The Swine Flu Vaccine and Your Family
Like most families, you’re probably being bombarded by the media regarding swine flu: precautions, symptoms, and the availability of the shot.
First, you need to know this: most widely available doses of the swine flu vaccine will contain thimerosal, a mercury-laden preservative that has been removed from most vaccines on the Recommended Immunization Schedule over fears of neurological effects.
Also, there are ways you can protect even the littlest members of your family, without giving them a vaccine.
What? It’s either stock up on the Tamiflu or line up for the vaccine? Not so fast, there…
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Let’s start with some of the symptoms. They’ll sound familiar, as some mimic the seasonal flu or colds. The CDC says that indications include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, and possibly diarrhea and vomiting.
So how to prevent? Simply get a shot? If that is your choice for your family, know the difference.
The standard swine flu vaccine currently being administered, the one that contains thimerosal, is called Panderix. The mercury-free version is called Celvapan.
(Drug manufacturers are allowed to call a vaccine “mercury-free” if it has only trace amounts of thimerosal.)
Although the CDC recommends that most seemingly healthy people receive the vaccine, there are other ways to protects your babies. Check out what the CDC said in May:
Breastfeed early and often. Limit formula feeds if you can. This will help protect your baby from infection.
Yep. The Centers for Disease Control suggests breastmilk over formula to help protect your little ones against swine flu. No, breastmilk is no cure. But it may help boost baby’s immune system and make any illness a mild one.
There are other precautions we can take, too. Common sense ones. Wash your hands for as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday To You.” Cover your mouth, throw away used tissues, don’t share food and drink containers. (Basically? Use good manners. Let’s make these rules for non-pandemic living too, shall we?)
And if you or your child(ren) should contract the swine flu…pick up some Tamiflu? Actually, no. The World Health Organization said that most people recover from H1N1 without the aid of the drug. They fear that overuse of the antivirals could lead to a stronger swine flu virus.
Indeed, Denmark first found a case where swine flu was Tamiflu-resistant. Cases have since been found in China, Canada, and the U.S. The WHO, therefore, recommends that these treatments only be used in the more serious swine flu cases, not the mild ones.
Not only that, Tamiflu may be dangerous to children. In one study, kids had exacerbated symptoms after using the remedy, such as vomiting and diahrrea. Another study showed that the drug caused nausea and nightmares in some kids. Simply put, the harm may outweigh the benefits.
The swine flu vaccine may be effective and certainly necessary for select groups in the population. But make sure you know the facts before your family lines up to try out this newly-developed vaccine.
Image: alvi2047 on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
While your article is correct that the thimerosal was removed over _fear_ of its effects, it should be pointed out that there was never any evidence to support these fears. The medical community removed thimerosal from vaccines not because it was dangerous, but because people _thought_ it was dangerous and that was/is causing people to stop vaccinating.
Not every mercury compound is harmful the way metallic mercury is, just like the chlorine in table salt has completely different biological effects than the chlorine in carbon tetrachloride, or in chlorine gas.
Sir,
I have read your article, ‘The Swine Flu vaccine and your family’. Should I understand from what I read that we must opt for Swine Flu vaccine ‘celvapan’ and not the Panderix which contains thimerosal which causes neurologocal effects.
Except from the vaccine, why there is no other type of quick relief injections which can kill the swine flu infection of the human body when someone is infected. There is only Tamiflu which is as you said in some cases not successful.
Please help me clear my doubt. I am not a doctor or physician. Thanks. Preetam
Crocius: That is a poor analogy. Mercury, even at low doses, is harmful after exposure over long periods of time. It does not matter the type. (An interview with a former FDA researcher that will post later this week illustrates this.)
Here is the EPA’s guide on mercury in all of its forms. As you can see, it’s not that ethyl mercury is nothing to worry about, as is often claimed, but just that it is in low doses whereas methyl mercury–that found in fish–is found in higher doses due to bioaccumulation.
We are exposed to mercury through many sources: food, water, even vaccines (and when they don’t have mercury, they are preserved with other heavy metals).
I’m not saying that these CAUSE autism or have other immediate neurological effects, but I point out the differences between the brands names of swine flu for those concerned (and I believe, rightly so).
Yes, these are different types of mercury. But because we have continuous, low-dose exposure, some groups may want to be more careful in their exposure.
http://www.epa.gov/teach/chem_summ/mercury_org_summary.pdf
@Preetam: I should make clear that I am also not a doctor. This is based on my research of WHO recommendations and CDC recommendations.
The WHO and what it says about Tamiflu may be different than what your local health clinic says. But the WHO suggests that Tamiflu only be used in more severe cases and for many people, the swine flu will be relatively mild.
I am not suggesting whether or not people SHOULD get the vaccine. That is for every family to decide on their own. I want those who are concerned about th preservative thimerosal to be able to ask their care provider for the thimerosal-free swine flu vaccine, Celvapan, if they choose.
My family and I will not be getting this vaccine in any form.
(p.s. I am a “Ms.”, not a “Sir”)
It looks like the manufacturer of Celvapan can’t distribute it in the U.S.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_ExclusivesAndWins_MOLT/idUSTRE5746VY20090805
Any other recommendations?
Just did a little more research. It looks like CSL is testing a mercury free version for U.S. distribution.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_ExclusivesAndWins_MOLT/idUSTRE57N3CS20090824
Thank you for that link, Tiffany!
Good for you but why is no one anywhere talking about homeopathy for the swine flu? The French spend 7 million a year on a remedy specifically to treat the flu? Easierto make and has been studied three times.
Thank you for this information. If I may add, another way to avoid the virus is to boost our immune system by eating healthy food; eat green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, more fish meat rather than red meat, drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, and take vitamins with minerals daily.
[...] biggest concern around the actual threat of the vaccine is because it (Panderix) contains thimerosal, a mercury-laden preservative which has actually been removed from most mainstream vaccines because [...]