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Have you found the H1N1 vaccine if you're looking for it?


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I read an article last night that 70% of people looking for vaccines for their children have not found it. We've tried to get them in South Florida, but as usual, everything down here is run like a banana republic. The health department has a useless website. I called to ask about vaccines and they told me to call my pediatrician. I called my pediatrician and he told me that private doctors aren't getting any.

 

Has anyone else had any trouble getting the vaccine?

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Fairfax County Virginia has actually provided reliable information on the County Health website.....even so far as sending out emails (I registered for their email updates) that on Monday the vaccine would be available for anyone from a certain age (it escapes me) to 49 years old.

 

We have opted not to get the vaccination.

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Okay, this is not a personal opinion on whether or not one should get the vaccine. . but. .

 

My friend's son got the vaccine, and all of them ended up w/ the swine flu (including her son) within a week. Not sure if the vaccine wasn't effective or if it caused them to get the swine flu.

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The kids are getting theirs tomorrow at the local high school.

 

My county has a program in place (since 2002) to get things like vaccines out to the public in event of a "health disaster" (their words.) Here's their website. The group running this includes local hospitals and the Red Cross.

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I've been able to get my kids vaccinated, but supplies are still very low. The health department for our county gets about 600 doses per week (the last two weeks anyway) and immediately schedules clinics for kids, pregnant women, those with an infant in the house, adults with health conditions, and health care workers/emergency responders. The peds office has received only a small amount and is only doing kids with health issues. My guess is that the health department will be your most successful avenue. Keep calling.

 

The vaccine takes awhile to become effective. When my 2 healthy kids got their vaccines, the shot-giver said 7-10 days, but that is the earliest number I've heard. You can't get the flu from the vaccine; my guess is that anyone getting the flu within a couple of weeks of their vaccine just hasn't built up the immunity yet and were exposed in the normal way that everyone else getting the flu is getting it. My two youngest will need another shot--hope we'll be able to get it. The testing is showing some immunity with 1 dose for kids under 10, but almost 100% immunity with 2 doses.

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Okay, this is not a personal opinion on whether or not one should get the vaccine. . but. .

 

My friend's son got the vaccine, and all of them ended up w/ the swine flu (including her son) within a week. Not sure if the vaccine wasn't effective or if it caused them to get the swine flu.

 

My 2 children got the vaccine and 1 of them got the flu within one day. 4 of her classmates *non vaccinated* also got it at the same time. Did my daughter get the flu because she got the vaccine? I don't think so. Simply, she got the flu because she had been exposed to the live, non attenuated, virus from someone else before the vaccine could have had full effect, as it takes between 2 and 3 weeks for this to happen.

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My children and I were able to get it Monday at the Health Department. Stood in line with the masses and I'm not joking. Before the clinic on Monday, the had said that over 11,000 have had the H1N1 vaccine in our county.

 

Strange to me that we are able to get it when there are high risk groups in other states that still haven't had the chance.

 

Now, the seasonal flu vaccine isn't available here yet.

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This is a little OT, but I was on the fence about the vaccine. Didn't have an opportunity to get it and didn't decline it luckily. My three boys got H1N1 last Tuesday all at once and have been really sick. Luckily, it is finally running its course a week later, but the cough is bad. I got it Monday night and was soooo sick yesterday - 102.5 fever that wouldn't come down. I am feeling better today, so I am hoping it is milder for me. They had every symptom known, including some weird ones and it came back after a few days of feeling well for two of the boys. Praise God - they don't seem to have any secondary infections in spite of this.

 

Anyway, knowing what I know now I would probably get the vaccine - you would think I would for sure get it after this week...but I am still a little leery of it. It's not widely available here either. We have not been sick with anything besides minor sniffles in 4-5 years--can't remember and we were hit hard by this - it is NASTY!!! :tongue_smilie:

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My health dept keep running out and I am still on the fence anyway. I have run about 300 different scenarios through my mind, and still can't decide. My kids had the seasonal flu vaccine back at the first of October.

 

Currently, both of my best friends (that I grew up with) have H1N1 right now. They are in different states. My bf in KY got it on Saturday. She had fevers at almost 104 and has been really sick, but seems to be making a turn around now. She hasn't ran fever today, the cough is more productive, and she is eating again. Her husband got sick too, but his has been so mild it is ridiculous. He had a low fever for a day, a cough for 2 days, and he seems to be all better now.

 

My other bf, in TN, is a nurse. She declined the vaccine and got the flu likely from a patient in her office. She has been mildly sick with a 101-102 fever. She hasn't even really slowed down other than to take the day off work yesterday because of the fever.

 

It is beyond bizarre to me how differently this virus presents in different people.

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I have asthma, so I was able to get one at my dr.'s office on Monday. I haven't decided whether or not to try to get one for dd. Her pediatrician doesn't have a "well child" waiting room, so we'd have to sit in there for who knows how long with all of the sick kiddos (typical wait time for this ped. is 1.5-2 hours), and I'm still wondering if that would even be worth it.

 

I do know that my md had a very strict list of who would be able to get the vaccine, and in the few minutes that I was in the office ,I heard the receptionist turn away at least 4 people.

 

-Robin

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Well the banana republic apparently extends all the way over into Texas because I haven't been able to find any that we could get...not poor enough, don't live in Dallas county. The state is distributing vaccine but they won't tell to who. I also read a news article that they were hording it??? Who knows? Dh got his because his company bought some at 90 buck a pop, at least that was the rumor floating around, but no, none for us.

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My 15 yo dd got the mist at the military family clinic last week. My husband got the shot at the Pentagon last week and he took me in to the Pentagon today and I got it. My 19 yo dd got the shot today at her college for free. Right now I have a low grade fever, so I'm hoping it is from the shot and I'm not coming down with the flu. That would be really annoying to get the vaccine too late!!

 

Mary

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No, I'm kind of frustrated. Our ped office is clearly overwhelmed and trying their best, but their blog about vaccine availability and how to sign up is confusing and contradictory. And the availability seems to be changing daily, and who's priority has also changed.

 

So when they had it, and were taking appointments, my kids weren't priority. Now they have little vaccine, and aren't taking flu clinic appointments til mid December. Who knows if they'll have it when we get there in mid December, but I'm trying tomorrow to get an appointment.

 

ugh.

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My kids and I got it on the third. We have a two month old and an asthmatic. Three flu-mist and one inject-able. None of us had side effects. The county must have enough vaccines as they have opened up a new category. My husband is trying to figure out how to get it without taking a whole day off work. They offered the seasonal flu vaccine for him but not h1n1.

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Well the banana republic apparently extends all the way over into Texas because I haven't been able to find any that we could get...not poor enough, don't live in Dallas county. The state is distributing vaccine but they won't tell to who. I also read a news article that they were hording it??? Who knows? Dh got his because his company bought some at 90 buck a pop, at least that was the rumor floating around, but no, none for us.

 

This is unconscionable. There are millions of children who cannot find the vaccine, but a large company can just buy it and give it to their healthy adult employees. Only in America.

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Okay, this is not a personal opinion on whether or not one should get the vaccine. . but. .

 

My friend's son got the vaccine, and all of them ended up w/ the swine flu (including her son) within a week. Not sure if the vaccine wasn't effective or if it caused them to get the swine flu.

 

I see you are in the Northeast. Connecticut has been one of the last states to get 'widespread' flu, but it is really getting 'hammered' right now by flu cases, so it is possible that the flu just happened to hit your area before you had the chance to build up immunity (not sure :confused:).

 

Anyway, sorry to hear that your family got it... it can be quite scary! Hopefully everyone recovers well, and maybe you won't have as bad a case as some.

 

Brenda

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Robin (flutistmom)-

 

Off topic, but when I first glance at your username, I always see "Flu Mist Mom." :lol: I swear I don't think I would have done that before all this stupid H1N1 stuff and all the flu vaccine talk. :glare:

 

:lol: Nope! No association with any pharmaceutical company here! :lol: (Okay, you know that now that you have pointed it out to me, *I'll* start seeing it that way, too!)

 

-Robin

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