Sasha is 8; Malia is 11. And they’ve had their swine flu shots.
The White House got so many questions about the status of the First Family’s H1N1 vaccination status that they posted the answer on their website Tuesday. Both girls were vaccinated last week by the White House doctor, who followed the same protocol for applying for the vaccine through the District of Columbia Department of Health that other vaccination sites had followed. The web site said that the girls got their shots when “the vaccine became available to Washington, D.C. schoolchildren.”
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have not yet received the H1N1 vaccine. “They will wait until the needs of the priority groups identified by the CDC – including young people under the age of 24, pregnant women, and people with underlying conditions – have been met,” the web site says. The entire family did receive their seasonal flu shots.
The First Family did what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control wants people across the country to do: get their vulnerable populations vaccinated first. Because this flu originally jumped from pigs to humans, children have virtually no immunity from it; since April, 95 children have died from H1N1, and another 7 died from flu that was not categorized, according to the CDC’s Situation Update page. Pregnant women, whose immunities are somewhat compromised and whose lung capacity is diminished by the growing fetus, are four times more likely to be hospitalized with H1N1 than the general population and even have a higher death rate, according to a CNN report.
OK, you say. I get it. And I want my kids vaccinated, but I can’t get the shots yet and it's making me crazy!
You’re not alone. The reported incidences of the flu are increasing by the week, and it seems that the shots are non-existent in many places. Original estimates said that 120 million doses of the vaccine would be available in October; later that was revised to 45 million, and then revised downward again. “We’re in a race between vaccine and virus," Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center told CBS News. "This gives the virus a bit more of an advantage.”
The good news, and there is some, is that H1N1 vaccine production jumped last week. On Tuesday, CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said that millions of new doses had arrived at federal quality-control warehouses and were ready to be sent overnight to community vaccine centers. And his advice to doctors and health departments distributing the shots is this: “Give it out as soon as it comes in, because more is on the way.”
So how do you find out if the swine flu vaccine is available in your area?
Try this, on a daily basis if you need to. But be kind -- the health workers you're talking to are just trying to manage the situation the best they can:
1. Call your family doctor’s office.
2. Call your county health department. If you don’t know the phone number, just type the name of your county, your state and “Health Department” into Google Maps.
3. If you have children at a college or university, call their campus health department to find out the status for vaccines for students.
4. Call a local drugstore that has a medical clinic inside, such as CVC or Walgreens, and ask them what their status is.
In the meantime, don’t panic. Get your information from solid sources – The CDC’s page is updated daily. Teach your kids to sneeze or cough into their elbows and to wash their hands as often as they can. And keep an eye on President and Mrs. Obama, because by the time they get vaccinated, all our priority groups should be taken care of.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/27/vaccinations-first-family
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/28/swine.flu.pregnant/index.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/17/eveningnews/main5247937.shtml
http://www.medconnect.com.au/tabid/84/s17/Paediatrics/ct1/c333987/H1N1-Vaccine-Production-Jumped-Over-Past-Week-U-S-CDC-Director-Says/Default.aspx
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
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Add a Comment9 Comments
Hmmm...by looking at my other post you will see that I am allergic to two of the ingredients, and I still have received my shot. I have my seasonal shots each year for the last 10 years, and the reactions that I have were a lot less than catching the flu!!! Every time I get the flu I end up in the hospital from some pretty severe infections, and other complications. But not once have I ended up in the hospital from a flu shot! More people die from the flu and its complications than getting ill from the flu shot... The CDC has a compensation program for any serious illnesses that you might receive from any vaccine. And the extensive testing that goes into these vaccines is in the billions, if not more...at least in this country and in Canada. Curious about where this person lives???
November 17, 2009 - 1:40pmThis Comment
Dancing Heart,
Thanks so much for sharing our experience, especially since you do have allergies to two of the ingredients and you have had a history of good health while taking the shots. Your post will surely help some of those trying to make up their minds about the flu shots. Thank you!
November 18, 2009 - 9:02amThis Comment
I understand that people are getting upset about the lack of vaccine but what can we really do? It is basically pregnant women and children that are receiving the shots and if there are any left over, well, then we will get them. I recently found out that a Manager that works with me was going to stand in line and lie about having asthma and going on an airplane just to get in the front of the line.
This has become worse then a drug addiction. I have known three children that contacted the virus and they are all fine today. They rested for 5-6 days, they were sick but they are better now. I think this was really a scare tactic rather a pandemic.
November 14, 2009 - 11:49amThis Comment
Yes, for most people the swine flu is like the regular flu and people get better on their own. If you look at the research, those with health conditions including asthma have been found to be particularly susceptible to the virus. This is because they have airway and lung function problems, and the swine flu strikes that area of the body particularly hard. My kids both HAVE asthma, we are on albuterol nebulizer treatments every 2-3 hours just for a slight cold with my four year old daughter. What is a normal couple day cold and cough has turned into pneumonia on at least 4 occasions in my daughter's short life. This is why it is imperative that she (and my son) get the vaccine. I don't believe there is anything "dangerous" and feel I would be a horrible mother knowing my kids have asthma and are susceptible to the virus and I not do whatever I can to get them the vaccine to protect them as much as I can. If you choose not to vaccinate your healthy children then that is your right, but my kids WILL be getting the vaccine. And thank you for the positive comments, I appreciate them, this has been a stressful time for me, allowing my kids to go out into the world defenseless against this virus, when healthy kids do have the opportunity to get the mist, while my kids wait for the shot to arrive in our area.
November 15, 2009 - 10:16pmThis Comment
Everybody here lost their common sense ??? The wsine flu vaccine is extremely dangerous. Maybe not right away, but the side effects can come later for many. YOu really want to inject your body with poisons. Please just look at the ingredients. Where this world is going? Wake up please before is too late. Sickening and depopulation is an ongoing process, and one of the biggest help for it are the vaccinations especially now the swine flu vaccine. Please please listen to your commmon sense and read the ingredients!!!!
November 12, 2009 - 11:28amThis Comment
Anon,
What ingredients are you specifically concerned about? Are you in the United States?
This thread contains a link to a listing of the ingredients by country in the H1N1 vaccines. It may help you :
https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/11/02/h1n1-swine-flu-deaths-rise-does-worry-when-should-you-or-your-sick-child-?page=2
November 13, 2009 - 9:54amThis Comment
You would think that kids with asthma or other preexisting conditions would be some of the first to get the shots--I am upset for you! Especially of concern is that the other children are sick as well--I would not want to leave my child there either!
October 29, 2009 - 2:12pmThis Comment
I am upset because my kids both have asthma, although all children should be vaccinated, mine are in an especially vulverable category and they do NOT qualify for the mist that all the healthy kids can get. In our County, Ventura, CA, we have NO flu shots, there is no protocol for doctors to issue any lists to Public Health stating which patients truly meet the criteria for a shot. My pediatrician didn't bother ordering shots, which really upsets me as well. My hands are completely tied. I am bringing my 4 year old to work with me because the kids at her preschool are sick! Public health keeps telling us next week, then the week after that, then the week after that........I am sooooo upset! :(
October 29, 2009 - 2:05pmThis Comment
Diane - Thanks so much for this information. Given the extensive amount of news coverage on the H1N1 virus, I've been surprised by some of the conversations I've heard among people angry that others were able to get the vaccine ahead of them, and expressing a sense of entitlement about how they should be able to get it too. For the sake of all of us, the most vulnerable to this particular strain need to be the first ones to get the vaccines. Waiting a few days may seem hard, but it's nothing compared to watching friends and neighbors suffer the consequences of a serious illness. Thanks Diane for helping us with resources to stay informed.
October 28, 2009 - 6:43pmTake good care,
Pat
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