My DH is at work tonight and was reading his emails from the past few days. He works at for a very large hospital and they are making it manditory that all employees get both the regular flu shot and the swine flu shot. I understand why this is so important but I am a bit concerned about him getting the swine flu shot. He is a bit miffed about it but he has no choice but to get these shots. I just don't know if it's fair to make these vaccinations manditory but on the other hand, it's better for all the patients and co-workers. If I was a patient there, I would like to know that the employees were vaccinated. But as a wife of a worker, I am not crazy about this. Since he has no choice there no sense in getting worked up about this but still...

Boy, that is kind of disturbing. I've never had a flu shot, but I think I'd draw the line on the swine.

It's literally mandatory? I wonder how they can do that.

At the hospital where my husband works they aren't required to get a flu shot but they will not be covered for any sick days if they ge tthe flu. They haven't made any statement about the swine flu. We have two hospitals in town and the other hospital has one patient with swine flu in critical condition. She was pregnant. They did a c-section for the baby. He is doing only OK.

My neuro told me NOT to get the H1N1 vaccine. He said it was too new and he didnt like how it was rushed into production.

I wasnt planning on getting it anyways. I might get the seasonal flu vaccine...maybe. I'm not a big fan of vaccines. I think an MMR vaccine might have been the trigger for my MS "waking up" in 2006.

I took the course to be an immuniser for the new vaccine. It was interesting but I'm still in two minds myself. They said,
. the incidences of guillain barre from the last disasterous swine flu rush out was not attributed to the vaccine, just natural occurence. However, anyone with a history of GB should not receive the vaccine.
. encouraged for use in all pregnant women in all trimesters.
. only being tested on 45 children in the test group in south australia. no figures available on adult test samples group.
. the manufacture is exactly the same as for seasonal flu.
. no added elements are included on the new one that are not in the seasonal.
. the active part of the 'recipe' has been decided upon in the same way as for seasonal, in the same way, under the same conditions.
. it should not be any more 'dangerous' than any other new variant of seasonal that is changed every year as we know.

that's the official line anyway

PLEASE ask for the injection WITHOUT mercury! They do make it, but you have to request it in advance! If you are forced to take it, that could be helpful

You also could ask your MD to provide a letter that "boosting" the immune system of an MS patient, could result in relapse, and you are "opting out" with his permisson.

This would upset me.

A couple of years ago, when getting the seasonal flu shot, I asked for the one without mercury. They came in and were about to give me the FluMist vaccine. (the live virus vaccine)

They told me that there was no mercury free vaccine done by needle injection. That the mercury free vaccine was the FluMist.

MS Neuro told me that live virus vaccines are a big no-no with MS.

This year, I think I'm skipping both vaccinations. I'm glad that I dont do anything that "requires" me to get a vaccination. If my parents go out and get vaccinated, that's ok with me. I'm not doing it tho. I've started to not trust vaccines. (I probably read too much about them on the internet)

I asked my DH again - he said it is mandatory and it is required by NY STATE.

I can't understand either how they can do this.

So doydie what happens if your DH gets the flu shot and still gets the flu? Will they cover his sick days then since he did get vaccinated?

I'm also getting both as per my hospital's policy but I find your DH's facility's statment really odd. I thought it was common knowledge that there are no guarantees even if you are vaccinated. What I was taught to tell my patients is that if they do get the flu the thinking is that it won't be as severe as it might have been.

It probably is a violation of rights except as karousel wrote I'd prefer to know that my compromised/hospitalized loved one wasn't being cared for by a carrier of one of these diseases. As health care professionals kind of know there are certain risks involved in our jobs I guess.