65% of Parents Say No Swine Flu Vaccine for Kids
Warnings that the swine flu vaccine will be most effective if given to children doesn’t seem to be swaying the majority of American parents. In a survey by Consumer Reports, sixty-five percent of parents said they won’t be getting the swine flu shot for their kids.
The number opting in on the vax for their kids (thirty-five percent) is just barely above the number of Americans who say they’ll get the shot for themselves (thirty-four percent).
To be fair, the majority of parents said they’re undecided, with just fourteen percent saying outright that they will not be getting their kids the shot. For those still on the fence, a little food for thought:
A study out of Yale and Clemson Universities indicates vaccinating kids and parents would be sufficient to stop the spread of the virus - it wouldn’t be necessary to innoculate the remainder of American adults.
While seasonal flu is generally worst for the elderly, H1N1 has been found to be showing up more in the younger population as its run through America. By contrast, fewer young people seem to be dying from the disease than the numbers of elderly generally claimed by the seasonal flu.
Shortages of kids’ Tamiflu - used to treat swine flu - are already being reported.
For parents opting out because they don’t want to pay - check with your insurance or local health department, some states have mandated health insurance carriers cover the shot for kids.
Will you be getting your child the swine flu shot?
Image/Source: Consumer Reports
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Tags: health insurance, Jeanne Sager, swine flu, swine flu vaccine, vaccinations, vaccine
19 Comments
[...] 65% of Parents Say No Swine Flu Vaccine for Kids | Strollerderby [...]
65% of Parents Say No Swine Flu Vaccine for Kids | Strollerderby | Swine Flu Blog on Updates Outbreaks and Cure commented on Oct 05 09 at 3:41 pm[...] the outset, the notifications seemed to make sense. But with a vaccine on the horizon for parents to protect their kids, frequent tutorials on handwashing and a little bit of common [...]
Sick of H1N1 Notifications, School Drops Them | Strollerderby commented on Oct 12 09 at 10:25 am[...] Can Do It.” Coming from their favorite curious kid, it could help ease some fears before the next round of shots, so get the DVR [...]
Sebelius, Duncan and Sid the Science Kid | Strollerderby commented on Oct 21 09 at 11:27 amDad commented on Oct 05 09 at 10:12 amSweet! Better chance of my kids being able to get one!
diera commented on Oct 05 09 at 11:37 amI’d much rather my kids get the shot than get sick and have to get Tamiflu; I’m more worried about the reported side effects of that medication than I am about any possible side effects of the vaccine.
Marj commented on Oct 05 09 at 3:06 pmMy kids are too young to get it, but we’ll get it ourselves if we can. People are too unconcerned about the flu. It isn’t just like a cold, people do die from it.
Nobilis Reed commented on Oct 05 09 at 3:27 pmSome parents (myself included) are worried about the amount of squalene present in the H1N1 vaccine. Squalene causes the immune system to ramp up by short-circuiting the normal immune response, throwing it into overdrive. This action is non-specific to the vaccination mechanism, which can cause various unintended autoimmune side effects.
For example, arthritis:
Sean commented on Oct 05 09 at 3:49 pmThe count down to swine flu vaccinations is on, will you have a vaccine if offered? Online Poll
KG commented on Oct 05 09 at 4:27 pmI don’t get the constant comments about squalene on sites that publish articles about the H1N1 vaccine. I have not yet seen any information confirming that the vaccine available in the United States contains squalene or ANY adjuvant. I’m not saying squalene isn’t worrisome, just that there is no reason to believe it is actually present in these shots. Enough with the fear-mongering already!
Laure68 commented on Oct 05 09 at 5:08 pmNobilis Reed - there is no squalene in the vaccines that are being given in the US. They were looking at a contingency plan to include squalene in case there was not enough antigen available. (Squalene is an adjuvant that boosts the body’s immune system response.) However, since it was discovered that, for most people, one shot was enough (instead of two as they first thought), then there is enough antigen and there is no need to add squalene.
Also, in Europe, flu vaccines have included squalene for over 10 years, and there have been no added side effects. (Ten years and millions of patients makes a pretty good set of data.)
I agree with KG - enough with the fear-mongering. There is so much misinformation being spread around, it is crazy.
Laure68 commented on Oct 05 09 at 5:10 pmI realize what I should have written was that there were no significant additions to side effects. Everything in life has some kind of side effect.
And obviously I am getting the shot for my son. (And when it is available, we will be getting it too.) The hard part is figuring out how it will be distributed. Here in San Francisco, the information has been very spotty. (Probably because nobody wants to commit until the vaccine actually arrives, which I can understand.)
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Oct 05 09 at 8:05 pmMy son will be getting the heinie shot. (shout out to Brett)
Momma commented on Oct 05 09 at 11:22 pmHell no!
lauren commented on Oct 06 09 at 7:52 amAm I the only one who takes issue with the title of this article? “65% of parents say No to Swine Flu vaccine” is followed - in the article itself - with the fact that only 14% actually said no, and that the remainder, like myself, are simply undecided. It’s one thing to “spin” a headline to entice readers, it’s wholly another to conjure up a totally inaccurate statistic. Takes away some of Babble’s credibility, in my book.
Dad commented on Oct 06 09 at 8:36 amCredibility? They’re just bloggers.
Jake Felice commented on Oct 06 09 at 5:20 pmH1N1 Vaccines and Our Children: The details are in the fine print! http://wp.me/pC1DX-34
WARNING: Safety and effectiveness of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine have not been established in pregnant women or nursing mothers or children <6 months of age. References from the CDC included in the above link. Seeing is believing so take a look not only for yourself, but for your family as well.
mommy commented on Oct 12 09 at 2:23 pmCommentsHi fellow Moms and moms to-be:
If your just like me and worried about swine flu and germs in general passing onto your newborn baby, I have found a great website that solved my worries, http://www.labeesakids.com has clothing with a life saving message on it, and it works!!!! Its worth checking out.
Tips that works wink
mystic_eye_cda commented on Oct 26 09 at 1:24 pmLet me get this straight you can’t force organ donation which has no risks. You can’t force blood donation which is also basically no risk for healthy people. But you think its perfectly ok to require children to be vaccinated to protect adults and/or seniors. Vaccines have risks, period. Its up to each person, or in the case of minors their parents, to decide if any individual vaccine’s (or medication, surgery, medical treatment) benefits outweigh the risks for that individual.
If you are an adult and you chose to get the vaccine to benefit others, particularly your immediate family, that’s fine. You are an adult and you can make selfless decisions if you chose.
However when deciding for a minor child I think you don’t get to be selfless for them. Courts have ruled repeatedly that children or their parents can’t use religious reasons to abstain from life saving treatment. So I don’t believe that parents should be allowed to let their kids undertake risks to protect strangers.
You want to vaccinate your child for their own health because you believe the chance of preventing swine flu outweigh the chance of adverse reactions from the vaccine and the chance of complications based on the likeliness of even getting swine flu. That’s fine.
But don’t tell parents to vaccinate their kids to protect you. If the vaccine is so perfect and safe -you get it.
Simone Castello commented on Oct 26 09 at 2:26 pmIF you have a young baby, it is advisable to breastfeed, even if you have contracted the disease so you can pass on your antibodies. I have written a blog with links to information given out to UK parents. http://fromrattopositiveparent.blogspot.com/2009/10/can-swine-flu-increase-breastfeeding.html
