?
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#59
21:42 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
wassimk, you've made your point. You're wrong. So are all these people who have "advised" you.

Best wishes for your continued good health, but I don't tango with anyone who's unvaccinated.
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#60
21:45 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
i highly doubt that their wrong... but do as i said earlier... to each his own
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#61
21:46 December 7, 2009 by eurovol
Oh hell, I do admire your persistence in the face of overwhelming counter-intelligence.
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#62
21:49 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
wassimk, I don't care how many irritating smiley faces you put after your messages, you are stating an opinion. You can state it with a big smile on your face, but you are demonstrably, utterly, wrong.

"To each his own" is not the byword of any public health organization I have ever heard of.
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#63
21:49 December 7, 2009 by perdido
What pray tell are your qualifications for advising people on life and death matters of a medical and scientific nature?
Sally Struthers. I gave her $30 bucks and bought a shot of Jaeger for her but turns out she wanted 30 Bucks and a shot of jaeger.
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#64
21:51 December 7, 2009 by Crawlie
besides, people did die from the vaccine, stories have been covered up by fake autopsies and media
Ah yes. It's because they were not wearing their tin foil hats at the time.

Seriously. You are making yourself out to be more and more of a conspiracy theory lover nutjob whacko with every word you type

EDIT: eurovol. By using the term "counter-intelligence" you are assuming some representation of the latter word in the poster's comments thus far.. A foolish mistake
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#65
21:55 December 7, 2009 by mlovett
My son got the vaccine; he is very much alive and well wassimk, no side-effects whatsoever. No more vaccine left for me, though, and I am "high risk". Ah well. One less trip to the frigging doctor.
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#66
21:56 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
it saddens me to see so many media slaves out there... with the facts hitting you in the face, the dangerous numbers... and you still insist on not seeing it ... fine shuv needle up your arse for all i care, back to page 1 , no vaccine for me thank you very much.

and to the main reason why i even came back to this thread, sparkling i hope nothing bad happens to you.
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#67
21:58 December 7, 2009 by Mariposa
it saddens me to see so many media slaves out there... with the facts hitting you in the face, the dangerous numbers... and you still insist on not se…
Which facts exactly are those? You yourself said that you don't know what side effects there will be or if there will be any side effects at all. You just believe that there will be side effects but you are not specifying why or which or when or how.
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#68
22:01 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
i actually did specify a why , a couple of possibilities on which ... and then when... each body reacts differently, but like i said, it takes a pretty long time (months or years), so to whoever decides to start trying to be funny and say look at me am ok! in your face wassimk... dumbass i said in a long time! (not you mariposa) .

anyway, i really hope am wrong, but am just paying it forward by relaying advice (maybe this will undo one the smileys that got on cinzia's nerves?)
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#69
22:07 December 7, 2009 by legal_alien
Don't know if this has been said (couldn't read the whole thread as the conspiraloon nonsense hurts my brain) but our doctor called us this morning saying that our children don't need the second dose which was due tomorrow. This is from a government directive as of Friday. It would be interesting to know if this is because they found out kids were protected with a half dose, or some got adverse reactions after 2nd shot or they are running low on vaccine or they think the danger has passed.
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#70
22:07 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
Just keep digging, wassimk. OK by me. The more emoticons, the better.

@legal alien, in the States at least, they have been testing samples of kids who got their first shot for immune response. If enough kids have a strong enough response from just the one dose, there's no need for kids to get a second one. Whether or not kids needed a second dose of the H1N1 vaccine was one of the few unanswered questions about the efficacy (not the safety) of the vaccine at the time it was first distributed.

Discouraging that second dose doesn't jibe very well with those who say there's some kind of government conspiracy here, does it? By that logic, the more doses administered, the better. MWA HA HA!!
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#71
22:09 December 7, 2009 by Crawlie
anyway, i really hope am wrong, but am just paying it forward by relaying advice
I would so like to quote Jules Winnfield during his exchange with Brad....
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#72
22:14 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
it saddens me to see so many media slaves out there... with the facts hitting you in the face, the dangerous numbers... and you still insist on not se…
Thanks wassimk, but as I wrote before, I decided to rather take the risk of the vaccine for many reasons. I was sick already a few times this year, and I just don't want another sickness. My sister is not only pregnant, she has a broken ankle, and other issues. She can't really deal with swine flu on top of all these. But she didn't get the vaccine, although I told her about my doctor's recommendation. At least she has to stay home, so less risk of getting H1N1. And we try not to bring the bug to her. I consider it very irresponsible of her btw.

On another thread, I wrote about the salt+water mix for nose and mouth. I recently had a nose surgery (not a 'nose job') and the main thing the doctors recommend is salt+water mix. I had to wash my nose 3 times with it. The doctor said he uses Rhinomer (saline spray, easy to carry with you everywhere) and Bepanthen augen und nasensalbe all winter long, even before H1N1. It should keep the nose moist and healthy.
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#73
22:16 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
Don't know if this has been said (couldn't read the whole thread as the conspiraloon nonsense hurts my brain) but our doctor called us this mo…
I've also been told that I don't need a second dose. The receptionist explained the reason, but obviously I didn't pay much attention, cause I can't remember. I was just happy!
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#74
22:18 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
I use nasal saline spray two or three times a day under normal circumstances during Minnesota winters, because of the excessive dryness. A dried-out nasal passage is not able to do its job as part of the immune system.

sparkling, best wishes for your sister's continued health, and the health of the baby. Pregnant women are top priority candidates for the H1N1 vaccine, which continues to be in pretty low supply in my area.

Adults don't need a second dose of vaccine. The health authorities thought kids might.
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#75
22:22 December 7, 2009 by wassimk
Best wishes for you sis sparkling.

and i really hope all turns out well for both you and her.

from what i heard blowing your nose a couple of times a day helps as well, it decreases the chances of anything "crawling" in. I guess its a connected logic.

Cheers

WK
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#76
22:22 December 7, 2009 by legal_alien
Adults don't need a second dose of vaccine. The health authorities thought kids might.
I forgot to take their books so had to return. When she looked through her register you could see all the names, some had 25 written next to them and some 50. I assumed this was the dosage they had been given and they were splitting the kids ones in half to make it safer.
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#77
22:23 December 7, 2009 by kito
i actually did specify a why , a couple of possibilities on which ... and then when... each body reacts differently, but like i said, it takes a prett…
If it takes months or years to see the side effects, and the H1N1 vaccine has been out for approximately 2 months now (1 month in quantity), how in the world have you managed to find out so much about these side effects? If you're living in the future, mind sharing some useful information with us? Like tomorrow's lotto numbers?
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#78
22:24 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
thanks Cinzia and Wassimk!
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#79
22:51 December 7, 2009 by sparkling
This must be the fatal disease:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/gbs_qa.htm
What happened in 1976 with GBS and the swine flu vaccine?

Scientists first reported a suspected link between GBS and vaccinations in 1976, during a national campaign to vaccinate people against a swine flu vi…
The risk is there, but the probability of dying from GBS is much lower than the vaccine, thus the vaccine still makes sense.
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#80
23:30 December 7, 2009 by cinzia
Anyone with time on their hands can read about the US government's plans to monitor and communicate adverse events from the H1N1 flu vaccine.
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#81
06:56 December 8, 2009 by Crawlie
it decreases the chances of anything "crawling" in. I guess its a connected logic.
That's really clever that is. It's like you used the "crawling" thing and turned it into some kind of insult. It was very subtle but the quotes around it helped those of us who are a little slow to notice this type of humour to "get it". That is great. Do you do stand up? You should. You would be great at it.
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#82
08:21 December 8, 2009 by eurovol
@Crawlie, now who is giving credit for that second word where none exists?
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#83
09:14 December 8, 2009 by Pas
So if I understand right we are advised to not take the jab because you might die of side effects, but nobody has, or you may suffer long term side effects, which nobody has.

I'm fascinated by irrational fear. This whole piggie flu area is exhibit No 1 at the moment.
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#84
09:41 December 8, 2009 by Crawlie
Good point eurovol. Good point
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