Reasons for Flu Vaccine Reluctancy

Nurses COVID

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Hello, I'm a pre-nursing student who has a few questions about influenza vaccination for a class assignment.

What are the reasons for reluctancy of receiving the influenza vaccination by nurses and nurse assistants?

Would it be helpful if the healthcare facility provided an educational influenza vaccine program that addressed these issues so that well-informed, evidence-based choices can be made by these healthcare workers?

If a healthcare facility provided a positive incentive to receive the influenza vaccination, would that influence your decision?

Thank you for your time,

Kimberly

The CDC has quite a bit of info about the risks of Guillane Barre from the 1976 vaccine.

Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.

Right Wingnut - So, what is the difference between that vaccine and this one? I'm not able to find the differences! Maybe there is none.

As I understand it, the difference is in the development of vaccine now vs. 33 years ago-much more extensive attenuation, viruses are different.

According to the state of NY Dept of Health:

"The type of H1N1 that existed in the 1970's is not the same as the H1N1 that is currently circulating in the population. The vaccine that was created in the 1970's was made in a different way than the current H1N1 vaccine."

http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/influenza/h1n1/frequently_asked_questions/vaccine.htm#comparison

If you are concerned, I would contact the CDC. Further, in most cases, vaccination is a choice not mandatory.

Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.

Thank you for that link.

The GBS incidences are much different than the ones reported by the authoritative sources of the time. And how is it "different?"

It just didn't answer the questions and raised more. Why are they reporting different statistics?

I think I will give up on this and decide not to decide. For now, I will not get the vaccine.

Thank you again.

Specializes in Too many to list.
Right Wingnut - So, what is the difference between that vaccine and this one? I'm not able to find the differences! Maybe there is none.

1)The most obvious difference is that each vaccine was targeting a completely different

virus.

2)The 1976 swine virus died out, never to reappear.

3)The 1976 virus never caused even an epidemic much less a pandemic. What happened at Ft. Dix is best described as an outbreak of a novel virus. Over 30 years later, we have another novel virus but it is not the same virus. This one has gone on to cause a pandemic targeting otherwise healthy pregnant women, kids, teens, and young adults as well as people with prior exisiting conditions.

4)The 2009 novel virus has spread more rapidly than any other pandemic in history.

This is a 2006 article from Emerging Infectious Diseases. Not sure if it answers any of your questions Pfiesty, but it is interesting.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Reflections+on+the+1976+swine+flu+vaccination+program-a0141048444

" 3)The 1976 virus never caused even an epidemic much less a pandemic. What happened at Ft. Dix is best described as an outbreak of a novel virus. Over 30 years later, we have another novel virus but it is not the same virus. This one has gone on to cause a pandemic targeting otherwise healthy pregnant women, kids, teens, and young adults as well as people with prior exisiting conditions. "

Indigo girl, I agree that the main issue is that this is an actually pandemic and that the individuals getting vaccinated must consider the real risk of illness vs. the vaccine risks. All vaccines have some inherent risk, but the H1N1 vaccine thus far, both here and in the southern hemisphere, have minimal S/E.

But again, this is a personal choice.

Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.
This is a 2006 article from Emerging Infectious Diseases. Not sure if it answers any of your questions Pfiesty, but it is interesting.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Reflections+on+the+1976+swine+flu+vaccination+program-a0141048444

Thank you Wingnut. Yes, I read that one in my research. I read the book, The Swine Flu Affair from the Harvard School of Public Health. So, my concerns are great.

And there is still a lack of information now in 2009 about how this vaccine is similar or different from the last one.

Specializes in Too many to list.
that link you sent from "60 minutes" http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9m...paganda_webcam is fantastic!

short version: a 1980 60 minutes interview with a very nervous appearing head of the cdc vaccine program. a must see!

if not, this video that ozoneranger found should be required viewing before informed consent for the vaccine

thank you for this eye-opening report, ozoneranger. again, anyone know if this year's vaccine preparation is any different? we must hope that it is very different.

i watched this video several times as well as part ii which continues with more of the same.

they interview a dr. hatfield, saying that he was the head of the influenza surveillance team. he says that "a review of the literature" told him that influenza vaccines might be associated with neurological problems. we were left hanging, and wondering what did that review consist of?

further, we hear mike wallace saying that x53a is the vaccine that was given to the public but that field testing was done on an entirely different vaccine, not x53a. has anyone ever found any real reference to the x53a vaccine in the scientific literature?

this is astonishing. if this is correct, shouldn't there be something in the literature about this? this is huge, if it is true! i am looking for some serious scientific evidence that this is actually what happened.

help me out here. all i am finding are antivaccine sites. where is the proof that this is true? this is rather amazing. did they really do this? there has to be something

elsewhere about this other than a video?

Specializes in Too many to list.
Wingnut,

Thank you. I remembered that the '77 vaccine was dead virus, but so far I cannot find a credible source for either fact.

Annual vaccines ideally have two strains, rarely 3 and this H1N1 would likely have been a separate vaccine anyway.

Actually, they are being made simultaneously and would have been combined if it was possible. Thanks for your response.

Annual vaccines have three strains which is why the current seasonal flu shots are called trivalent. They contain the strains of two type A influenzas , (H1N1 and H3N2), and a Type-B strain chosen by the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network.

They are picked as the most likely to cause significant problems in the coming season.

Specializes in Too many to list.
I found it! In the paper, "The Swine Flu Affair" 1978 by:

But I still can't find any information citing DIFFERRENCES between that 1977 vaccine and the current one.

Thank you for that reference. I have found this paper online as a PDF. I am going to take my time going thru it. It looks like a fascinating read.

I was wondering why you kept referring to the 1977 vaccine as opposed to the 1976 vaccine which they started using in October of 1976, if I remember correctly. We may be talking about two entirely different vaccines, but until I have time to look at this further, I cannot tell. This could take some time, but I am in no hurry, and I do have to work this weekend.

Specializes in Too many to list.
Thank you for that link.

The GBS incidences are much different than the ones reported by the authoritative sources of the time. And how is it "different?"

It just didn't answer the questions and raised more. Why are they reporting different statistics?

I think I will give up on this and decide not to decide. For now, I will not get the vaccine.

Thank you again.

So, there is an inconsistency in the data you are referring to which are "the authoritative sources of the time" which concerns you? Which sources are you looking at specfically, Pfiesty?

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