My employer is offering the H1N1 vaccination later this month. I was planning to get it, but am now sick with what may be the swine flu. I would go to the doctor to confirm this, but here they are recommending anyone with the flu to stay at home, and not visit the doctor at all, unless they are practically dying. Is there any harm in getting the vaccination if I may have already had the disease?
The vaccine (if it’s the shot) will be a dead version of the virus.
If you DO have the swine flu right now, and you get that vaccine (after you’ve recovered from this one), all it’ll do is reinforce your immunity- you’ll already have the antibodies- and basically your body will see it again, and up regulate itself and remove teh dead virus quicker than one who hasn’t been exposed to the strain.
So no, it wouldn’t harm you IF you’ve already recovered from the first disease (I’d say at least 2 weeks out or so).
If you were currently sick, and chose to get the Flu shot (or worse if it was the Nasal spray), I would say then it’s more uncertain.
But you being sick now, getting better, and then getting the shot? Shouldn’t really have a problem except for freak accidents like them sticking you in the eye or some weird thing like that*.
*Hyperbole
It’s not recommended for sick people to get vaccinated, as you’re unlikely to produce the predicted immune response.
First off, what the Hell is your employer doing with H1N1 vaccine and handing it out to lower priority adults when there isn’t enough out there right now for the highest priority groups to all get it? Damn I hate this.
Second, no problem to you to get the vaccine if you already the disease, live nasal or killed shot form. It is preferred not to give it while moderately ill (eg with a significant fever) but that is more because there is no desire to make you have more of a fever or discomfort on top of already being ill. Either vaccine can be given in the presence of a mild illness and there is no concern that you’d be “unlikely to produce the predicted immune response” - none.
My wife and two kids had (presumed by the doctor) H1N1 about a month ago. I was heavily exposed (kissed my sick wife, cleaned up vomit, etc) but for some reason never got sick.
Then the local county clinic got a bunch of vaccine doses so we had the chance to get the vaccine. My wife’s sister is a nurse practitioner at the clinic and recommended we go ahead and get the vax, even though we (probably) have already built up an immunity. Better safe than sorry. So we did.
He said it was later this month. The shortage isn’t going to last forever, but as far as I can tell the medical community is distributing the vaccine fairly well. I’ve had my name on the list for several weeks as a relatively high risk patient, but they have yet to call me. The people in the highest risk category have clearly been the top priority around here. My daughter only just got her first shot.
Well, the plan was to vaccinate us through work, after the high-risk population have received their shots, as many other employment groups here in Canada are doing. There have already been several clinics here in my city serving high-risk people. It sounds like there are some shortages of the vaccine at the moment, though, so these plans may go out the window by the time the date arrives.
I’ve ranted enough about this elsewhere including other threads here. There are 42 million people in the highest identified risk groups, labeled by the CDC as those covered by the “Limited Vaccine Availability” Guideline, many of whom need two doses to get protection. Yet weeks ago while we had only 12 million doses and through now when we still have had under 28 million delivered, the CDC was still promoting the “Initial Target Group” Guideline - which targets several times that many, including many relatively lower risk individuals. And leaving prioritization completely to the states. Many Boards of Health are giving to whoever is in line, even if they are advertising only the still inappropriate “Initial Target Group” guideline. Meanwhile some of my extremely high risk pediatric patients, who are both at great risk of serious morbidity or mortality and need two shots for protection, are being told that the next opening is several weeks from now or beyond. And I have none to give them. Pregnant mothers of my patients are unable to get it either. WarmNPrickly, if you are in a place where it is being done right, then you are in an unusual location - maybe London or New Hampshire - but sure as Hell not Illinois or a whole bunch of other states.
No the shortage won’t last forever, but BEST CASE is 20 million a week and more likely less than 10 million. We do not have enough to be handing out to the relatively lower risk yet and will not for more than a month, yet we do while higher risk individuals go without. And practices like mine, who know who our most high risk individuals are and can get it to them, are not getting the nod to get any supply.
I cannot comment on Canada’s circumstance however.
I have a flu, and saw my doctor today (because I’m going to have to take FMLA and need documentation). He said that, since we don’t know which one I have, I should get both vaccines after I get completely over this one. (I’ve tried to get vaccinated, but have been unsuccessful).
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I’m convinced that my cousin’s blankity-blank six-year-old son gave it to me by coughing in my face repeatedly five days before I started getting symptoms. Should I tell her? On the one hand, it would definitely be a good way of teaching him that there are reasons for these rules they’re teaching him, but on the other hand, my cousin might harp on it and make him feel quite miserable. I’m currently just keeping it to myself.
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Only if the illness is acute and moderate to severe. And then the CDC recommends people be vaccinated as soon as they are recovering and no longer acutely ill.
Mild, self-limited illnesses such as colds should not keep most folks from getting vaccinated for the flu.
The great majority of persons with chronic illnesses should be appropriately vaccinated. The decision whether or not to vaccinate these persons should be made on an individual basis.