Comments on: Swine flu vaccine? “Screw you,” says the NHS*

By: Honeybee

Honeybee — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:06:32 +0000

Excuse me? I just can’t believe that!! Of course pregnant women are a risk group (I happen to be 7 months pregnant and I’m glad I got the vaccine) but clearly, transplant patients are a risk group, too! Why would we choose to protect one risk group and not another? The vaccine must be available to everyone with risk groups being priority.

The whole process was a mess here (Switzerland), too, with every region and every authority saying something different which completely confused people. It was said by the ministry for public health that husbands/partners of pregnant women should get immunised, too, at the same time as their partners, but then they were being sent away from medical centres since they were not at risk themselves…

Luckily, the vaccine is now availabe to everyone.

By: Sharlie

Sharlie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:26:14 +0000

Lol. It IS messed up. So expensive!

By: Sharlie

Sharlie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:25:32 +0000

It’s pretty bad in America– all schools are pressuring us to get the vaccine, and I’m not supposed to! They rushed testing…

By: Leanne

Leanne — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:05:56 +0000

The media has probably done what it has done because people would get more heated and emotional over a pregnant woman dying of swine flu than say, a cancer/chemo patient or a transplant recipient. Wrong and shameful as it is, but people in general probably can relate to/know a pregnant woman as opposed to a transplant recipient or cancer/chemo patient. If anything, I’d say people on immuno-suppressants and chemo are at higher risk to swine as opposed to pregnant women although they are still in the ‘high risk’ category…just my 2cents though.
That being said…there are probably many more overweight/obese and diabetic people out there, which seems to be a pretty big risk factor but no one is pushing the vaccine to them either (but hey, lifestyle choices etc)

By: Leanne

Leanne — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:55:48 +0000

You’re right, Amber. Pregnant women are just another group of people that are susceptible to swine flu. Interestingly, it’s because the immune system in pregnant women is lower than in your average woman of the same age and health situation, because the body has to reduce its immune response in order not to reject the foreign body, i.e. the foetus. But yes, a transplant recipient on immuno-suppressants would have next to no immune system…otherwise their body would simply reject the transplanted organ. If I recall rightly (the whole swine flu thing really hit our state bad around May to June), the majority of our patients were obese with the resultant diabetes. The others were heavy smokers (even if they were otherwise healthy except for bad smoker lungs) and all were young (under 45). I can’t remember any cancer patients coming to us. That being said, I’m not sure what was happening in the rest of the hospital…I can only speak for intensive care. I hope that kind of clarifies what I meant, I didn’t mean to offend/confuse anyone

By: Terry

Terry — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:20:02 +0000

The facts and figures of who has been dying of the swine flu are still very uncertain as the media and the government have been trying their damndest to keep everyone in the dark. So none of us can really be sure of the statistics of who is most at risk

Given conversations I’ve had with my consultant and GP it is clear to me that they both think people on immunosuppressants as well as people with suppressed immune systems (like chemotherapy patients) are at a higher risk than pregnant women. I have a very decent understanding of the immune system and I can’t fathom why someone who is pregnant would be first on the list, they should certainly be high, but not first. I personally do agree with equal treatment for all but I am sure we all agree when stocks of vaccine are small then the people at the top of the priority list should be those most at risk and not those that the media are most likely to get a story out of. As I said my point of view is based on the opinions of the medical professionals I speak to (and the scant statistics that are currently available). If statistics showed that the most at risk group were Londoner’s with one leg and blonde hair I would have no problem with them being given the vaccine first.

Anyway! Thankfully there has been a cancellation for tomorrow, and as the vaccine only has a 48 hour shelf life they have to use it up. So they have asked me to come in and get vaccinated.

By: Amber

Amber — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:03:30 +0000

I’m very sure Mhairi wasn’t trying to bash or offend anyone. She’s a good friend of ours, and I’m sure she was just outraged on Terry’s behalf and trying to offer support, which is appreciated.

I also didn’t take Leanne’s comment to mean that transplant patients aren’t at risk and pregnant women are – I thought she was saying that pregnant women are just one of a number of groups who are at high risk from this flu, but I may be misreading. Either way, I’m not asking or expecting Terry to get better treatment than anyone else who is vulnerable (and I agree that pregnant women are) – I’m just asking for the same consideration, and at the time I wrote this post, he wasn’t getting that.

Group hug?

By: Camilla

Camilla — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:23:20 +0000

But the swine flu strain isn’t recognised by immune systems so it does not matter if you are a healthy women. Stats show that a large number of swine flu deaths in this country have been in pregnant women. Flu affects the lungs and when you have a baby squishing them, that does compromise your ability to fight off flu and can cause further health problems such as pneumonia. Fact is, pregnant women are in a high risk group just the same as other immune suppressed people. Even the nurse below says that out of the 15 she’s treated, one was pregnant and none were transplant patients.

Perhaps what should have been said was ‘everyone deserves the vaccine’ instead of bashing one group to make a point. Hoshi has got it spot on, equal consideration, no more, no less.
Camilla´s last blog ..Welcome

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:26:01 +0000

I hope you and Terry (especially Terry) manage to get vaccinated. I live in the U.S. and health care is totally messed up over here, but I expected more of the NHS.

I got a regular flu shot in September and apparently, even that vaccine is in short supply. My co-worker was calling around last week to get one and the only places that still had it only offered it to local residents who could show proof of ID.

By: Hoshi

Hoshi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:23:04 +0000

My advice for your health- drink lots of fruit juice and green tea, sleep as much as possible, and make hand sanitizer/soap your new best friend.

And my thoughts on pregnant women and transplant patients- they should be given equal consideration, no more, no less. ^^