H1N1 Watch

[SteelTown]

H1N1 flu outbreak hits Hamilton schools

September 29, 2009
Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/644195

An outbreak of H1N1 Influenza A has been confirmed by the public health department at Columbia International College.

The public health department announced confirmation of the flu - otherwise known as the swine flu - at the Main Street West school this afternoon.

The health department also confirmed an outbreak of Influenza A at St. Mark’s Catholic Elementary School in Stoney Creek. It has not been confirmed as H1N1 at the Whitedeer Road school, but the health department said that is the predominant strain circulating.

[adam]

There have been several confirmed cases in Halton already with one dating back to last June.

[matt602]

And as of today I'm sick. This is definitely a news story I wanted to read.

[SteelTown]

H1N1 rate soars in Hamilton

October 24, 2009
By Naomi Powell
Spectator staff
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/659767

H1N1 flu activity in Hamilton has already surpassed previous peak levels of seasonal flu and may still be on the rise, health officials say.

The number of positive H1N1 tests spiked to 21 per cent last week, up from 6 per cent the prior week, said Dr. Chris Mackie, Hamilton's associate medical officer of health.

"We're seeing more cases now than we did at any time in the last two years," Mackie said. "(H1N1) spreads a lot more easily and that's in part because we don't have a baseline level of immunity in the community."

Flu activity in Hamilton is "normally at zero" at this time of year, he said. A typical flu season runs from Christmas to March, with the number of positive tests usually at about 20 per cent.

But the novel H1N1 virus has broken with patterns, causing an initial wave of infections in the spring that tapered off through the summer.

Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, confirmed yesterday that a second wave of H1N1 has arrived in the province.

"Influenza activity in the province is continuing to increase," she said. "We are seeing that more people are visiting their health-care providers with influenza-like illness and more people are being hospitalized with complications from the flu in Ontario."

Halton has experienced a similar spike in positive H1N1 tests, said Dr. Bob Nosal, the region's medical officer of health.

Health officials can't test everyone with flu-like symptoms, but they use a sampling of lab tests from patients in hospitals, long-term care homes and doctors to evaluate the spread of the virus.

Hamilton and Halton will make the first batch of the H1N1 vaccine available to people in high-risk groups next week. The clinics will be opened to the general public as more vaccine comes in.

"It would have been nice to have the vaccine a couple of weeks ago before the increase in activity ... ," Nosal said. "We should still be able to make an impact on transmission."

[FairHamilton]

Neither of us are getting the shot. What are others doing?

[BrianE]

Nine month old son will be getting it for sure as will my wife and I. Whatever risks there may be to getting a flu shot they're infinitly smaller than the risks of getting a bad case of the Swine Flu.

[crhayes]

A good friend of mine at MAC got the swine flu.... she is really ill right now and not even attending school... it's sad

[SteelTown]

I'll be getting the vaccine.

I know one who has it, massive headaches and a fever.

[emge]

I'm only getting it if the hospital I work at in December requires it, and I don't even know if that's one in Hamilton yet.

[adam]

Is anyone aware of the quantity of heavy metals in this vaccine and their effect on the body?

[realcity]

I'm getting the vaccine, I get it every year... in fact I'll get any vaccination that is invented.

We don't have small pox or polio or a host of other viruses anymore thanks to vaccines. I'll never understand why people don't get it. Those that don't.... ask yourself... when you take your dog to the vet and he/she recommends a vaccination 'shot'... do you do it?

It seems to be a hippy thing to not get it.... and for no valid reason.

[realcity]

Originally Posted by adam

Is anyone aware of the quantity of heavy metals in this vaccine and their effect on the body?

ridiculous.... much less then your tap water.....

[emge]

Originally Posted by realcity

I'm getting the vaccine, I get it every year... in fact I'll get any vaccination that is invented.

We don't have small pox or polio or a host of other viruses anymore thanks to vaccines. I'll never understand why people don't get it. Those that don't.... ask yourself... when you take your dog to the vet and he/she recommends a vaccination 'shot'... do you do it?

It seems to be a hippy thing to not get it.... and for no valid reason.

Eh, I have nothing against vaccines, especially childhood immunization, but immunization against the latest strain of something is somewhat different than the polio vaccine.

It's more for reasons of time than anything else to be honest - is it worth it to give up my time and possibly get slightly symptomatic from a vaccine for something if its only good for a little while?

[highwater]

The kids and I will be getting H1N1, as well as the regular flu shots. We've got too many people with 'underlying conditions' in our lives, and I'm not about to put them at risk of catching anything from us. Also I know a couple of women my age who had it and they were very sick. I can't afford to be laid up like that with three young kids.

[adam]

Originally Posted by realcity

ridiculous.... much less than your tap water.....

City of Hamilton Woodward Ave annual water report shows very low mercury levels at 0.00005 mg/L.
Meanwhile H1N1 vaccine contains thimerosal (49% mercury) and squalene (aluminum)

Interesting read on mercury levels in the H1N1 vaccine
http://www.h1n1-treatment.com/treatm...s_mercury.html

[BrianE]

adam.

Your previous post disgusts me.

This is not a personal attack on you. This is just how i feel right now about your last post.

That link you posted contains so many half truths, outdated and misleading information and out right lies and such a shocking lack of reference to solid scientific information that it makes my want to cry.

That you have fallen for this misinformation and that you specifically cited Thimerisol suggests to me that you have uncritically swallowed a river full of lies and misinformation propagated by the Anti-Vaccine crowd.

I strongly urge you to reconsider your sources of information, I would suggest this site: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2116

A short Exerpt:

And while we are on the topic of influenza vaccine and thimerosal, the single-dose syringes have no thimerosal. Only the multi-dose vials contain any thimerosal, with each dose containing 25 micrograms of ethylmercury. This 3.5 times less than what you would get from eating a single can of tuna (~87 mcg), is a form of mercury far more rapidly cleared than most environmental mercury exposures (methylmercury), and has been exonerated from suspicion as a cause of autism.

If you would like something more official, then try here: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-ale...vaccin-eng.php

I hope that everyone here also follows this link just so they can see the levels of dishonesty and down right criminal levels of mis-information being spread about by the anti vaccine movement.

[flar]

My thinking right now is that everyone in my family will get the shot. From what I know, it's safe. The manufacturing process and equipment are identical to that used to make the seasonal flu vaccines that millions of people receive every year. There might be a 1 in a million chance of getting Guillaine-Barre, of which 80% of cases make a full recovery.

The vaccine available to Canadians will not contain Thimerasol. Thimerasol is actually good, as it protects the vaccine from bacterial or fungal contamination (those things would really make the vaccine unsafe).

The vaccine will, however, contain an adjuvant, which is a substance that boosts the effectiveness of the vaccine. I believe there will be a limited supply of non-adjuvanted vaccines for pregnant women and possible very young children. I don't know which adjuvant is being used in the Canadian vaccines, and this is my only concern about the vaccine, particularly if squalene is used.

[realcity]

I still haven't heard any real valid reason against the vaccine. It's rumours gone crazy. The other argument against is some reason its evil to make a profit. I run a business and I do it to make money.

Read any over the counter drug, heart meds all medication has possible side-effects. That goes for vaccines... of course there are risks. Taking Aspirin can cause Reye's Syndrome.... so don't take ASA either.

This is a flu that effects young healthy children... i see it as my responsibility to vaccinate myself.

It's also not true the vaccine will make you sick... IT's Dead....it doesn't contain the virus.. just the current morphing of the shell that surrounds the actual flu virus. If you got sick, it is usually just a coincidence that perhaps you got the rhinovirus a day after the shot and blamed the shot. There is no way to prove it. because the person might of got ill even without the shot, but would not be able to blame it on the shot.

[realcity]

@Adam
You're comparing one glass of water to one vaccine shot.

You drink tap water every day, all day long for life.

[realcity]

I don't care. I'm getting vaccinated and I'm not trying to convince anyone to do it or don't do it. Do whatever you want.

Jackson Sq clinic is wednesday