H1N1 Vaccine and Your Baby

H1N1 Vaccine and Your Baby

By Margaret Gaia

With the recent widespread activity of the H1N1 Swine Flu, it is a constant worry amongst parents as to how they should react if they toddler or baby gets the virus.  The fact is, infants and toddlers may be vulnerable to the Swine Flu, but may not be a candidate for the vaccine.  This is a problem and one that should not go unnoticed, as according to the CDC, children under five years of age are extremely vulnerable to this flu string.   

By now you might assume everyone knows what the H1N1 Flu String is and how to avoid having it.  I was surprised to find out that more people remain unaware of its definition than ones that actually are educated on its string, symptoms, and proper treatment.   The virus was originally called “swine flu” as laboratory testing proved that the genes that were found in this particular string were often similar to those found in the influenza strings typically occurring in pigs in North America.  Truth is, and this is one opinion, over 10,000 of flu cases each year result in a fatal experience to the person affected by the string, therefore the H1N1 is just another string.  The problem occurs when there is not a vaccine because the string is new, and the medical practices are not informed of the genes throughout the case itself.

The Swine Flu & Your Baby

The swine flu vaccine is not provided to extremely young babies.  In a recent visit with Dr. Joel in Memphis, TN, he explained that the baby needs to ride it out and be monitored.  They typically have taken the measure of treating the swine flu in young babies just as if they would any other string of the flu.  This has been successful for them, but that is not to say this is a universal medical practice.  The CDC makes the case that any child under the age of six months should be protected from environments that may promote the virus and the parents should receive the vaccine.  On another note, children under the age of six months are still feeding their immune system thru the mother, therefore if the mother is treated with the vaccination, the baby would then potentially be protected thru the mother’s immune system and nutrients.   While the CDC makes this case for breastfeeding mothers, it seems that there are others that contradict this statement.  As a result, it is best to consult your physician on the matter and treat this on a case by case basis.

For babies and toddlers, this recommendation is the exact opposite as the CDC suggests that all children over the age of six months should be vaccinated for the H1N1.  The environments in which older children are subjected to are more populated and community situations, therefore with this type of concentration on smaller areas, it would be a higher risk of inheriting the string from others that may be carrying.  Again, as a common practice, always consult your physician as your Dr. knows your baby’s case and may offer the best advice.  This is not a situation that can be a blanket decision, yet needs to be handled on an individual basis.