The H1N1 Primer for Pregnant Women

I haven't personally seen a case of H1N1 with any of my clients and hoping it stays that way. I have encouraged good nutrition, sleep, elderberry, vit d3 and vit c in hopes to keep it away, if symptoms are showing. So far so good.

Read here for more detailed information on H1N1, the vaccine and preventative measures.

Should pregnant women get H1N1 vaccine?

By LANDON HALL

Dr. Bob Sears has tried to avoid controversy during the swine flu outbreak. But his recommendation that pregnant women not get the H1N1 vaccine departs from the rest of the medical community.

The federal government and most physicians have spoken in unison on the issue, and they advise pregnant women to receive the injected form of the vaccine because of the virulence of the H1N1 strain and the vulnerability of a pregnant woman's immune system. Two Orange County pregnant women are among 28 who have died nationally since the pandemic began in April. But Sears says the vaccine has never been sufficiently tested for safety on this demographic.

"As a doctor, we swear an oath to 'First, do no harm.' So I have a hard time recommending a treatment that doesn't show it causes no harm," he said. "It's not just the H1N1 vaccine that's not been tested. The regular flu vaccine has not been tested in pregnant women, either, to show that it's safe in babies. That kind of boggles my mind, because the regular flu vaccine has been around for years, and there have been plenty of opportunities for the companies to do some safety testing on them so pregnant women can feel more comfortable about them."

Dr. Felice L. Gersh, an OB/GYN at Women's Medical Group of Irvine who has been practicing for 28 years, echoes the assessment of governmental health agencies, who say the vaccine is safe and are mounting a campaign to urge pregnant women to get the H1N1 and seasonal-flu vaccines. Gersh said Sears and other doctors skeptical of the H1N1 vaccine are "going against the weight of scientific evidence."

"Sometimes in medicine, as in life, you have to go with your best guess using available data," she said. "Everything can't be signed, sealed and guaranteed. This is a judgment call. And all the data is in favor of getting the vaccine."

Christina Chambers, an epidemiologist and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego, said Sears' views "don't hold water." She added that history has shown that pregnant women are at greater risk of hospitalization and death during flu pandemics.

"One day you could be feeling fatigued and achy, the next day you could be in a coma," she said.

Because he's part of a nationally trusted brand, Sears' opinions carry great influence. His pediatrician father, Bill, and registered-nurse mother, Ruth, wrote a series of books ("The Birth Book," "The Baby Book") that have become indispensible references for expectant and new parents. Sears, his parents and his brother Jim operate out of their seaside practice in Capistrano Beach.

"Dr. Bob," as patients and staffers call him, published his first solo book, "The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child," in 2007. His inclusion of an "alternate vaccination schedule" brought him criticism from some fellow doctors who see his views as anti-vaccine, an accusation he hotly denies. But in recent postings about H1N1 on the family Web site, AskDrSears.com, his neutrality might have brought more questions than reassurance.

On July 30, he was undecided about the upcoming mass-vaccination effort. But he told readers that "what you can fret about is whether or not the government will make the vaccine mandatory." The first commenter wrote: "Way to fan the hysteria fire there Dr. Bob."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that the H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as the seasonal-flu vaccine, which "millions of Americans have received" over the years. Sears says that's a "completely unscientific statement." He points out, correctly, that no widespread clinical trial of either vaccine has been conducted on pregnant women. The 19-page product insert issued by Sanofi Pasteur, the largest of the five companies that supply the U.S. with H1N1 vaccines, acknowledges that it's "not known whether these vaccines can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity." It adds that the vaccine "should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed."

Chambers, who runs a support center out of UCSD to answer questions about H1N1 (in California, 1-800-532-3749), is gathering information for a future vaccine study. She said symptoms of H1N1 include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, runny nose, cough and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. She urges women to get vaccinated, and if they feel symptoms to seek medical attention. Antiviral medications like Tamiflu can be prescribed within 48 hours of the symptoms arising.

"We don't know of any risk from the vaccine, but we do know the risks from getting the virus," Chambers said.

Contact the writer: lhall@ocregister.com

CDC Admits Thousands May Be Harmed By Swine Flu Vaccine

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has admitted as many as 30,000 Americans may suffer serious, potentially lethal adverse reactions to the swine flur or H1N1 vaccine, and the FDA guidelines for the vaccine only require that it work in 3 out of every 10 people. This is alarming, and even worse, the vast majority of people are unaware of this. Instead, political leaders are encouraging people to get the vaccines when they can. The public is being deliberately left in the dark about the dangers of the swine flu vaccine!

Back in 1976 during a mass vaccination campaign, 1 in every 100,000 recipients ended up with Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. The result can be paralysis and death, and there is no cure for this horrible disease. At that time about 40 million Americans received the vaccine and some 4,000 ended up suffering with GBS as a result. The CDC is setting up a new intensive surveillance system so they can monitor and track GBS cases that occur from the swine flu vaccine. Guillain Barre syndrome is a debilitating and possibly fatal side effect and anyone subjecting themselves to the vaccine should be made fully aware of the risk they are taking.

As shocking as that is, it’s not even the whole story about the swine flu vaccine. According to the FDA: " a vaccine will be accepted if it creates antibodies in 4 out of 10 recipients (40%), with at least 70 percent of those 4 achieving an antibody level believed to provide benefit. This means that an acceptable vaccine candidate would provide “protection” for 28% of vaccine recipients (70% of the 40%), or less than 3 in 10 recipients. The requirement drops to 18% efficacy for those over 65 years of age (60% of 30%)."

This is outrageous!

According to the CDC:

As many as 30,000 Americans will be harmed by the H1N1 vaccine.

And according to the FDA:

The vaccine may be ineffective for at least 7 out of 10 people that receive it.

Meanwhile, dont’ expect the FDA or any government officials to suggest the public be pro active and take supplements which have antiviral properties which could prevent people from getting sick in the first place. Supplements like Vitamin D, liquid zeolte (see the link for the zeolte ebook to the right here) healthy diet and exercise, and doing all we can to maintain good health.

Sources

www.noshot.org/

www.naturalhealthnews.com

http://www.swinefluissues.com/cdc-admits-thousands-may-be-harmed-by-swine-flu-vaccine/

Beware - H1N1 FluMist

Regardless of where you stand on the vaccination issue, please be aware that both the seasonal flu and H1N1 have a nasal FluMist that is being administered to children and adults. Sometimes at schools and local grocery stores. The repercussions of this is scary!

FluMist - The Vaccine that Keeps Giving


September 23, 2009 by Sherry Tomfeld

Please Be a Responsible User!
Everyone has to be responsible for their own decisions. If you are afraid of catching the H1N1 flu this year. You may be pondering whether to get a flu shot or using the H1N1 FluMist. The FluMist is administered into your nostrils. Before making your final decision, you may want to ask some questions and think of some consequences to taking the H1N1 FluMist nasal spray.

The H1N1 FluMist is made with "live" virus. This means that the H1N1 flu will be a part of the nasal spray formula. It's supposed to be just enough to start your immunity to build defenses to it. The shot is supposed to be a killed virus.

If you take the H1N1 FluMist, you will in fact become a carrier of the H1N1 flu. Information on this drug states that you can and will shed the virus for up to 21 days. That means as you are visiting with your elderly family members, or shopping in the isles of your grocery store or sitting in church with young children and people with immune problems, YOU are going to be shedding the virus H1N1 germs.

If you are a person that cannot tolerate the shot or the FluMist for the H1N1 flu, you are a sitting duck when it comes to being around people who have taken the FluMist. The use of FluMist is for people ages 2 - 49. How many people do you come into contact each day that don't fit the age range?

Drugs.com says that you should be careful when coming into contact with "FluMist with anyone who has a weak immune system caused by disease (such as cancer, HIV, or AIDS), or by certain medicines such as steroids, cancer chemotherapy, or radiation treatment. A person with a weak immune system can become ill if they have close contact with you after you have recently received a an influenza vaccine." Pregnant women are also on this list of people who should NOT use FluMist.

What happens when anything gets in your nose? You sneeze! Please be a responsible user of the FluMist and cover your face when you sneeze and cough. Remember, you are passing the H1N1 flu germs. The flu is passed from person to person with the sneezing, the coughing and germs from your hands. So if you take FluMist for the H1N1 flu, please practice good hygiene for the rest of us and wash, wash, wash your hands!

If you take the H1N1 FluMist nasal spray, please read up on it. Please ask questions about it. And please be a responsible user of the FluMist. We're all counting on you out here!

H1N1 Vaccination