Comments on: Poll: Doctors and nurses should get vaccinated against the seasonal flu and H1N1 influenza

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:18:45 +0000

So, as a patient, I go to my primary care physician. I ask her if she plans on getting the seasonal and/or the H1N1 vaccine. She says she doesn’t plan on getting them. Seems the most rational thing for me to do is follow this trusted advisor’s lead and not get the vaccines either.

Where does that logic fail?

By: er doctor

er doctor — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:35:55 +0000

daisy according to a cdc news conference in late september by dr. freiden, if you’ve have lab confirmed h1n1 then you don’t need it. however, according to that same news conference, obviously most URIs this year have not been h1n1, so most people who think they have gotten h1n1 are wrong. the cdc is recommending that you get the vaccine, unless you are 100% positive you had h1n1 because of a confirmatory lab test (pcr, not rapid flu)

i personally have seen a huge spike in rapid flu A + cases, >90% of which i’m assuming are h1n1 according to epidemiology, though i can’t confirm it in my own patient population. that spike has leveled off and is coming down, this week has not been nearly as busy as the past few weeks. so by the time the vaccine gets here, i’m not sure it’s going to do any good because h1n1 will probably be done with the community.

By: Silvio

Silvio — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:07:57 +0000

While I agree that this isn’t “the Black Death” it may just turn out to be far more serious than many expect. Doc Stone, could you please state the case fatality rate for H1N1 as well as how you’ve determined it?

By: Doc Stone

Doc Stone — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:46:03 +0000

Close her office in a flu epidemic??

A medical doctor??

In the old days, doctors who fled plague struck cities got a cold welcome if they tried to return afterwards.

Although I can’t say that I blame them for conditions with extremely high fatality rates–every man (or woman) must decide the limits of their courage and commitment for themselves. But this isn’t the Black Death we are talking about.

Unless she is in a non-critical specialty and can’t do anything for flu victims or is herself in a high risk group for complications, then it makes no sense.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:32:52 +0000

I would be afraid of the h1n1 vaccine, but luckily my doctor is not. My doctor is so nervous she is already planning to close her office if this is a epidemic flu.
Let’s just all send each other good thoughts that we don’t get h1n1,

By: daisyduck

daisyduck — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:58:48 +0000

What if you’ve already had H1N1? Do you still need the vaccine?

By: Doc Stone

Doc Stone — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:11:35 +0000

With time one learns to take the CDC’s confident proclamations with a grain of salt . . . to look at the data and consult one’s experience and make one’s own decision.