babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
They Say: Kids Should Get Swine Flu Vax, Not Most Adults
News that there will be only forty-five million swine flu vaccine doses avialable for millions more Americans might not be so bad after all. A new study indicates vaccinating kids and parents, skipping the rest of the adults, may be enough.
The initial call was for one hundred twenty million doses of the H1N1 vax to be available by October, but the latest reports put the number at less than half that expected at that time. More should be rolled out as the flu season rolls on, but there were worries that there wouldn’t be enough for the people at highest risk for the complications from the infection.
While the call has been put out for pregnant women and children to get the shots first anyway, followed by caregivers or parents, then helthcare workers and moving on down the line to cover the bulk of the population, the new study out of Yale and Clemson universities adjusts the schedule.
They say school kids, then parents, then healthcare workers. Then, they say, you can stop. The theory is those most likely to transmit the disease should be treated to maximize the vaccine. By preventing the spread, you no longer have to worry about complications – hence no need to treat people who would otherwise be at a higher risk.
Published in the medical journal Science, the study estimates only 40 million Americans will need to be vaccinated – which falls right in line with projected output by the vaccine makers.
You might want to hurry up anyway – or else they might end up on Tamiflu.
Image: flu vaccine.org
Go Back To Strollerderby
0 Comments
[...] I’ve been sneezing over my keyboard all morning (which I’m trying hard not to blame on having walked into my daughter’s nursery school building to a swarm full of kids), so despite my preference to simply cook well-balanced meals all the time, I figured it didn’t hurt to see if there was a little something extra we could do this fall. Especially when you consider we’ve still got weeks to wait before the swine and seasonal flu shots are available. [...]
Fight the Flu With Food? | Strollerderby commented on Sep 16 09 at 1:27 pm[...] A study out of Yale and Clemson Universities indicates vaccinating kids and parents would be sufficient to stop the spread of the vaccine – it wouldn’t be necessary to innoculate the remainder of American adults. [...]
65% of Parents Say No Swine Flu Vaccine for Kids | Strollerderby commented on Oct 05 09 at 9:25 am[...] A study out of Yale and Clemson Universities indicates vaccinating kids and parents would be sufficient to stop the spread of the vaccine – it wouldn’t be necessary to innoculate the remainder of American adults. [...]
Swine Flu Shot For Their Children – 65% of Parents Say No Thanks commented on Oct 05 09 at 5:12 pmBec commented on Aug 21 09 at 9:28 amI heard an expert in virology on the radio last year saying that despite our gut reaction, in a REAL epidemic situation where a huge percentage of the population is at risk of dying, this would be entirely the wrong reaction. He said that although it sounds heartless and cruel, society will benefit most from vaccinating the able-bodied working adults. The elderly have less time to contribute, children are (brace yourselves) replaceable. But if parents die then children are helpless and will still die.
It’s a terribly uncomfortable way to think. But it’s an interesting and different angle.
beep commented on Aug 21 09 at 10:07 amThis is absolutely a real epidemic, in the technical sense of the word, but luckily it is unlikely enough to kill lots of people at this point that we have to be very worried about sacrificing some for the sake of others. I am happy that these vaccines will go to those at highest risk of dying or having serious disease, and then to prevent infections in those at highest risk.
Sometimes doing what is necessary in public health emergencies does make for uncomfortable choices, but thankfully not this time.
Laure68 commented on Aug 21 09 at 2:09 pmBec, I totally understand the concept of protecting those who are useful to society. I don’t know if it would be a good idea to not protect the children, as we do need a certain number of children, or else in the future there will not be enough able-bodied adults. (If a large number of children around 10 years old, for example, were to perish, they would not be replaceable at that age. There would still be a large gap.)
The only reason I am bringing this up is because there are many countries that are worried about low birth rates, and their affect on the future. More of a theoretical point than anything.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0