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Flu
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/stateplans.html
www.nmaseminars.com
Should You Get a Flu Shot?
Before You Do, Make Sure You Understand the Potential Risks
By Dr. Claudia Anrig
Every year just before the weather turns colder, the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention begins an advertising
campaign geared toward motivating the masses to get the flu vaccine.
They talk about the number of deaths each year that are attributable to
the flu and the number of missed work days that cost employers hundreds
of thousands of dollars. This year, that campaign will likely be even
more urgent due to outbreaks of the "swine flu" virus, which have spread
from one country to the next in the past six months or so.
Should you get yourself and your children vaccinated against the flu?
This article is not intended to encourage you to vaccinate or not to
vaccinate against the flu, but rather to provide you with some basic
information so you can decide for yourself. Of course, you should always
talk to your doctor when deciding whether to receive any vaccination or
medication.
What Is the Flu?
Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza
viruses. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, fatigue, cough,
sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and body aches, as well as diarrhea
and vomiting. The flu can cause complications such as pneumonia or
dehydration and may aggravate existing conditions like asthma and heart
disease. It is spread from person to person in respiratory droplets when
people who are infected cough or sneeze.
What Is the Flu Shot?
The flu shot is an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is
given with a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot has been approved
for use in people older than 6 months of age, including healthy people
and people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or
heart disease). What the CDC doesn't tell you is that the other
ingredients in the flu shot include, but are not limited to the
following:
· Ethylene glycol - antifreeze
· Phenol (also known as carbolic acid) - a disinfectant and a dye
· Formaldehyde - a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent)
· Aluminum - associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures, and has
produced cancer in laboratory mice, but is still being used as an
additive to promote antibody response
· Thimerosal - a mercury disinfectant and preservative that can result
in brain injury and autoimmune disease
· Neomycin and Streptomycin - used as antibiotics and have been known to
cause allergic reactions in some people
What Are the Potential Side Effects?
Just like all vaccines and medications, there are potential side effects
associated with the flu shot. The CDC and other health care
organizations would have you overlook them for the supposed benefit of
being inoculated against the flu. However, it's important to at least be
familiar with these potential side effects and weigh the potential risk
vs. benefit when deciding whether you or your child should receive the
shot.
Minor side effects can include but are not limited to soreness, redness
or swelling at the injection site, low-grade fever and other aches and
pains.
More severe, life-threatening complications have proven to be rare, but
the danger still exists that someone can suffer severe effects from this
alleged beneficial vaccine. The most common dangerous side effect is an
allergic reaction. Since the vaccine is grown in eggs, it is more
dangerous for those who have had an allergic reaction to other vaccines
in the past. These reactions can include breathing problems, hoarseness
or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, and a fast heartbeat or
dizziness. The CDC has recognized the danger and recommends that those
who have had an allergic reaction to a vaccine in the past not get the
flu shot before speaking with their health care professional.
An even more serious side effect is Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). This
is a disease in which the body damages its own nerve cells, resulting in
muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. While most people eventually
recover, some have permanent nerve damage and 5 percent to 6 percent of
those who develop GBS will die. The CDC would remind you that only six
of every 1 million people injected with the flu shot will develop GBS.
That's small comfort if you're one of the six, of course.
Is Getting a Flu Shot Worth It? You Decide
After careful consideration of the risks associated with the vaccine,
it's wise to weigh those risks against those of the flu. The CDC talks
about the benefits of being vaccinated, but are those benefits backed up
with the facts? The flu vaccine is always changing because the flu
strains change from one year to the next. (The swine flu is once such
variation.) The manufacturers of the vaccine take a shot in the dark and
hope they'll hit the right strain each year, but the fact is the flu
shot is only 70 percent to 90 percent effective.
Dean Eurich, a clinical epidemiologist and professor at the school of
public health at the University of Alberta, recently considered the data
and reported that over the past 20 years in the United States,
vaccination rates among the elderly have increased from 15 percent to 65
percent, but hospital admissions and death rates from all causes have
not declined proportionately. "Only about 10 percent of winter-time
deaths in the United States are attributable to influenza, thus to
suggest that the vaccine can reduce 50 percent of deaths from all causes
is implausible in our opinion," Eurich said.
A further study by Sumit Majumdar, MD, reached the same conclusion.
According to his research, after considering all the facts and taking
into account immunizations, socioeconomic status, sex, history of
smoking and the severity of the flu, the actual benefit of the flu shot
is "reduced to a statistically non-significant level of 19%."
A recent article published in the Lancet medical journal suggests the
flu vaccine is having little or no effect on the number of elderly
people developing pneumonia each year, and a recent study led by Michael
Jackson, MD, of the Seattle-based Group Health Center for Health
Studies, that compared 1,173 pneumonia patients between the ages of 65
and 94 who had been vaccinated with 2,346 people who hadn't, determined
that the risk of contracting the lung disease wasn't reduced by the
shot.
The Safest Way to Avoid the Flu
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (and probably your Mom
when you were growing up) advocate simple health habits to prevent the
spread of illnesses like the flu.
Taking these steps can help people avoid the flu without having to get a
flu shot in the first place:
· Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough/sneeze; throw
the used tissue away.
· Wash your hands often with soap and water as soon as possible after
coughing or sneezing.
· Keep yourself and any babies and children in your care away from
people who are coughing or sneezing.
· Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth if you in close contact with
people who are sick or have been sick.
Consider these suggestions, along with the above information regarding
risks vs. benefits, before getting a flu shot this year, and of course,
talk to your doctor for more information. After all, it's your health
and the health of your children at stake.
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Definitely Don’t Get a Flu Shot If...
The American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidelines for circumstances
under which you should not be vaccinated with the flu shot or nasal
spray. According to the AAP, you/your child should not get vaccinated if
any of the following applies (whether restriction applies to flu shot,
nasal spray or both is noted in parentheses):
· Less than 6 months of age (flu shot); less than 5 or older than 49
(nasal spray)
· Moderate to severe febrile (fever) illness (both)
· History of Guillain-Barre’ syndrome (both)
· Hypersensitivity, including anaphylaxis, to eggs, to any influenza
vaccine dose, or to any of its components (both)
· Asthma, reactive airway disease, or other chronic disorders of the
lungs or cardiovascular systems (nasal spray)
· Have underlying medical conditions including metabolic diseases, such
as diabetes, renal dysfunction, and hemoglobinopathies
· Received other live vaccines within the past four weeks (nasal spray)
· Known or suspected immunodeficiency disease, or receiving
immunosuppressive therapies (nasal spray)
· Take aspirin (nasal spray)
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Claudia Anrig, DC, practices in Fresno, Calif., and is on the board of
directors of theInternational Chiropractic Pediatric Association.
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