I'm going on about vaccines again!
Nov. 19th, 2009 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blamebramptonI had my H1N1 vaccine this morning. No side effects so far, and it didn't even hurt! I far prefer flu vaccines to tetanus!
But the most exciting thing for me was reading the government information leaflet -- it's really good! Along with a section explaining that Panvax is not a live vaccine, so it's perfectly safe for foetuses (H1N1 influenza disproportionately causes miscarriage and serious maternal illness), it had a section addressing Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS is a serious neurological syndrome that unexpectedly affected about 500 people in New Jersey after a mass vaccination programme in the US in 1976. Since then, there has not been another proven connection between flu vaccines and GBS, and the research done on the event suggests that it was probably a single batch infected with campylobacter, a known precursor to GBS (and a REALLY horrible stomach illness, trust me!)
Since 1976, although GBS has been raised as a concern by people who are not in favour of mass vaccination, there has not been any proof of a subsequent link between GBS rates and flu vaccination. Nevertheless, because governments and scientists generally err on the side of caution, a risk of 1 additional case of GBS per million vaccinations is given, and is stated on the Australian information sheet. Something aside from campylobacter that is known to cause GBS is influenza, and, as the info sheet says: "you are four to seven times more likely to contract GBS after an attack of the actual influenza than after the vaccination".
In actual fact, the risk of GBS from influenza seems to be more in the realm of forty times more likely, as rates are around 4 to 7 per 100,000 cases of influenza.
However, reading that paragraph in the surgery, I gave a little cheer. FINALLY a statement of risk that contextualises it sanely!
Why does this matter? Because people are being told by bad media reports and social networking scares that flu vaccine is not safe, that it contains chemicals that are known to cause harm and that it is not tested. In fact, H1N1 vaccines around the world are being made by the same companies that make seasonal flu vaccines, using the exact same methods. Flu vaccines save tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of lives every year, with excellent safety records. Most, like Panvax, contain no live vaccine -- people who are allergic to eggs are offered a version with live vaccine in many places, including the US, as it is safer for them.
H1N1, on the other hand, is not a safe nor mild disease. It has had a very serious impact on people between 20 and 50, who are normally minimally affected by seasonal flus. In fact, the death toll for old people, the usual flu victims, is statistically low for H1N1. And the people aged 20-50 being affected are not the usual immune-compromised set, either, but both the healthy and those whose only health issue is being overweight. If you're up for it, check out this excellent article from New Scientist on swine flu myths and how they are endangering people's health.
Having seen the incredible impact of H1N1 on the health system in Australia last year -- a warm country in which flu is not as dangerous as it is in cold countries -- I had no hesitation in getting the jab. Well, aside from my usual disorganisation delay ... Fourteen hours later, not even localised swelling. And if you're in Australia and have a Medicare card, it's free! Obviously, talk to your doctor and read the info from your health authorities if you have concerns.
You can read the Australian info sheet as a PDF, downloaded from here, it's available in several languages in the vaccination information sheet category down at the bottom right.
But the most exciting thing for me was reading the government information leaflet -- it's really good! Along with a section explaining that Panvax is not a live vaccine, so it's perfectly safe for foetuses (H1N1 influenza disproportionately causes miscarriage and serious maternal illness), it had a section addressing Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS is a serious neurological syndrome that unexpectedly affected about 500 people in New Jersey after a mass vaccination programme in the US in 1976. Since then, there has not been another proven connection between flu vaccines and GBS, and the research done on the event suggests that it was probably a single batch infected with campylobacter, a known precursor to GBS (and a REALLY horrible stomach illness, trust me!)
Since 1976, although GBS has been raised as a concern by people who are not in favour of mass vaccination, there has not been any proof of a subsequent link between GBS rates and flu vaccination. Nevertheless, because governments and scientists generally err on the side of caution, a risk of 1 additional case of GBS per million vaccinations is given, and is stated on the Australian information sheet. Something aside from campylobacter that is known to cause GBS is influenza, and, as the info sheet says: "you are four to seven times more likely to contract GBS after an attack of the actual influenza than after the vaccination".
In actual fact, the risk of GBS from influenza seems to be more in the realm of forty times more likely, as rates are around 4 to 7 per 100,000 cases of influenza.
However, reading that paragraph in the surgery, I gave a little cheer. FINALLY a statement of risk that contextualises it sanely!
Why does this matter? Because people are being told by bad media reports and social networking scares that flu vaccine is not safe, that it contains chemicals that are known to cause harm and that it is not tested. In fact, H1N1 vaccines around the world are being made by the same companies that make seasonal flu vaccines, using the exact same methods. Flu vaccines save tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of lives every year, with excellent safety records. Most, like Panvax, contain no live vaccine -- people who are allergic to eggs are offered a version with live vaccine in many places, including the US, as it is safer for them.
H1N1, on the other hand, is not a safe nor mild disease. It has had a very serious impact on people between 20 and 50, who are normally minimally affected by seasonal flus. In fact, the death toll for old people, the usual flu victims, is statistically low for H1N1. And the people aged 20-50 being affected are not the usual immune-compromised set, either, but both the healthy and those whose only health issue is being overweight. If you're up for it, check out this excellent article from New Scientist on swine flu myths and how they are endangering people's health.
Having seen the incredible impact of H1N1 on the health system in Australia last year -- a warm country in which flu is not as dangerous as it is in cold countries -- I had no hesitation in getting the jab. Well, aside from my usual disorganisation delay ... Fourteen hours later, not even localised swelling. And if you're in Australia and have a Medicare card, it's free! Obviously, talk to your doctor and read the info from your health authorities if you have concerns.
You can read the Australian info sheet as a PDF, downloaded from here, it's available in several languages in the vaccination information sheet category down at the bottom right.
