A good Q&A with Dr. Michael Gardam of the Ontario Agency of Health Protection and Promotion.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle1340101/
Here are a couple answers to items brought up in this thread:
Q: Should I be concerned about GBS? Also why can children under 6 months not get the vaccine for H1N1?
A: Six month olds aren't vaccinated because it doesn't work, their immune system is too young to respond to the vaccine. That is why we recommend those around them get vaccinated.
GBS (Guillan Barre syndrome) was associated with the swine flu vaccine in 1976 and never since. An association does not mean that it was caused by the vaccine, only that they were associated (like saying that umbrellas are associated with rain, doesn't mean they cause rain). The association that year was a possible increase of 1 case per 100 000 people vaccinated. Please note:
1) that is pretty small;
2) the risk of getting GBS from having natural flu infection is greater than that;
3) the risk of serious complications from the flu is much greater than that; and
4) Most cases of GBS are actually caused by infections including food poisoning. So GBS, like the adjuvant and thimerosol, are red herrings.
Q: There is so much controversy about the vaccine - in fact, several friends' doctors advised them not to get the vaccine for themselves or their young children. I am surprised at this but don't know why their doctors are advising that. It makes me even more nervous to hear that and even though my own doctor advised me to get the vaccine, I am confused. What are people afraid of?
A: As sad as it is for me to type this, not all doctors know what they are talking about. Much of our education has actually been aimed at doctors to make sure that they have the facts straight. There is almost no reason why somebody shouldn't get vaccinated ... it all comes down to whether you want to prevent yourself from getting the flu.