H1N1 vaccine

There's an Early Protection Vaccine H1N1 for Identified Health Care Workers and at risk patients coming out in Feb. Pregnant women are on the list of those eligible for this....

What are people's thoughts?
To get...or not to get....?

why do the words increased chance of miscarriage come to me on this topic. I think read something aboout this somewhere but i haven't a clue where. Prehaps its worth doing some research about.

yeah i think so but i'm not sure. I have a feeling it came out of USA. I will do a wee search and see if i can find anything about it.

Yeah - I'm not sure either! I'm an "evidence based" person in general who likes to read the research. All the stuff I've found so far is about the 2009 vaccine, not this new one being developed for 2010 (this was only a brief google earlier when I realised that I'd need to decide by Monday when they are giving it out at work!!)

Im not sure about during pregnancy but I got it done when Jackson was about 3 months old on my Dr's advice cos children and babies cant be vaccinated at the stage.

I read up about it and decided to get it to protect Jackson rather than myself. DH also got it done for the same reason.

Sorry I cant use the Linky URL thingy cos Mozilla wont let me see it (could someone clever fix it for me?) but here is a link to the WHO website about it in pregnancy.

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/frequently_asked_questions/vaccine_preparedness/safety_approval/en/index.html

Actually...I might be starting unsubstantiated rumours - I think that the earlier offered vaccine (offered in Feb) IS the 2009 vaccine afterall...that they are offering this earlier to at risk groups as they are predicting that a bout of flu will hit before the new vaccine is ready for general circulation.

I think it looks safe - I'm still reading.

Have seen first hand the absolutely horrific complications that can arise from H1N1 in a previously healthy adult....horrific being the right word...

I've never had the flu jab....think that until now I've just avoided the needle!!! ha...



Edited by Sally

Interesting hearing peoples' opinions...makes me want to learn more! (closet geek!)

They don't all contain mercury:
"Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is formulated to contain 15 mcg HA per 0.5 mL dose of influenza A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)v-like virus.
The single-dose formulation is preservative-free; thimerosal, a mercury derivative, is not used in the manufacturing process for this formulation. The multi-dose formulation contains thimerosal, added as a preservative; each 0.5 mL dose contains 24.5 mcg of mercury."

I'm not sure what the effect of a small amount of mercury is from the vaccines that do...might be negligible?

yiiiiiikes I knew this would come up, I'll ask my mum if she can find out any info (she is a neonatal nurse at Wellington hospital and they got an email about it last week as she will be in the first wave to get it, being a health care worker)

Will post up if I find out anything useful.

If I was still pregnant and there was a swine flu outbreak in NZ I would have it. The risks of something happening to the baby would outweigh any concerns I would have with the vaccination.

this is from the info mum sent me:

Who is eligible to receive the pandemic monovalent vaccine?
The government purchased a limited quantity of pandemic vaccine, enough for 150,000 people. The Early Protection programme will be focused on those at most risk from pandemic influenza and on healthcare workers (to protect vital health services in the case of a pandemic).
The following people are eligible for free immunisation during February:
People under 65 years of age (including children) with certain conditions (as for seasonal influenza)
Pregnant women (If they are infected by influenza, pregnant women are more likely to develop severe disease or complications compared with women who are not pregnant; the infection may also put the fetus and the newborn at risk)
People who are morbidly obese
All children aged from 6 months to their 5th birthday enrolled in designated general practices that have high proportions of people who are Maori, Pacific and/or from high deprivation areas.
In addition the vaccine is being offered to frontline healthcare workers – staff in general practice, emergency departments, intensive care units and those who may have direct contact with at-risk patients. The government is covering the cost of the vaccine for these workers but they or their employers will need to pay any other costs associated with immunisation.
NB Individuals 65 years and older are not expected to be at higher risk from pandemic H1N1 influenza as they are likely to have some pre-existing immunity, and so are not included in this eligibility list.

Is immunisation free?
Immunisation (including the cost of the vaccine) is free for individuals at most risk from pandemic influenza (as listed in the previous section).

How do I get the Pandemic Vaccine?
All District Health Boards are running specific pandemic immunisation clinics for eligible groups during February. These may be in selected general practices, in other community settings, or in a hospital clinic. To find out where your DHB has organised clinics and how you can book call 0800 IMMUNE

When will I be able to get the Seasonal Influenza Vaccine?
The seasonal influenza immunisation programme usually runs from March to June each year. There has been a delay in supply of seasonal influenza vaccine but we plan to have sufficient supplies to start immunising with seasonal influenza vaccine from 8th March.
This year’s seasonal influenza vaccine will contain the pandemic influenza A H1N1 strain.

Clinical Guidelines for pregnant women
The influenza vaccine is strongly recommended for women who will be pregnant during the influenza season. The influenza vaccine is normally given in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters but may be offered to women who will be in the 1st trimester when influenza is circulating. For 2010, immunisation will be free to pregnant women wishing to have the influenza vaccine.