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google "effectiveness of flu vaccine".

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Lol LeeMark seems like he actually knows something about medicine, and you tell him to google for research. Maybe this is why there is some much misinformation, do some real research from credible sources.

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I didn't reply as I had no idea why he was telling me this.

Anyway, listening to NPR this am, they had a story on school nurses being on the front lines for H1N1 and spoke to one at a Sacramento school, one thing she had to deal with is that a first grader at her school died of H1N1 recently and the impact it had on everyone. This is the point, people die form the regular seasonal flu all the time, 20-40K per year in the US, but H1N1 infections and deaths are proportionately greater in kids, and not just people that are immunocompromised, all kids are at risk. When adults get vaccinated, they not only protect themselves and families from getting it, but also prevent it from spreading to kids. If you don't believe me please, please go to the CDC and WHO websites, this is a not a trick, this is real, and getting vaccinated after the fact is not helpful. There are updates to the H1N1 pages daily, including stats.

I will probaply get the vaccine if/when it is available for general public. Not sure if I belong to risk group, but I definetly do not have good lungs. There are a lot of allergies, some asthma too, in my family line though I do not have one myself, not yet anyway.

The true net effect of effective immunization is aparently nothing. Which is what's supposed to happen. Rather than having the media try and interpret, I think it's the job of our doctors to make sure we understand and get immunized.

no. also if you are a healthy person i think you're wasting your time having it, how often are you getting the flu (not a cold).

stepping into a hospital or GP clinic to get a jab or being around lots of people can expose you to anything in the process, people with flu, MRSA, so avoid.

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This is only logical if you live in a cave (with good internet access of course so you can get on to Head-fi) never see or work with people, never go outside, have everything delivered, have no other loved you ones you want to see, etc. You get the point, there is absolutely no logic at all in what you said, the thing is, healthy people are getting this, it is much more transmissible than regular flu, normal healthy KIDS are dying from this more often than regular flu, etc. Please look at the CDC and WHO websites before making an uninformed decision.

I won't get it until people start dying around me. This could have been prevented somewhat.. But closing the borders for a short time would have caused an up roar with certain agenda minded groups. PC over saving American lives.

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That actually makes sense in a twisted and cruel kind of way.

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If you actually look at the first page of search results, it provides information from credible sources such as the CDC that refute what LeeMark says. Basically, a flu shot is a crapshoot - it is not as effective in preventing infection as other vaccines. There is credible scientific proof. In some years the percentage of true effectiveness in the population is in the single digits. There is some evidence that shows that the elderly benefit more than others.

From the CDC (CDC - Seasonal Influenza (Flu) - Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine):
"The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine, and the similarity or "match" between the viruses or virus in the vaccine and those in circulation."

From someone who actually knows about medicine (Chemistry, How Things Work - Articles):
"The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is looking at whether or not the flu vaccine is effective. Preliminary results indicate you'll get just as sick (with colds, flu, flu-like illnesses) if you got the vaccine than if you didn't. Why doesn't the vaccine work? In order to understand the answer, you'll need to understand some specifics about the flu vaccine and a bit about how immunity works. "

Random news story (amednews: Research at odds over impact of flu vaccine :: Jan. 19, 2009 ... American Medical News):
"Various studies offer wide-ranging conclusions. One, for instance, found that seasonal influenza vaccine halves elderly deaths from any cause in the winter months. But another found it has no impact at all on this age group's health. These and other conflicting findings are pushing public health officials and scientists to look for better ways to quantify the preventive's impact."

Another (Flu vaccine effectiveness lower than usual | Health | Reuters):
""The vaccine is designed to protect against three influenza strains -- two from Type A, an H1N1 and an H3N2 version, and one for Type B. "This season, we had a less-than-optimal match in two of the three vaccine components," Dr. Dan Jernigan of the CDC's Influenza Division told reporters.

For the 1997-98 season, the vaccine effectiveness was effectively zero," Jernigan said."

This is stuff that someone "who actually knows something about medicine" would actually know.

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I wouldn't say proof, more like evidence. Course, there's a lot of evidence going the other way too.

Really though, even people "who actually know something about medicine" may not know this unless it was in their field. You've hit upon one of the controversies in the "should we let the public know about this research" wars, where flu vaccine effectiveness has a place along with the controversy over the sodium/blood pressure relationship and breast/prostate cancer screening.

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And even those who do may take opposing viewpoints. I find it somewhat strange that large numbers of UK health professionals are refusing to get H1N1 vaccines.

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I saw that too, and I am not saying that even nurses and such aren't any smarter than other people and have the same fears. Regarding varying efficacy that was posted based on various articles, this does occur, but when it does, that is when it is written about. It is like when we drive, we never remember the green lights, only the stupid red lights that stop us.

Anyway, this fear regarding the H1N1 vaccine comes from our general fear of things we don't understand, and that how could these people make something like this so quick and have it work. It does induce antibodies that neutralize the virus and prevent its entrance into cells, that is how every flu vaccine works and so it is well studied how to induce this response, even if a new flu strain comes along. I don't have time to go into how mutations occur, but that usually occurs over a year and never over a short time period, but that is what precipitates changing the flu vaccine once a year. That is also explained on the CDC web site.

If you don't want the vaccine, that is your choice, and most of you won't get sick, but to the few who do and to the few who are hospitalized and may die, I am truly sorry.

From what I have read the mortality rate from N1H1 is quite low.
I would be interested to find out how many people in North America have died in traffic accidents on the way to or from their flu shot?

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Its not the mortality rate itself that makes H1N1 wierd, perhaps even frightening, but who it chooses (so to speak) to be its death victim as it seems be very random. Perfectly healthy young people which are pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to be killed by normal flu, even relatively bad influenza, have had bad complications from H1N1, hospitalized and died. It seems quite bizarre actually. That is, if I understood all correctly.