I’m not entirely comfortable on this side of the fence…
January 5, 2010Zach and I chose not to allow our children to receive the H1N1 vaccination this year. This decision was not made lightly. It involved lots and lots of discussion and even more research from both Zach and me. Normally we are both very much in favor of vaccinations. We agree with almost every vaccination offered to our children – measles, chicken pox, rotavirus, etc. However, we have decided that we’re not ready for H1N1. All of these other vaccinations have been through strenuous testing regimens. They were not rolled out in a speedy timeline and thrust upon the public in such a forceful manner. Millions of other people have already had these other vaccinations and side effects are well established. I’m not interested in using my children as one of the millions of potential “test subjects” for the H1N1 vaccine. I have yet to hear a logical explanation as to why H1N1 can not be rolled into the standard seasonal flu vaccination as so many other strains are. I’m not comfortable with the “get out of jail free card” issued to pharmaceutical companies producing the vaccination so that if anything does happen to go wrong, they are not legally liable. If H1N1 is a milder form of the flu, why the push to get vaccinated? Why is it every media report I hear about someone “dying from H1N1″ really turns out to be someone who had other medical complications and a strain of the flu just happened to be the straw that broke the camel’s back? The list goes on.
At any rate, this is a new and strange position for me. I’m not accustomed to being “that parent” – the one who refuses a vaccine. I acknowledge that this means my children might contract a mild strain of flu. I worry that this makes me an irresponsible community member because my child might infect another person. As a parent who is generally in favor of vaccines, it feels weird to be on the other side of the fence this time. It’s weird to say to our pediatricians, “yes, I understand, but no thank you, please do not give my child that shot.” We’re usually on the same page with our pediatricians, and generally follow most of their advice, but this time, we aren’t…
We’re on the other side of the fence in regards to H1N1 and it feels a little weird over here. How about you – did you and/or your children receive the H1N1 vaccine? Have you received any negative feedback for your decision?
Hi Sara,
It seems strange to read that you have been advised (or pressured) to give your children the H1N1 vaccine. On the west coast (I’m in southern Oregon), only those with weakened immune systems or the elderly are advised to get it. We have had absolutely no pressure to give our daughters the vaccine. My oldest daughter did end up getting H1N1 and she was out of school for a week (she’s 14), but no one else in the family got it (including our toddler who is still nursing, so maybe that helped?).
You made the right choice, for all of the reasons that you listed, and you should feel comfortable and secure on your side of the fence that you are doing what’s right for your family. You didn’t mention in your post, but were you feeling a lot of pressure to get the vaccine?
Hi Stormy,
I think here on the East coast we’re getting a lot more pressure. On three separate visits I was asked, reminded that it was safe, the person offering the shot told me they had received it, that it was not “rushed out”, it had been through appropriate testing protocols, etc. It was subtle pressure, but still tangible pressure to vaccinate both of my children. My work has also been offering the shot – at first you needed to schedule an appointment for one of the clinics. When they didn’t get enough response that way, they opened it up and said anyone could stop in to get it. We get weekly “H1N1 updates”, it’s all very strange.
I also know two individuals personally (my niece and a good friend) who both caught some sort of bug (presumably a strain of the flu – fever, vomiting, etc.) and when they visited their doctors (two separate doctors) they were administered the H1N1 shot – while they had the fever! It’s always been my understanding that if you are exhibiting “flu-like” symptoms then you’re supposed to wait to get the shot. Also, if the doctor was assuming that they had contracted H1N1, what good would a vaccination shot do once they already had the virus?
Your daughter’s experience sounds similar to what I would expect with any illness – you get sick, you stay home, you get better and return to your regularly scheduled routine. No one else in your house got sick, and also didn’t get the vaccination. I’m so confused about why this particular strain of flu is such a concern…
Hi Sara,
I got my 13 month old daughter vaccinated. I live in Oregon as well and did not feel pressured by our doctors to get it. My daughter’s pediatrician is very sensitive to parental concerns regarding vaccines and always puts the ball in our court without any judgment. However, as my daughter has a mild breathing problem (laryngomalacia) the pediatrician thought (and my husband and I agreed) it was prudent to get her vaccinated. I’m not sure where my family would have landed on the H1N1 vaccine issue if we didn’t have the specter of an underlying condition hanging over our heads…
Hi Annie,
Do you think you felt pressure not from any individual but rather from your daughter’s condition? Did you and your husband get vaccinated as well? Similarly, I’m not sure what I would have done if I were in your shoes and my child had a condition that put them in a higher risk category. I’m sure you did what was right for your family, and it sounds like you’ve got some great support from your pediatrician, which I’m sure goes a long way in helping you feel comfortable with your decision. Thanks for sharing – I do find everyone’s individual experiences with this particular vaccination quite fascinating!
Hey Sara – Carver had had his 1st H1N1(nasal spray) and his booster shot(I wasn’t impressed with shedding that can happen with the nasal spray), Mazzy has had her 1st shot and is scheduled for her 2nd…my niece is considered “critically ill” with heart and lung problems and we spend alot of time with them. They have also both had their seasonal flu vacc.
I agree that here on the East Coast we are feeling a lot of pressure to get the H1N1 vaccine. I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable if we chose not to get it, so we did. My main concern was for Madison (born in August). Being so young, I figured that if she did get the virus that it would be difficult for her to fight it off.
Hi Sara!
We got both the boys vaccinated. We had been hearing speculation that most older folk weren’t getting the flu because they had already been exposed during the Asian flu pandemic in the 50’s (some think that the two are one and the same). Coincidentally, the Asian flu is what killed my grandmother when my dad was just a little boy. Needless to say, it affected his life and the lives of everyone in our family in very profound ways. So as you can imagine, I had very unique personal reasons to fear the flu. And also I am just paranoid by nature.
Hi Sara,
I completely understand where you’re coming from, and feel the same. Although my 21 moth old has been given all the vaccines offered (including MMR, also after much research & discussion), my husband and I decided that we would rather not give her the H1N1 vaccine for exactly the same reasons.
I live in the UK, and here there is no pressure to have the vaccination at the moment. Children over 6 months and under 5 years were declared a high-risk group, so will be offered the vaccine, but nothing has happened yet.
The cynic in me wonders whether a difference in private/public healthcare between the US/UK could partly explain the push to be vaccinated in the US… but I don’t fully understand how it all works
Best wishes, Ellie
Hi Sara
I totally agree with you. It is hard for me to say this because I too have felt the pressure. It does seem awful and with thousands more people dying from seasonal flu than H1N1 why the big hoopla? I do understand that adults and children with underlying health issues should definitely consider this shot but those of us that sre basically healthy….well I’m on your side!