Vaccine Dilemma

It’s everywhere…you can’t pick up the newspaper or turn on the radio without being bombarded with news about H1N1. Even the internet is swimming with information about this nasty virus, which seems to be hitting young people particularly hard. Although this form of flu has already sickened thousands and killed close to one hundred people across the country, people are very suspicious of the H1N1 vaccine. I can understand people’s confusion – there is a lot of conflicting information out there.

I just finished reading a fantastic discussion called “H1N1 Myth Busters” on The Globe and Mail site (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/h1n1-myth-busters/article1340101/), where readers posed questions to Dr. Michael Gardam of the Ontario Agency of Health Protection and Promotion. He states that all credible data support the safety of the H1N1 vaccine. The only difference from the regular flu vaccine is the adjuvant, which helps your immune system give a better response. This adjuvant has been used by millions of people around the world. Dr. Gardam explains that the adjuvant is made of two natural fats: vitamin E and squalene, which is a compound that we produce in our bodies. So, it doesn’t seem like a big risk to me. One other aspect of vaccines that makes people nervous is the use of the preservative thimerosol. Some groups claim that thimerosol has been linked to autism – a claim that has never been upheld with prudent scientific process. Thimerosol contains a very small amount of mercury. Dr. Gardam reports that there is more mercury in a can of tuna than in a typical vaccine.

It’s a personal decision, but it seems like a no-brainer to me. The risk of taking the H1N1 vaccine for the average person is small compared to the risk of the virus itself. But we’ve got a dilemma to consider that some families don’t have to worry about. Since Ryan is allergic to eggs he has never had a flu shot before, as they are often cultured in eggs. So, we have to decide if it will be more dangerous to give Ryan the flu shot or leave him unprotected against this flu that may hit his asthmatic lungs very hard.

The way I see it, we’ve got one option - to take Ryan to a vaccine clinic for high risk individuals and ask if they can do a skin challenge before we give him the needle. I hope they won’t think I’m one of those crazy, pushy moms. I promise to be nice…