I can't help myself but add this, if what is happening with H1N1 vaccine happened under Bush, there would be cries of racism drowning out everything else going on! He'd be blamed for keeping it from poor African Americans and giving it to rich bank CEOs (which is happening).   Because it's Obama, it's just accepted that he's doing everything he can but the manufacturers just aren't producing enough fast enough.  If it had been under Bush, it would be some big conspiracy!  But since it's Obama, not only is it not questioned but everyone wants to hand over ALL of their medical issues to him...un-freaking-believable!

Don't get me wrong, I do understand it is a manufacturing issue as far as I know but I would have accepted that under Bush as well as I accept it now.  Can others honestly say the same?

To say there is a double standard at work is the political understatement of all time.

I'm not sure what you all are talking about: manufacturing issues? high powered CEO get the vvaccination?

We, everyone knows that this is Bush's fault. If he can cause the hurricane to hit New Orleans, which he did, he can cause the H1N1 virus to come about, which he did. 

Now seriously, if you really like at the H1N1 flu its nothing major.  About 1% of all people that get this flu may die.  That's same probability as the regular flu.  The problem is that it could be higher since our population has such a higher elderly population. The media and Obama are just using fear tactics.  When the state run media starts using fear tactics it can put people into hysteria which in turn allows who ever is in charge more control. Especially, since Obama declared a national emergency for this. 

He's just building this all up.  You shoud do the same things that you would do to prevent from getting the flu.  Its not like this is a new strain of flu virus either its been around several times in the 1900s.

The media loves putting people in a frenzy because that keeps people from the truth.

The facts are a little bit different, since the elderly are much less likely to die of the H1N1 flu than people born after 1976, the last year a variant of this virus was (relatively) epidemic.  However, you are mostly correct that more is being made of it than should be, relative to the mortality of the 'usual' seasonal flu.  The difference is that we don't make much of the elderly dying of flu complications but take notice when it's pregnant women, young children and previously healthy young adults who are doing most of the dying.

Most flu deaths excluding pregnant young in the other two groups is usually from being dehydrated and not resting.  Most young adults try to push through it which is a cause of it getting worse.

Daiwa, what do you do? I thought you said that you were going back to University? Did you?

I doubt they'd have me back.

I practice internal medicine.

Actually, most of the deaths occur due to a refractory pneumonitis with what we call respiratory distress syndrome - you essentially drown in your own fluids.

This is what my research has shown. 

Daiwa, given your profession can you explain to me why preggos are told to stay away from fish to avoid Mercury but yet are told to get vaccines that contain Mercury (Thermisol)?

It's the same risk/reward calculation we (attempt to) apply to all treatment decisions.  Eating potentially mercury-contaminated fish won't prevent death from H1N1 flu, but vaccination might, and the risk of death from H1N1 in a pregnant woman is greater than the risk to the fetus of exposure to thimerisol.

Minimizing/avoiding unnecessary mercury exposure is a good thing, but mercuryphobia is not logical or rational.  My opinion is that the risks of thimerisol have been exagerated by certain groups.

It is important to understand that a molecule that contains an element is not the same as that element alone. The element might be deadly and the molecule harmless, or vice versa, the molecule deadly and the element harmless.

Pure mercury will mostly pass through your body unabsorbed.

Mercury in fish is absorable, and gathers in human nerve cells. A small amount can cause problems in brain development. A large amount can even cause problems in adults.

Thermisol contains mercury that is part of a chemical compound which is not absorbed, nor does it cause any harm to humans; there was only one study ever to suggest it does. The author pulled it and admitted to falsifying the study, he is also being investigated due to receiving large sums of money from a law firm which brought a lot of suits with his study as evidence. Any other study ever done (and many were done) have shown that Thermisol is harmless.

However, despite all that, the thermisol scare has resulted in it being removed from vaccines more then a decade ago, the vaccines given today do not contain any thermisol (and mercury).

It's been removed (as of 2001) from most vaccines, including the normal childhood immunizations and hepatitis vaccines, but not all.  Regular seasonal flu vaccine and H1N1 vaccine in multi-dose vials (the form in which almost all of both are distributed) do contain thimerosal (sorry for the previous misspelling).  Single-dose syringes & Flu-mist nasal spray vials do not contain the preservative.

The moral of the story is that the H1N1 virus is being used as a scare tactic.  This isn't the first regimen that has used a situation as a scare tactic.  "Fear will keep them in line" when people are in a panic or hysteric they will not be thinking logically or rationally.

The other thing is there is always a chance that there is going to be a pandemic.  Especially since people now are living so close to one another and that traveling from one place to another has been greatly made easy.  People just need to take the proper precautions.  Just need to be eatting right, resting, and exercising.  Actually just by exercising has been shown to be a good defence against illnesses and strengthening your immune system.

resting, exercising, and eating right are nothing compared to just not shaking hands and washing hands with soap and water often.

Daiwa, I forgot to mention it... but researches have recently discovered a genetic defect that causes autism. That that is another nail in the coffin of the whole "shots cause autism" BS. Maybe that's why they felt safe putting thermisol in the H1N1 vaccine.

Thimerosal in the multi-dose vials wasn't a matter of feeling comfortable, it was a matter of necessity - there are no other effective preservative options available at a cost we could afford.

"resting, exercising, and eating right are nothing compared to just not shaking hands and washing hands with soap and water often."

This is true but not everything is going to be killed by washing your hands or not touching your face.  Exercise has been shown to drastically help even when you are ill.  Its no wonder the correlation/dangers of sedentary and the rise of certain diseases/illnesses.

Absolutely daiwa... thermisol is the best vaccine preservative known to man... and because of idiots and liars we don't use it.

thepeoplesparty... you are right. I was referring to the fact that the most common vector for disease is the fingers... we touch ourselfs all the time, especially our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth... we touch everything around it, dirty things... then we shake someone's hand and give them all our germs... and get theirs... only to then rub our eyes / pick our nose / eat something with our hands / etc.

Ideally you will keep your immune system in top shape AND Avoid infection.