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Do I really need the swine flu vaccine?
If I am a healthy adult that never gets the flu and rarely gets sick - and I've never had a flu shot before, do I really need the swine flu vaccine?
Male
asked Oct 19, 2009 at 06:08PM in Infectious Diseases
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2VotesFirst of all just because you are healthy doesn't mean you will not get the flu. Getting immunized against seasonal or the H1N1 ("swine flu") is easy inexpensive and could save your life.
Do you know that seasonal influenza kills almost 40,000 people a year just in the US. Couple that statistic with the H1N1 virus and the numbers could get real frightening.
One of the only ways to protect yourself is by getting immunized.
You should get BOTH the seasonal and the new H1N1 immunization. -
3Votes
answered Oct 20, 2009 at 11:19AMYes, you need to be immunized against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Although the vast majority of infected people will recover without complications, it can be fatal in some individuals. The risk of severe illness is highest among pregnant women, children less than 2 years of age, and individuals with chronic lung disease. Even if you are not in these groups, it is possible that you have a genetic makeup which would predispose you to serious disease. Finally, remember that vaccination isn't just about protecting yourself - it's also about not spreading flu to others. -
1Votes
answered Oct 20, 2009 at 03:29PMGraham
If you are going to talk NNT (number need to treat) you should also correlate the NNT value with the NNH (number need to harm).
Using both will give you a good idea of the benefits and risks of any therapy.
For anyone who might want more info on NNT and NNH go to this website. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nmp/sonet/rlos/ebp/nnt_nnh/index.html -
1Votesanswered Oct 20, 2009 at 04:30PMI should have provided my reference which was http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/170/5/650 and the NNT refers to elderly patients. So, the figures will be much higher if vaccinating not at risk individuals. Then you have to start to wonder if spending say $2M to save one life might not be spent on some other more effective public health measure.
Anyway, based on the current CDC guidelines, if you are healthy, and not pregnant, and are aged 25-64, then vaccination is not currently being recommended for you.-
Graham Chiu commented Oct 20, 2009 at 04:30PM
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1Votesanswered Oct 20, 2009 at 07:36PMYour CDC link is a bit old and newer recommendations have been made.
The new recommendations are as follows:
When vaccine is first available, ACIP recommends that programs and providers administer vaccine to people in the following five target groups (order of target groups does not indicate priority):
1.pregnant women,
2. people who live with or provide care for infants younger than 6 months (e.g., parents, siblings, and day care providers),
3.health care and emergency medical services personnel,
4.people 6 months through 24 years of age, and,
5.people 25 years through 64 years of age who have certain medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.
After this group is vaccinated and supplies of the vaccine increase the CDC recommends:
Once the demand for vaccine for the target groups has been met at the local level, ACIP recommends that programs and providers begin vaccinating everyone from the ages of 25 through 64 years. Current studies indicate that the risk for infection among persons 65 and older is less than the risk for younger age groups. However, once vaccine demand among younger age groups has been met, ACIP recommends that programs and providers should offer vaccination to people 65 or older.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_keyfacts.htm -
0Votesanswered Oct 20, 2009 at 08:05PMThis study http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/2009.1496v1 suggests the ACIP recommendations need tweaking.
" we have demonstrated that 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infection–related critical illness predominantly affects young patients with few major comorbidities and is associated with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure, often requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation and rescue therapies. With such therapy, we found that most patients can be supported through their critical illness." -
0Votesanswered Oct 21, 2009 at 03:41PMGraham
I "few" comorbitities???? "is associated with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure, often requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation and rescue therapies"
Sounds like a MAJOR comorbitity to me...........
Ulrich
Not true. Remember about 6000 people have died already and the season justt started. Seems a bit harmful to me. -
0Votesanswered Oct 21, 2009 at 03:55PMEdmund, you misunderstand. Previously it was said that people most affected had significant co-morbidities predisposing them to significant illness. This study shows that people who had few or no such co-morbidities are also affected.
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OK, I see your pointEdmund M Hayes Pharm.D. commented Oct 21, 2009 at 04:06PM
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The content on or accessible through Medpedia.com is for informational purposes only. Medpedia is not a substitute for professional advice or expert medical services from a qualified health professional.
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As of September 11th
Worldwide there were 458743 cases of H1N1 reported and 4754 deaths
In the United States 47957 cases of H1N1 have been diagnosed and there have been 593 deaths.
Remember that the "flu" season on September 11th just starting and these numbers will increase greatly as the season progresses