Swine Time

With all of the recent Swine Flu (excuse me, H1N1 to avoid offending the pigs and factory farmers who likely provided the gateway to the progression of this type of flu) media hype, I've been asked countless times by friends, family, and colleagues over the past few weeks whether or not they should become vaccinated, and the dangers of the vaccine vs. not receiving the vaccine. Although I in no way consider myself a swine flu expert, I can shed some light on the subject based on what I know and have learned, and can hopefully provide readers with enough tools to make an informed decision.
Some background:

Something many people do not know is that Swine Flu is not a new virus by any means. In 1918 there was a strain of flu which caused a massive pandemic and over 50 million worldwide deaths. Because data is limited, it is difficult to know whether or not this flu was similar in structure to the swine flu we see today. Some reports indicate that this was likely an avian flu, as reported bird deaths that year spiked extremely high before reported human deaths began to emerge. In 1976 there was also a Swine Flu "outbreak" (better termed "scare", as its spread was over-estimated tremendously by the federal government even at that time). The government at that time (under President Ford) ordered a massive vaccination program, termed the National Influenza Immunization Program (NIIP) in response to the scare. Unfortunately, the vaccine was not properly tested due to perceived time constraints. 30 people reportedly died within 2 days of getting the vaccination for "unknown reasons". Hundreds of people who had been vaccinated developed the nerve disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which attacks nerve linings to cause paralysis and impaired breathing in those affected. To put it into perspective, 1098 cases of GBS were logged by the CDC that year with 532 of those cases linked to the National Influenza Immunization Program. No other influenza vaccines have yet been linked to this disorder, to clarify. I do not have any evidence to say that the swine flu vaccine of 1976 is constructed the same way as the vaccine which is hastily being developed this year, but I can confirm that this impending vaccine also will have extremely limited safety studies due to the government pressures to get it out in time for flu season this year. Don't believe me? Ask your doctor if you can get the H1N1 vaccine without signing a waiver which states that your doctor and the vaccine manufacturers are free from responsibility should you develop an adverse reaction to the vaccine. The most unfortunate tragedy of the 1976 response was that more people died from the vaccine directly, or from closely linked vaccine injuries/illnesses than died from the flu itself that year, despite the massive hype. See Time Magazine's Article  How to Deal with Swine Flu: Heeding the Mistakes of 1976

The Swine Flu vaccine uses live viruses which have been partially killed or weakened to illicit an immune response by the body designed to (hopefully) provide future immunity if the actual live virus is contracted. Most vaccines, including this one, are filled with adjuvents, or additives, which hold the purpose of stimulating your body to over-react to the virus, with the theory that more reaction will provide more immunity. As I've said before in my posts, and will continue to say, not all vaccines are alike - different companies use different ingredients, and the only way to find out which you are getting for sure is to read the package insert. If your provider won't let you, find a new provider. At least two drug companies - Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline - are using Squalene as the immune adjuvent in their versions of the swine flu shot. Novartis' squalene adjuvant is also known as MF59. MF59 is a non-FDA-approved adjuvent at this time and was also used as the adjuvent in the experimental anthrax vaccines which were given to soldiers in the gulf war. MF59 has continuously been linked to Gulf War Syndrome, which was a pervasive autoimmune disease suffered by only those veterans who received the anthrax shot. Although this was only a "link" and not a "confirmed" cause, I'll repeat - all of the veterans who came down with Gulf War Syndrome had also received the experimental Anthrax vaccine containing Squalene.
Last flu season, which "ended" October 3rd, 112 Influenza-related pediatric deaths were been reported in the US. I could be alone here, but it seems the death toll would be much higher compared to the insane media hype surrounding the swine flu. Making the argument for mass panic and mass vaccination even less compelling, only 44 of these deaths were H1N1 related.  That is less than HALF of all flu-related pediatric deaths were Swine-flu related. By no means am I okay with 112 children dying from influenza, nor from anything for that matter, but I still find it hard to understand why we are so focused on the H1N1-related deaths and not the other 62 children who died from other types of flu (types A and B)? Since August 2009, 477 total people have died of H1N1, with 36 of them being children. 67% of these children had underlying respiratory, cardiac, or neurological disorders (most commonly, cerebral palsy or the like). To put this data into perspective, over 42,000 children have been affected by H1N1 over the past year, and have recovered normally with the resulting benefit of immunity.

The "regular" flu has killed over 15,000 people in this country since January, and yearly estimates are around 30,000 deaths per year. Why no hype here?

In my opinion, the risks of getting the current H1N1 vaccine, especially for children or pregnant women, may far outweigh the risk of the illness for otherwise healthy people. Children who have underlying respiratory, cardiac, or neurological disorders may not fit into this category, and should be considered on an individual basis. However, by no means do I recommend every kid with mild allergies or mild asthma get a swine flu shot. In fact, for some of these children I'd recommend just the opposite. Keep in mind that nearly all versions of H1N1 vaccine contain Thimerosal* - a form of ethyl mercury which has been shown to be neurotoxic in several studies. You may be surprised to learn that many states have actually lifted their mercury restrictions simply to make room for this vaccine to be distributed widely. Yet another reason to request the package insert if you have any concern about what may be in the vaccine you or your child is receiving. More to come on future posts...

*The exception to this is the nasal spray formulation, which usually does not contain the additive, although these are typically not given to children under age 2 nor pregnant woman because they contain a live form of the flu virus.