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The swine flu vaccine has finally been developed and approved and is about to be rolled out across the UK amid a flurry of controversy.
Should pregnant women get it? Do I really need it if I'm young, fit and healthy? Should I get the seasonal flu vaccine, too?
The anti-vaccine lobby suggest we are using claims of an impending emergency to rush medical products through the usually tight controls to the detriment of their safety.
They state that the swine flu jab hasn't been properly tested or put through the normal process of long-term safety testing that the public expects.
They also argue that because the fatality rate from swine flu is remarkably low, in fact no higher than seasonal flu, there is no real need for a vaccine at all.
Most other non-live vaccines and previous flu vaccines are safe for pregnant women to be given, and as they are more likely to be hospitalised if they catch the flu it seems sensible they are vaccinated.
The European Medicines Agency has given a clear recommendation that the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine can be given safely to pregnant women and side-effects will be monitored closely during the initial campaign.
The Department of Health has issued a dramatic statement claiming that the risk of swine flu is so great that patients' health will be put at risk and the NHS left understaffed through illness if the majority of its workers are not vaccinated.
Many NHS nurses see the jab as unnecessary and potentially unsafe.
To add to the mêlée, some very up-to-date reports of Canadian research suggest the possibility that having the seasonal flu jab could double your risk of developing swine flu.
No wonder NHS Direct is already swamped with calls.
This is an unfortunate example of the medical establishment's attempts at reassurance and calls for calm backfiring on them.
The repeated reminders of the benign nature of swine flu, and the recent claim that the UK is "tantalisingly close" to beating the virus, is making many believe that vaccination is neither important nor necessary.
My view is that frontline staff should strongly consider the vaccine, especially those working with very ill patients.
As was proved in round one of the swine flu attack, most of us who got it were relatively mildly ill for a short time but it did kill those with pre-existing conditions.
I will be getting vaccinated because, as a London doctor, I am almost certainly going to be exposed to the virus by my patients.
I often see the elderly and the frail and those with serious immune diseases so I need to be sure that I will not be passing this potentially life-threatening virus on to them.
Flu can kill the vulnerable. Nor do I want to give it to my grandmother on a Christmas visit.
Perhaps we need to start thinking about this issue a little more altruistically?
Reader views (21)
People, are you aware that the adjuvants used in this vaccine are Squalene, Aluminium and Mercury!!! Regardless of these components being used as adjuvants for many vaccines, do you really want Mercury injected into your body??? It's more brain toxic than lead and a hell of a lot of people are rushing out to get their kids injected with the stuff.... madness.
Also, this vaccine is an attenuated virus which means that it has LIVE VIRUS in it. To be vaccinated with it means you will be subject to something called "virus shedding".... basically spreading the virus to anyone that comes into contact with the vaccinated individual so all of these lovely frontline staff that are to be vaccinated in the belief that it will stop the spread of it to their patients will actually infect every single one that comes in for treatment...... now there's a plan.
If anyone has any kind of doubt in taking this jab, i would say research the facts, double check and triple check your sources and then see for yourself that this is playing with yours and your families lives.
- Neil, Kent
Thanks, but no thanks. I've already had one bout of it during the summer and got over it in a week. I'm quite prepared to do the same again, if god forbid, I get it again. Having looked at the components that make up this vaccine, I'm not prepared to poison my body.
- Sarah, Enfield
- Jon, London and Adam, Isle of Man -
Thank you both for your honesty and sensible comments.
- Wen, Oxfordshire, England
My sister was given a course of antibiotics to which she has a mild alergic reaction, followed by a shot of steroid to calm her reaction. This resulted in ananaphylactoid reaction that has left her incapacitated for over a year. Pfizer and SmithKlein have both denied that the reaction is possible, despite hundreds of law suits for similar reactions and thousands of reported problems with both drugs. The World Health Organisation has said the vaccine may not be safe so I don't want it. My 4 year old daughter had Swine Flu in early July, she was sick but no worse than any other caseof flu I've seen and she recovered in 4 days. I nursed her constantly and didn't catch it. Why? Well my GP thinks it's likely because in 1978 I had the Russian Flu which was also H1N1 and have aquired immunity as have hundreds of thousands of others in the UK who were sick in 1978. I am no more selfish for refusing the Swine Flu vaccine than I was for refusing the Rubella vaccine having had German Measles. People must make an informed decision for themselves and not feel bullied by Pharmaceutical companies who stand to make a vast profit. Surely it would be better to test for immunity before vaccinating for any illness.
- Jane Bewick, Kensington
Sophia, who are you calling an idiot? Look in the mirror, woman! Obviously there is something wrong with YOU, since it took YOU FIVE months to recover from flu. That is not normal. I never had flu last year, in fact, I haven't had it for years.
As for you, Christian, you're credibility has just tanked.
Regarding the scaremongering of Liam Donaldson, he should be fired forthwith for getting the number of deaths from swine flu wrong by orders of magnitude, namely claiming up to 65 000 deaths; so far, it's under 100. So much for this so-called 'expert'. He should have resigned in shame and disgrace.
- Ralph, London
You conspiracy theorists are idiots just looking for something to get excited about, and yes, you are selfish - refusing vaccination doesn't just mean playing games with your own health, but with the health of everyone you're bound to infect.
I got seasonal flu last year and it took five months before I had fully recovered - and I'm young, no underlying conditions, etc. Even if there wasn't the possibility of swine flu mutating into something worse I would jump at the chance to avoid feeling that awful again.
- Sophia, South East
How ridiculous and unfair to suggest that pregnant women are being selfish by not getting vaccinated with a drug which has not been tested on pregnant women.
I am pregnant and will certainly not take any drug which contains thimerosal (a mercury based adjuvant in the main vaccine bought by the UK). Even the World Health Org says to avoid it as it has not been tested. Autism groups believe thimerosal could cause autism.
It's impossible to just rely on initial data from the first few weeks after use to say the vaccine is safe. Long term studies would be required. But as we don't have time now - the UK govt is taking a 'public health' approach - ie, faced with the possibility of hundreds of sick pregnant women clogging up the already failing NHS, it prefers to jab them preventatively, to hell with the personal cost to individuals.
Dr Jessen should spend lest time posing for the camera and more time studying the effects of drugs he blindly pushes on the public.
- Anna, london
I am a proper frontline doctor (not a media Doctor) living and working in Central London. I must have been exposed to over 300 cases that meet the WHO/HPA criteria for Swine Flu. I have not caught it. Why? Not because of some dodgy vaccine but because I follow simple hygiene advice when and after seeing patients. I will not be having it. None of my colleagues are having it. I resent these pathetic DOH attempts to emotionally blackmail staff into having it. No I don't think its safe and I don't think it's necessary either. I speak as someone who has seen patient's left with severe neurological disability post-vaccinations. Dr Jessen stop patronising your colleagues- we are more skilled and clinically competent than you.
If you have flu at Xmas, use your common sense and don't visit Granny- that will save her, not some new vaccine that has been rushed through clinical trials. If you knew anything at all, you would know that the over 65yrs are not really affected by Swine Flu at all but you could kill her with normal flu.
- Jon, London
As a medical doctor myself, I felt I should add a few observations and criticisms of 'Swine Flu':
There is no available scientific evidence to justify the whole unusual and worrying over-reaction to this H1N1 Influenza - fact. There is no evidence that the anti-flu drugs prevent deaths or complications, yet still they were rolled out en-masse.
There is no evidence of a increased risk from H1N1 that justifies the mass use and commissioning of drugs or vaccines, yet the governments went ahead. It is unprecedented except for America's 1970's Swine Flu scare (a notorious non-event the response to which CAUSED multiple deaths).
Our pre-existing NICE guidelines on who should get drugs and vaccines in Influenza seem to have been torn up and thrown in the bin for no good reason, all because of an unwarranted and unproven risk assessment based on media scare and cod-science propagated by the WHO - a branch of the World Trade Organisation. In fact, it is well-known and admitted by the WHO that they are close partners of the drug and vaccine manufacturers, which is iself highly suspect.
- Adam, Douglas, Isle of Man
If I was as well informed when I lived in London as I am now about vaccines (I would urge everyone to read everything they can about it)I would never have had my daughter vaccinated, hell I did'nt even know there was mercury in them in 2000! I just trusted I was doing the right thing for her and humanity.and trusted the health professionals! MMR in Scotland..I was brainwashed like the majority of society in our greedy capitalist world!
Well she keeps plenty folk in jobs now, with her aqquired regressive severe Autism and SIB, self-injurious behaviour, bowel problems, ear problems, uncontrollable motor and vocal tics, communication and co-ordination problems and my heart breaks when she screams for 20 hrs a day punching her head as her undetected pain drives her insane.. I have a healthy happy unimmunised 2yr old son as well..GET YOUR EYES OPENED AND YOUR MINDS..most deaths from disease in the statistics are the numbers calculated from poorer countries without sanitisation.. And you are not guaranteed immunity, I had whopping cough when I was little and was immunised ha! THINK!
- Samantha, Angus, Scotland
I will not be taking the vaccine. What a con. If the risk was really big and people dying everywhere then maybe i would consider it for a second but come on its obvious that the govt have mucked up.
- Sam, Soho
Thank God for the post from Maria of Exeter. I was beginning to think the UK was populated by credulous Luddites who sense 'conspiracy' at every turn. Silly me! Terror of vaccines is a luxury only those of us living in developed countries can afford to indulge. In countries where children still die from diarrhoea and where entirely preventable diseases still ravage populations because of lack of access to vaccines, people are not so fortunate.
- Lw, London
It's up to the individual whether to take the vaccine or not.
IMHO ayone who takes this vaccine who does not know what Squalene or Thimerosol (banned in the U.S.)is irresponsible.
If it becomes an ENFORCED legal requirement as provided for under the present WHO & UK Law you will not find me.
Could Christian advise us what medical Cross referencing has happened for mature people suffering nuerological conditions (early onset Alzheimer etc) who had aluminium INJECTED (not eaten) as a child? and what independant peer reviewed studys have taken place comparing Adjuvant vaccinated people with totally un-vaccinated people?.
Taking ANY Vaccination has risks, these risks are currently calculated by the people selling the Vaccine.
Aluminium & Mercury is a very powerfull Nuerotoxin, if you want to inject this DIRECTLY into your body (hopefully uncontaminated) it is your choice, but I suggest people research before making their own decision!
Could Christian also explain why such a high dosage of these Adjuvants are being used in the Pandemrix Bird Flu Vaccination?
I object to being called Selfish for not being willing to give this to my Son.
I expect this is just the beginning of Big Pharma's drive to persuade you to buy their product!!!
- Grant, Nottinghamshire UK
Am not getting the vacine and suporting big business -eating good clean healthy food and nuturing my immune system rather than supporting greed.
Selfish No sensible YES
what ever happened to good old fashioned common sense !
- Denise Bell, Dorchester Dorset
How is it being selfish to refuse a vaccine?
Surely if the vaccine works then the only people who will catch the flu are the ones who haven't taken it and that's their problem isn't it?
- Thalia, London
So if you have the vaccine does that mean you can't carry and spread the virus by touch etc ?
- Sharon, Hackney
I still feel that this is a big scam.Sorry. It is Big Pharma making a lot of money, immune from prosecution should anything go wrong.Not tested properly. And as for being monitered closely during the initial campaign..... Its a bit late then then for those who have had it...please think again!
- Kim Hirst, North Wales
I pity the fool who gets that vaccine.....
- James, Eastleigh, UK
No thanks, I don't really appreaciate big Pharma trying to bully me into poisoning my body with Squalene and Mercury. There have already been confirmed deaths resulting from the H1N1 vaccine, I refuse to be a guinea for the state.
Perhaps the government and and medical industry need to start treating humanity with a little more altruism, and a little less outright greed and genocide. We all know that swine flu is the new Al Qaeda. (i.e a non existant threat that is used as a tool to intimidate and cajole the public in to submitting to state tyranny and see how our civil liberties fly out the window.)
- Holly, London
Finally a sensible voice on the vaccine. I am pregnant and will definately be getting the vaccine - both for my own benefit and the benefit of the people I live with, which includes my elderly father. Public health and any sort of alturism seems to have been totally left out of most people's comments on this new vaccine.
- Maria, Exeter, UK
Is the anti-vaccine lobby as powerful and influential as the pro-vaccine lobby of the Pharma industry?
- Harold L Doherty, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
