Swine Flu vs. Regular/Seasonal Flu: Should You Be Worried?
We keep hearing about all the people dying from the swine flu, but is it really that much different than the regular flu? Do people really need to be that concerned about catching it and dying? Are the death tolls the same and do you really need to get shots?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 36,000 people die each year in the United States from the regular, seasonal flu. About 200,000 people are hospitalized due to the regular flu, though people older than 65 are mainly affected.
The swine flu affects mainly affects those under 25, according to the CDC. The CDC reported that so far there have been 477 deaths in the U.S. from the swine flu, as posted on August 14. Internationally, there have been 1,462 deaths and 177,457 confirmed cases of swine flu since the last update. According to the World Health Organization, the main concern with the swine flu is that it is a new virus that most people do not have immunity to (except for those older than 64, who generally are immune, as the CDC mentioned). The swine flu is contagious, like the regular flu, and can particularly harm those with pre-existing health conditions.
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My children received the regular flu shot today but are not going to get the swine flu shot. It is too new and has not been studied enough for me to put it into their bodies.
My neurologist advised me to get the regular flu shot but did NOT recommend the swine flu shot indicating that the swine flu shot has not had enought time testing and the adjuvants used in the vaccine were not used in the testing - ie. we'll be the testers. Also, the adjuvants are oil based and have been previously linked in the past to the development of many neurological and autoimmune disorders-MS, Parkinson's, Lupus, Autism, Alzheimers, etc. Many of these side effects won't show up for years. Because of these reasons, he emphatically did not recommend it and I won't be taking it.
Of course, not everyone agrees. My niece has a rare autoimmune disorder and my sister said that their doctor said the child "must" have the swine flu shot. My sister and her kids are taking it. I'm not and neither are my daughter and grandchildren.
In the end, it's a personal decision. Bottom line - do your research and ask questions. If you're not comfortable, get answers that make you comfortable before you take the "jab" as the English say.
Thanks, Rheyanne, for giving us the latest scoop on CDC recommendations. It's an issue on everyone's mind.
I haven't had a flu shot since I was a small child (and I'm not sure how many times I had one then) and I have only gotten the flu once. Maybe I'm lucky? I really believe that you can counter the chance of getting the flu through proper health and nutrition. As for the swine flu, I agree with the other posts--it is a new vaccine, we don't know the side effects, and I am not particularly worried. I know people my age are more susceptible to the swine flue, but I will take it head on if necessary.
I am under 25 and i have the swine flu, i didn't get the swine flu shot for the same reasons as everyone else has said. From my experience the swine flu is less of a hassle then the regular flu. The only difference is I'm a lot more tired than when i get the regular flu.
Well.. I'm at the beginning of it!
so far it has started out with a major sore throat.
My 4 year old son has it with extreme tiredness..
I'm not looking forward to it..
WWWHHHYYY!
and PS. We hadn't gotten the shot either. Didn't feel like being a human tester.