[Whirled_Peas]

Another interesting article discussing CDC lack of confirming H1N1 cases:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/current.aspx

[sbaglio]

Mercola has been widely discredited. Just Google his name and the word "fraud". We need to follow peer-reviewed data and recommendations made by experts who spend their lives dealing with these issues on a day-to-day basis. And Mercola is not one of them.

[nurse_reedle]

I don't agree that the CDC and our government and FDA are experts looking out for our interests. There is plenty of evidence to that. It is fine if you choose not to consider this information. Other people *can* consider this information and most people are very wise to look at information from different sources to work towards getting a more complete picture.

I know *for a fact* that they have stopped testing people all over the US to confirm whether or not they have H1N1. They are only testing people who need to be hospitalized. One of my very close friends went to the doctor just yesterday and they did *zero* flu testing, checked her white cell count and said, "Oh, you definitely have H1N1!" Um....that only tells you that your body is battling something. It does *not* tell you it is H1N1.

[mommytoEli]

i'm just sad there is so much conflicting information out there for me to weed through. last sunday i worked with a doctor at our church nursery. he was also saying everyone needed to get the h1n1 vaccine...then a mom said, "will you give it to your kids," and he said no.

[nurse_reedle]

Originally Posted by mommytoEli

i'm just sad there is so much conflicting information out there for me to weed through. last sunday i worked with a doctor at our church nursery. he was also saying everyone needed to get the h1n1 vaccine...then a mom said, "will you give it to your kids," and he said no.

Yeah, I have heard a lot of doctors and other people in the medical field say they will not get it for their kids. We are not getting it here.

[Dickons]

I am going for my H1N1 vaccine this morning as I am in the highest risk group...

But having said that, it is interesting to read posts written by people who have only lived during the era of vaccines. I wonder if vaccines were still a thing of the future - how many people here on this board would have been affected at some point in their life by the death of a loved one or ten that would have been prevented if a vaccine was available.

Kind regards,
Dickons

[BethanyB]

All of my doctors have told me I should get it for me and my children and these are people I have trusted with my health for years, so why would I stop now? The truth is that kids ARE dying from this. Not saying it is for everyone but there are some very real risks to getting this.

As far as testing for it, many doctors don't feel the need to test for it. The flu and the H1N1 flu have the same symptoms and the same treatment, therefore testing is not needed. It takes 12 days to send it away and get the test done and by then the sick person is usually well again and everyone around that person would have already been exposed.

[Dickons]

BethanyB,

Not to mention that if say 100 million go to the doctors and swabs taken and sent to the labs, the labs would be so overwhelmed no one would get results...common sense is needed.

Kind regards,
Dickons

[crick]

Originally Posted by mommytoEli

i'm just sad there is so much conflicting information out there for me to weed through. last sunday i worked with a doctor at our church nursery. he was also saying everyone needed to get the h1n1 vaccine...then a mom said, "will you give it to your kids," and he said no.

Yes! It's just all so conflicting, half truths, incomplete data etc. so I really just don't know anymore what to believe.

People talk about the 1,000 people that have died in the US but then they say the regular flu kills even more people than that, so why is the focus so high on the H1N1 vac and not the push for regular flu shots?

But then again, there's that article out saying in Canada they have linked people who got the regular vac last year are at a higher risk for getting the H1N1 this year.

So ya...sad, because we really don't know which end is up. And it DOES bother me greatly that they aren't testing for the H1N1 when someone comes in. I understand logistics as mentioned above, but at the same time, it's adding to the numbers of cases the CDC will present to the public saying "there have been x number of cases" when really, they can't logically say that because the testing wasn't done.

It's just a mess...

[Whirled_Peas]

On the other hand, this is supposed to be a fear-inducing pandemic. Shouldn't we know how wide spread it really is.

There is a shortage of vaccine. If you have the flu, do you get vaccinated in case it wasn't H1N1. If you did have H1N1, but don't know it and you get the vaccine, you will be using a dose of vaccine that could have gone to someone else.

I'm unaware of Mercola's reputation. How do you feel about CBS? Here's their story: H1N1 Misdiagnoses Could Have Consequences - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

[BethanyB]

Here is the thing, it is a new strain. Our bodies have not built up an immunity to it.

11 kids died in one week from H1N1. While they say about 50 kids die each year of the regular flu, we have already lost at least 60 kids to H1N1 and the flu season has not even offically started yet. We have a LONG flu season ahead of us. Of course they are testing the people in the hospital or the ones who have passed away because they NEED to know for research purposes but as Dickons said testing EVERY case of the flu would be impossible. My kids have the flu now. Don't know which kind but since it is treated the same way it does not matter right now. The nurse told me that they have been getting six to seven kids a DAY that are tested positive for the flu. I can't imagine how overflowed a lab would be trying to test all of those cases.

[crick]

Bethany - but don't you think it matters for the data? I mean, one can't say 20,000 people got H1N1 when they don't really know that. kwim?

I agree that we have a very long flu season ahead of us and I can only hope it isn't as bad as they are predicting. I'm actually thankful this year to be on the year round schedule as we'll be out of school from Thanksgiving until Jan.

[Dickons]

From the news last night. Everyone has to do what is right for their family.

CTV Toronto - Child's death sparks rush for H1N1 flu shot - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television

Kind regards,
Dickons

[BethanyB]

Crick, I don't think that we should be claiming unknown flus as the H1N1. I think that when we report the illness, we should only report known cases. As far as the importance? IDK. Maybe there should be a better way to test it then? I don't know how the test is done but maybe they should make the testing available to be done in the Dr.'s office itself? I don't know if there is a perfect solution.

Dickons, as far as that story. Oh, just heart breaking! Makes me so scared. Since both of my kids have it, they have all of those symptoms. I keep checking on them but gosh, that poor boy died very quickly from such mild symptoms.

[crick]

I agree..no perfect solution! And I do agree that it's MORE of a priority that doctors and the labs focus more on the treatment and manufacturing than the testing, but I just hate "false data" and there is so much of it flying around right now.