swine flu--is anyone concerned?

VFFforpeople

VFFforpeople

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I dont get the flu shot, mainly cause I think it is a joke. People swear by it, others laugh at it (IE. me). If I get sick I don't go around spreading it. I use my PPE, and that is it. You will get sick in this job but I can bet it will be by you walking around the store or touching money than by majority of your PTs. You do what it takes, I picked this to help, if I am scared or worried about getting sick..I should probably walk away now. Follow your training and PPE, common sense and things will be ok.

Saying that I sat through a swine flu lecture. I learned that swine flu is the flu with higher temp. No big deal.

I wouldn't worry about it.
 
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bunkie

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Aidey said:
I'm the same way, I got pneumonia every winter for 5 years straight until I finally started getting the flu shot, and poof, no more pneumonia.

I am both concerned and not concerned. I'm not concerned for my self really. My immune system tends to be pretty decent (with the exception of the pneumonia noted above) and I've been exposed to it more than enough times to get it, and I haven't yet.

I am concerned that we could be seeing a lot more serious respiratory calls, especially once the "regular" flu season starts. People who were told 'oh it's just the swine flu, you'll be fine in a few days' and just kept getting sicker.
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That's whats happening with me and how I ended up in the ER. Went from "probably just the flu" to needing a whole lot of meds and a few chest xrays.
 
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NJnewbie

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I'm the OP. It turns out I tore the labrum in my shoulder and will be having surgery so my EMT plans are on hold for now. :sad: I have the textbook that is used in the class so I will be reading through that while I'm recuperating and hopefully I can take the class in the summer or next fall and maybe can at least attend meetings at my local squad. This sucks though. I was really getting psyched to do this and now I've got to put it off.
 
JCampbell

JCampbell

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Friends and family have asked me the same thing. "Aren't you gonna get the shot?" I say no I'm not, thanks. My reasoning is that myself and my girlfriend are in a combined 10 or so facilities a day, ranging from doctors offices to ER quarantine rooms. I have personally transported a couple confirmed cases in my rig. That being said, neither of us have caught it, and we haven't gotten the flu for years. I'm pretty sure we have strong immune systems, and I really don't like to fix what ain't broke. That's my reasoning for better or worse. I consider it a fad that will be replaced by the next big story soon enough, maybe this time it'll be GOOD news.
 
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zaboomafoozarg

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People seem scared of vaccines for some reason.


I see no reason not to get 'em. Sure, no reason to fix what aint broke, but also no reason not to make it stronger either.

I've got the Tetanus, MMR, meningococcal, TB, hepatitis, flu, and H1N1 vaccines in the past 2 months.


Went and got my swine flu vacc today at the health clinic, I got one of the last ones available due to the shortage. Interestingly it was by far the least painful injection I've ever had. Felt like someone tapped me very lightly with a toothpick. On the other hand the MMR vacc I got made my entire arm hurt like the ****ens all the way down to the hand.


But I see no reason not to top off my immune system either.
 
mycrofft

mycrofft

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mycrofft

mycrofft

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Okokok....

Polio shots (annually until early Sixties), then sugar cube X 3.
Tetanus/Diptheria
Plague
Yellow Fever
HEP a
HEP b
Typhoid
Flu shots since they were available
Swine flu #1 in 1977
Rhinovirus (military 1976)
Pertussis
Smallpox (military 1976)
Andromeda Strain
 
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zaboomafoozarg

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Sorry, the TB wasnt a vaccine. just a TB test done, SubQ injection. you know the drill im sure

dunno why I lumped it in there with the vaccines.
 
Sasha

Sasha

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People seem scared of vaccines for some reason.
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People still foolishly believe vaccines can cause autism in children, and also every single complication with the vaccines have been exploited by the media, who'se job is to make you feel as unsafe as possible. No wonder they're scared.
 
Sasha

Sasha

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H1N1 could be picked up at the grocery store or any place we work. After it has passed, it will likely be replaced by the "next thing".
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Next year it will be the bunny flu.
 
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absolutesteve81

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Sasha said:
Next year it will be the bunny flu.
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HA! Exactly what I've been saying.

Personally, I'm not concerned in contracting H1N1. I have gotten the seasonal vaccination last week and I may get the H1N1 vaccine. The only reason I havent is because the days that the health dept are giving the free ones to healthcare professionals are days I work.

Do I spaz out when I get sneezed on or coughed on? No. If by chance I contract H1N1 or the seasonal version, then I'll take my sick days and recoup at home. No big deal aside from lost wages for the first day out.

I'm tired of hearing 'H1N1 this' and 'Swine flu that'. Lousy media has to make a big deal over something.
 
HuiNeng

HuiNeng

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absolutesteve81 said:
HA! Exactly what I've been saying.

...

I'm tired of hearing 'H1N1 this' and 'Swine flu that'. Lousy media has to make a big deal over something.
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So ignore the media hype and go straight to the WHO and CDC. H1N1 does have characteristics which make it worrisome to epidemiologists. Most importantly for the young adults in this forum, H1N1 deaths are not concentrated in the usual infant/elderly/immune-compromised population. Rather, this strain hits young adults. That's what the 1918 influenza did.

The present strain is perhaps not such a scary thing. What the epidemiologists are watching for is a change in the strain after it runs around in the population for a while.

I'm not recommending that any of the posters here get the shot or not; just tossing in some information.
 
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mcdonl

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I have been in healthcare for so long I have always gotten the flu shot and have never gotten the flu.
 
mycrofft

mycrofft

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slicing the baloney thinner...getting farther off topic

PPD test for TB is (drum roll) INTRAdermal.
Of course we had a nurse give them at a 90 degree anger, up to to the hilt.

She thought we were thick skinned I guess.;)
 
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zaboomafoozarg

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Pfft, ID, SubQ, only a difference of what, a millimeter or so at most? Hardly matters! :p

k, maybe a little bit.
 
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bunkie

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Just wanted to say I had a confirmed case of H1N1 and it really wasn't that much worse then regular flu. Had respiratory problems likely due to my asthma that required an ER trip but they managed to get it under control and I didn't develop any complications.

However, now people are using it as an excuse not to come anywhere near me. Whats great about it is that I get to use it too. :p

As far as vaccines are concerned, some people have logical reason to skip them. Don't assume that just because someone doesn't vax or vax completely they are uneducated.

It wasn't vaccines in general they feared caused autism. It was the MMR vax in particular. The fear was it was caused by the thermosil. The problem was in proving/disproving was the MMR vax was administered within the window for autism to present. The argument was that the compounds in the vaccine triggered an invisible hook so to speak. The parents believed their children were normal until vax and would have remained so without it. Now the vax is clear of thermosil and more parents are now delaying until after the window of autism rather then skipping the vax completely.

As far as other vaccines, some can be argued not to be as helpful or necessary as they are made to be. Chicken Pox is a big one and HPV is another.
 
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zaboomafoozarg

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It's not as bad as it is reported to be by some, but it shouldnt be downplayed either. my cousin had it and said she just wanted to die. its pretty rough
 
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