After six more swine flu deaths were confirmed in New Jersey last week, making the total 28, people are still concerned about whether or not to get the vaccination.
While there are still questions about the vaccine being rushed for the public, the latest scare comes from a Youtube video about a Washington Redskins cheerleader getting Dystonia, a neurological disorder, after receiving a seasonal flu shot has been scaring viewers on the Internet, especially Montclair State University students.
Baristanet reported that the university had plans to vaccinate thousands from Nov. 9-13, however since then only about 1,400 from the campus community were vaccinated.
According to The Montclarion, 900 doses still remain from the 2,300 shipments they received. But, MSU still plans to have 6,000 more doses when they are available.
There have been 175 confirmed influenza cases at Montclair State University.
Continue reading to see the viral video.
The Montclarion reported:
Donna Barry, director of the University Health Center, admitted that, although there has been a “steady trickle” of people coming in to get vaccinated, more students should consider receiving the vaccine.
“We are concerned about students hearing inaccurate information of the vaccination and its symptoms,” she said.
While MSU was fully prepared for lines of students during their vaccination week–there was no rush. Some students came in and out between classes but the university ballrooms where the vaccinations were being administered were fairly empty.
Some students attribute the Youtube video to be one of the reasons why they were to afraid to receive the shot.
Freshmen Jason Sheets and Tim Small were at the vaccination clinic on Nov. 11. They said they both are getting the shots because their mother asked them to but were still hesitant because of people in their dorm rooms talking about the side effects and video.
Vaccines are still available at Passaic Valley High School, 100 East Main Street, Little Falls:
Wednesday, December 16, 4-7 pm
Friday, January 15, 4-7 pm
There is no residency requirements for the H1N1 clinic.
Have you gotten the vaccine yet? Experience any side effects? Are people over reacting to the Youtube video?
I wonder if the kids will be swayed the other way IF there were video of the 28 folks who died of Swine Flu?
Probably not.
Why does this article provide no context or framing of the YouTube video in question…A simple Google search of other news sources on the story turns up apparent evidence that she did *not* get dystonia from the flu shot.
It would be nice to point that out.
(Oh, and by the way, she’s apparently been “cured” now. Which is interesting, because there’s supposed to be no cure for dystonia.)
bloomfielder,
How DARE you want some context to a VIRAL VIDEO?
That’s the whole point: info getting out to the PEOPLE without THE MAN censoring it.
And who cares if it’s a hoax or something– it only was on Inside Edition?
Who cares.
Context is dead.
The video was compelling. Seemed real enough. Therefore, it’s true!!!
Accusations are flying in British and French media that the pandemic has been “hyped” by medical researchers to further their own cause, boost research grants and line the pockets of drug companies.
Britain’s Independent newspaper this week asked “Pandemic? What Pandemic?”
France’s Le Parisien newspaper ran the headline: “Swine flu: why the French distrust the vaccine” and noted a gap between the predicted impact of H1N1 and the less dramatic reality.
“Although some 30-odd people have died….the disease is not really frightening,” it said. “Dangerous liaisons between certain experts, the labs and the government, the obscurity of the contracts between the state and the pharma firms have added to the doubt.”
In response, scientists are walking a fine line. They say that although the virus is mild, it can still kill, and that the relatively low fatalities in Europe are in part, the result of official response to their advice.
However, in Britain, health authorities’ original worst-case scenario — which said as many as 65,000 could die from H1N1 — has twice been revised down and the prediction is now for around 1,000 deaths, way below the average annual toll of 4,000 to 8,000 deaths from seasonal winter flu.
I can understand why college students would pay more attention to a viral video showing the pretty cheerleader falling victim to the horrors of vaccinations, than to the fact that thousands die from the flu each year…
Many of them are healthy 20-somethings that do not really run the risk of dying from the flu. So, “dystonia or death” isn’t a real ultimatum for them, so long as they do not have an underlying condition. They see it more as “dystonia or being sick for a week.”
There are many very rational responses to the dystonia youtube video. Why aren’t the students watching/reading them? Poor media literacy skills!
People have been scrambling to get the injectable vaccine for their children with asthma. And MSU is sitting on 900 shots. I think they should give them to the local health departments. Poor, poor distribution of this vaccine. (And no, it’s not Obama’s fault. The CDC designated target populations and then left the rest up to the state. Blame NJ Dept of Health.)
I’m surprised the nurse in the Montclair State video doesn’t wear latex gloves. It seems that doctors and nurses are always wearing gloves and masks these days.
especially Montclair State University students.
This does not speak well for the state of education at MSU.
i’ll try to be constructive:
“Viral Video Scares Students from Vaccine”
“away from” vaccine?
“After six more swine flu deaths were confirmed in New Jersey last week, making the total 28, people are still concerned about whether or not to get the vaccination.”
The deaths were reported on the 18th, the sparsely attended MUS clinic were the 9-13 so how are these two things linked?
“While there are still questions about the vaccine being rushed for the public, the latest scare comes from a Youtube video about a Washington Redskins cheerleader getting Dystonia, a neurological disorder, after receiving a seasonal flu shot has been scaring viewers on the Internet, especially Montclair State University students.”
“rushed for the public” ? What does this mean? Rushed into production? Shipped in a rush? It’s very awkward phrasing at the least.
That paragraph is quite a run-on sentence.
“According to The Montclarion, 900 doses still remain from the 2,300 shipments they received. ”
This was probably one shipment of 2,300 doses and not 2,300 shipments. (though with how our government works it’s not totally impossible.)
“While MSU was fully prepared for lines of students during their vaccination week”
“their” would refer to “students” and I think you want to say it’s MSU’s vaccination week. “While MSU was fully prepared for lines of students during the university’s vaccination week” would be clearer. Or you could say “its vaccination week” though that’s not as clear.
“There have been 175 confirmed influenza cases at Montclair State University.”
Influenza or H1N1?
“Some students attribute the Youtube video to be one of the reasons why they were to afraid to receive the shot.”
“Youtube video as one of the reasons”
“They said they both are getting the shots because their mother asked them to but were still hesitant because of people in their dorm rooms talking about the side effects and video.”
Are they brothers since they have the same mother? Also should be two sentences.
*viral* video… I get it!
Wait, I don’t understand.
Deadly flu strain pops up in late spring, giving us a few months to come up with a solution. People wash their hands, cover themselves in hand sanitizer, avoid unnecessary crowds, get vaccinated, take anti-viral medications and stay home from work in the event they do get sick.
Get this: It works, the virus is contained and we all live to complain about it.
Well done, curmudgeons.
ROC, you never cease to amaze me with the heights of tediousness you’re able to attain.
Yet another case of people being whipped into a panic over something that is not really a threat at all.
RUSH to develop a vaccine? What rush?
I really don’t understand the concept that this vaccination was rushed.
Every year a flu strain is identified in Asia. Somewhere around the January – April timeframe. This strain is what hits the US the following flu season.
Every year, a new flu vaccine must be developed between March and October, when it is administrated.
How is the H1N1 vaccine any different than the strain of regular influenza vaccine we get every other year?
I was trying to constructively help Kate.
Presumably Kristie is an intern at Baristanet because she want’s to be a writer of some sort. It’s not very well written at all.
ROC–I hate to tell you, but your “want’s to be a writer” is also wrong, wrong, wrong.
Even though I make my living at putting words together, I generally don’t comment on others’ writing unless they solicit my input. Mostly because it’s obnoxious. And annoying.
But damn, man–if you’re going to offer that sort of unsolicited input, you’d better make sure that your own spelling and grammar are immaculate!
People should be scared. H1N1 is mild, but think of it as nature knocking on the door. The first knock is gentle, barely audible. Is there someone there? You ignore it and go back to work. Then another knock, more insistent, comes. It’s only a little old lady selling flowers. One day you go to your door to find a Humvee, engine revving, Arnold Schwarzeneggar on the driver’s seat.
The flu will be back.
Kate,
One doesn’t have to be perfect to be an editor or help someone write better. Feel free to correct my mistakes, I don’t mind.
I love you, Mathilda.
The 6 recent deaths were all by people with underlying medical conditions, per the article:
“The people who died all had underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and obesity, said Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Susan Walsh. Five of the six were hospitalized at the time of their deaths.”
The fact is that the swine flu is relatively mild and healthy people have little to fear. I will forego the shot, which according to reports was rushed into production with little testing and contains adjuvants or preservatives that it would be better to avoid.
Further, the threat of the swine flu has been hyped, to the benefit of the drug companies. Swine flu has turned out to be milder than regular flu.
Why does Baristanet seem to be on the swine flu panic bandwagon?
…which according to reports…
I can also find “reports” that UFOs are real, the moon is made of green cheese and bats lay eggs in your hair to make you go mad.
…was rushed into production with little testing and contains adjuvants or preservatives that it would be better to avoid.
False and false.
Why does Baristanet seem to be on the swine flu panic bandwagon?
Why do you ignore what qualified people say and listen to charlatans?
Even if it was 1 in a million chance of getting dystonia- I would take the vaccine.
I don’t often agree with ROC’s views, but he is an excellent writer and one could do worse than heed his advice.
No truly capable writer will be cowed by another’s criticism, provided that that criticism is legitimate.
After all, even Joyce and Faulkner had editors.
Cro, nearly anyone’s work can stand some editing–and yes, most authors have trusted editors.
However, it’s one thing to have one’s comments solicited as a trusted advisor and/or an expert editor. It’s quite another to attempt to parse every word of an intern’s post on a local blog. Like I said, that falls under the category of obnoxious.
My point stands–if you’re going to have the gall to dissect someone else’s writing, then your own should be pretty well beyond reproach. Otherwise, why the hell should anyone care what you have to say?
I don’t know katie. If you’re going to get into the writing game, you’ve got to have a pretty thick skin.
Like a stand-up comic’s.
Or a musician’s.
Or a presidential candidate’s.
Because ultimately, if you think its good, who gives a damn what anybody else thinks?
realhawker–really?? I see people with dystonia every month when I take my father to a movement disorders clinic. It’s disabling and painful, and there’s no particularly good treatment for it.
cain, I’m curious whom you’d consider ‘qualified’ to have an opinion about the vaccine?
You might want to read the very well referenced article that neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock wrote for Dr. Joe Mercola’s site: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/03/What-We-Have-Learned-About-the-Great-Swine-Flu-Pandemic.aspx
According to the CDC estimates, about 36,000 people in the US die each year from seasonal influenza (see http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/estimates_2009_h1n1.htm#Method). But from April-October 2009, the CDC estimated that there were 2,500-6,000 H1N1-related deaths in the US. Extrapolating from those 6-month numbers, it would be reasonable to assume that there will be no more than 12,000-15,000 deaths in 2009 related to H1N1–even if we double the CDC’s highest 6-month estimate and add a few thousand to account for the possibility of increased communicability during the school year.
Acknowledging that each one of those deaths is terrible for the victim and his/her family, what’s with the hysteria about this flu compared with the seasonal strains seen in previous years? I would never consider getting this (or any) flu vaccine unless I had an underlying health condition. Even then, I’d research very carefully before making a decision.
cro–I’m a performing songwriter and a writer, and agree with you 100%. And heck, for all I know the person who wrote the article in the first place wasn’t bothered at all by ROC’s post. That wasn’t really even my point, though.
I get some kind of weird amusement from reading this site on occasion. But there are several regular posters who appear to sit on the sidelines of life all day long taking potshots at those who write things (the authors of this blog) and those who do things (the subjects of the articles in the blog). What can I say? It gets on my nerves.
ROC seems to think he has a *lot* of important things to say via reader comments, so might I suggest he take it a step further and actually write something himself? I’m sure plenty of folks who read the site would be happy to give him “constructive” feedback to help him on his journey.
Well said, katie.
AND… grammatically OK as well!!!!!
Had mine 2 weeks ago. No big deal. No side effects.
Only problem is
that sometimes
when asleep in
the middle of
the night …
I OINK !!
Considering the shortage of vaccines, I have to wonder why healthy college students who do not fall under any of the priority groups are receiving the shots while those who do fall into these groups go without.
Because, RaeVan, the virus tends to spread rapidly in colleges, so they’re trying to nip it in the bud.
I’m with you tudlow… poor distribution plan (if there was a plan at all?)… There is a 3 yr old in my child’s preschool class who has lukemia & her family was scrambling around to find the vaccine for her. Her Pediatric Oncologist apparently never received his (pre-ordered) supply of vaccines! Yet thousands of doses arrive at MSU, where they don’t even want them. And there they sit… something is wrong with that picture.
Dr. Mercola is one of the few physicians willing to investigate the facts about the flu vaccines and has published a number of informative articles on his site, which include:
Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype and Hysteria -
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/24/Superstar-CBS-Reporter-Blows-the-Lid-Off-the-Swine-Flu-Media-Hype-and-Hysteria.aspx
Swine Flu is NOT the Problem: It is the Vaccine that May Harm or Kill you -http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/08/Swine-Flu-is-NOT-the-Problem—It-is-the-Vaccine-that-May-Harm-or-Kill-You.aspx
Before getting the shot for yourself or your family, I think it’s good to have an open mind and look at facts that usually are not presented in the mainstream media.
Some of us have been doing our best to keep on the reactions people are seeing…. there are so far ELEVEN GBS diagnosis. There are also some youtube videos on our blogspot that show some childrens’ reactions as well. No one in the big media is reporting on these reactions as a whole, you catch tid-bits here and there in local news. Anyone can go to the VAERS site (government vaccine reaction site) and click the “data” tab. You can then compare patient numbers (no names in system) and see that the person received the H1N1 vaccine and then you can see their reported symptoms, the doctors diagnosis, if 911 was called and what the ending result was. It’s quite disturbing. Our blogspot used to come up in the 1st 10 on google.com under “vaccine reactions” but then google censored us and we don’t come up at all in any searches.
http://vaccine-reactions.blogspot.com/
Dr. Mercola, of course, makes his living by bucking the establishment & selling stuff to those who find “holistic” an attractive buzzword.
Which is neither here nor there if he has a credible argument to make. But you go to his website & click on the “Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype and Hysteria” page, & what do you find? A pair of 8-minute videos & an “article” so obviously full of cherry-picked data & meaningless ranting that it isn’t even funny.
I don’t have 16 minutes to waste on a guy who can’t put anything substantive into one paragraph.
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So, order one of the convenient packages today and begin taking the same daily supplement formula I take. Oh, and there’s no reason to wait, everything is 100% guaranteed!
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pigfli: I tried to look at your website but it’s illegible. Seriously. Between the small-font italics & the harsh contrasting colors it’s impossible to read.
(from the products section of “Dr.” Mercola’s web site)
As Kristie would say,
“That Scares Me From Website”
Don’t get vaccinated. Instead send $72.97 a month to Dr. Mercola.
A savings of 25 percent!
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(As the prof would say:)
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Here’s a link to Dr. Mercola’s products.
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Your life–and Dr. Mercola’s livelihood–depend on it.
I wonder if Doc. Mercola has his products rushed for the public?
“Here at Dr. Mercola’s Natural Health Center (formerly the Optimal Wellness Center) we treat you from the paradigm that wellness is the ability to successfully create and achieve your own goals as defined by the purpose of your life.”
Formerly the Optimal Wellness Center
formerly the Center for Maximum Healthnicity
formerly Dr. Peppy’s Vitamin Barn
formerly Jock La Loon’s Institute of Bicepy Inflatefullness
formerly Dr. Krilloil’s Vitamatonicary
For the life of me, I can’t understand why the mainstream media ignores this stuff.
I’ve now watched the CBS video. Actually the one interesting point that’s buried in all the hoopla is that the CDC stopped testing for H1N1 flu in August, just as the flu season was getting under way.
The US News & World Report health expert interviewed said that that makes absolutely no sense in this day & age. How can you analyze the course of a possible pandemic after you stop collecting the data? I tend to agree. Right now that’s a mystifying decision.
And as for Mercola: he won’t let you go anywhere else on his website without giving up your email address to subscribe to his newsletter.
Once you give him someone else’s address, though, he’s got some great advice: