We have waited that very famous swine flu throughout the summer; started at Mexico before the summer, than paused during the summer and resumed at Fall at all around the World.

Turkey has given order for about 40 millions charges of vaccine. A part of those charges have arrived to Turkey a short while ago. The Health Minister of Turkey, Recep Akdağ, has been vaccinated in front of the cameras and fallen in difference of idea with Tayyip Erdoğan, PM of Turkey.

Minds were confussed and have been confused more by the explanation of Tayyip Erdoğan; when he told that he wouldn´t have been vaccinated, at a very opposite side of "his health minister."

Now, there is a fact in front of us. Death toll rises day by day and recent toll is 93. Turkish Society has been "swinging" between being vaccinated and the fear of that flu.

What are you doing to do? Are you going to close all your ears for all conspiracy theories and going to be vaccinated? Share you ideas here, this topic needs to be discussed.

Note: Vaccine is always told that it contained "mercury" inside it. "Turkey is trying to be used as subject" is another claim.

Thx, turkishcobra //

Turkish Translation for Learners:

Domuz Gribi Tartışması; Aşı Korunmak için Tek Yol mu?

Yaz boyunca şu çok meşhur Domuz Gribi´ni bekledik; yaz mevsiminden önce Meksika´da başladı, yazın ara verdi ve sonbaharda bütün dünyada yeniden yayılmaya başladı.

Türkiye yaklaşık kırk milyon doz aşı sipariş etti. Bu dozların bir kısmı, kısa bir süre önce Türkiye´ye geldi. Sağlık Bakanı Recep Akdağ, kameraların karşısında aşı oldu ve Başbakan Erdoğdan´la bu konuda fikir ayrılığına düştü.

Kafalar zaten karışıktı ve Başbakan Tayyip Erdoğan´ın yaptığı açıklamayla daha da karıştı; o, "sağlık bakanının" aksine, aşı olmayacağını söyledi.

Şimdi önümüzde bir gerçek var. Ölü sayısı her geçen gün yükseliyor ve son ölü sayısı 93. Türk Toplumu, aşı olmakla grip korkusu arasında gidip geliyor.

Peki, siz ne yapacaksınız? Bütün komplo teorilerine kulaklarınızı tıkayıp aşı olacak mısınız? Düşüncelerinizi paylaşın, bu konunun tartışılmaya ihtiyacı var.

Not: Aşının cıva içerdiğinden bahsedildi hep. "Türkiye kobay olarak kullanılıyor" da başka bir iddia.

Teşekkürler, turkishcobra //

I see you are a victim of media hype!

For example, did you know that the figures of people dying from the flu are 0.4%.  This is exactly the same as for ordinary flu, that we all see every year.

The only difference is that this flu appears to affect younger people more.  Most people will just experience mild symptoms (much milder than with ordinary flu).  Only people who have chronic illness, are pregnant etc. need to take extra precautions.

It is thought that the number of people who have had true Swine Flu is grossly over-estimated as people with colds and other flu viruses are being miss-diagnosed.

For goodness sake stop this ridiculous scare mongering!!!!!

hmmm...any vaccine is a "mild version" of the desease it´s supposed to keep you clear from...so i think if i get vaccinated, i get a desease 100%, ok - in a mild portion, but still - i´ll get it. but if i don´t get vaccinated - they say pig flu doesn´t (mostly) have a lethal ending...so is this vaccination really so important for me right now? maybe i won´t catch the infection at all? coz it won´t last for long anyway. but with vaccine i´m getting it 100%. hmm...tough question...  but i think i´ll see what will happen around me, first. if my closest neighbours will get it and die, i´ll get vaccinated, too...otherwise - i see no reason to deliberately accept the illness in a syringe from my doctor.  just some blonde thoughts 

 I don´t see the need for vaccination for myself, especially since im not in the risk groups. What I did since the virus came to Ankara: eating healthier, more fruits and vegetables for my resistance against the flu to rise, I desinfect my hands on each occassion, put on a scarf around my mouth and nose when Im in public transport (and try to sit in the back of the dolmuş not to touch everyone´s coins ) and I stay away from people who are ill. Not much more you can do!

I dont want to trivialize the danger of the swine flu, but people die of flu every year (and though this has effected more younger generations than any other kind of flu, the death rate is similar!) and when you look at the victims in Turkey, half of them had chronic diseases. they may not have been severly ill or have a serious health problem, but as soon as your immunity system has some defects or has to fight other things in your body, you can only guess what the virus will do... the same thing any other virus would.

Flu this season is not just a media hype. There really are more people getting very sick, even the young and healthy. Not just the H1N1, but the regular flu seems to be worse, and seems to attack young people to a larger extent.

I agree with deli_kizin.Yes it´s good to think a little about our imunity system,to "improve "its work:eating fresh fruit(because they are rich in C vitamin),taking vitamin C,special plant teas that increase our imunity or are good for influenza.

Did you know some plants have a certain antivirotic action,like cinammon.Cinammon fights against flu viruses,that´s why in some countries people used to drink boiled red wine with pepper,cinamon.It was not the wine who helped them,but the cinammon.When I make my plant tea I add a little cinamon.

I´ve tried in many cases nathurist therapy and it did work!

Maybe in Turkey the pig flu will not spread too much because I think there are not many pigs,aren´t they?

I wish good health to everybody!

 Oh thats good. I drink coffee with cinnamon in it twice a day.

And I hope you don´t mean this seriously. If you do, google the word ´virus´ and see how a virus spreads

Reminds me of a turkish journalist saying in a column ´Im not afraid of the Swine flu, let those who eat pork worry about it´. Wasnt sure if I should laugh or cry about this ignorance.

just improve and strengthen your immune system, and actually dont be afraid of swine flu. its just a new virus, and needs to make its deadly way around. its different because it didnt go through the 3rd stage yet, and was able to go through a cycle, and higher its death potential. i hope the children and elderly take extra precaution though, and just keep a bottle of antibacterial sanitizer after using buses etc..

i use a mix of vitamin c and rosehip. this is my first time in winter(have always stayed in my hot climate farm back in the states, and havent been sick yet, insallah it will stay that way!

im actually thinking to make myself get ´swine flu´ so i can get immune to it, but i don´t trust it yet, because its a really interesting new virus, not alot like others.

cinnamon is right though, as youve mentioned. also oregano with its microbial (its different in spanish) activity and it cleanses your system good.

be safe!! (:

The best thing to do is to avoid sick contacts, avoid crowded places, stay home if you feel sick and wash your hands obsessively!!

 Absolutely the right advice, plus drink lots of wine

Must say I´m in a bit of a quandary myself. Most of my contemporaries have had the jabs but I have never bothered. 

Avoiding crowded places is the most impossible precaution. Even washing hands and drinking herbal mixtures sound more logical. It is impossible to be isolated from the city´s crowded.

Uhh, what about the vaccination ??

 Well, sorry but yes it IS media hype that this virus will kill you and is sweeping through countries.  It is spreading less quickly than "ordinary" flu and killing no more people than "ordinary" flu kills every year.   It will "kill you" only if you are already ill or weakened by other conditions.

I already said that it is affecting younger people more than ordinary flu - but you can´t deny that the media have been scare mongoring to the extent that people are seeking Tamiflu every time they get a slight cold and that heath services have been severely affected by the demand and costs are in the millions.

My last comment on the subject - does anyone remember Bird Flu?  It was going to KILL US ALL 4 years ago - the media went crazy, I remember people cancelling holidays to Turkey when it was reported that there were a couple of cases there, people had chickens slaughtered.....

... and yet, here we all are, strangely and miraculously ALIVE!!!!

(have a look at this):-

http://www.turkishclass.com/forumTitle_709_2

http://www.turkishclass.com/forumTitle_2269

Or you can just have the vaccine and then do everything normal, without having to think about the swineflue at all 

 Sort of without knowing the side-effects of the vaccination ; and having to stay inside for about 2 weeks after you got the vaccination, it seems unlogic to me to get people vaccinated with a flu that is spreading fast and then letting them go on the street? They are likely to spread their virus. Or am I wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTgyakGAddM

Talks with the ex-minister of health of Finland about swine flu

Note: deleted juliacerna´s double post.

Since my occupation is in Infection Control and Employee Health, I thought I would share some info with you all:

Th reason bird flu did not spread as widely as first fears is that it has not fully mutated into a virus that is easily spread between birds and humans.  The people who initially got bird flu or H5N3, where in direct contact with infected birds and then some family members of these people did contract the virus (which means that is at least partically mutated).  Don´t fool yourself into a false sense of security that this will never come to pass.  The reason this particular flu was so deadly and so feared is because it is a new strain of influenza never before introduced into the human population.  If it ever does mutate, it will be a significant health risk, and many people will become very very ill. 

As for H1N1, I work in a hospital and people have died from it.  Two victims where in there late 60s, one victim in there 20s and one was an infant.  There is some discussion in the medical community that people who were around for the swine flu epidemic in the 1970s may have some latent immunity to the disease and this is why they are not getting sick but this is just theory.  I recently attended a Pandemic Flu conference here in Houston and many epidemiologists agree that H1N1 isn´t as bad as it could have been but warned that we are only in the first wave of the outbreak and that the outbreak will continue until everyone has either been vaccinated or exposed. 

The media does tend to hype up outbreaks, and it is very frustrating as a medical person to know that people are just sick of hearing it.  The fact of the matter is, if you are not in a risk group then you probably know someone who is, and you should get vaccinated for their sake if not your own.  If you choose not to get vaccinated, then you should stay home if you are ill. 

Take care of yourself everyone!!! AND REMEMBER.....WASH YOUR HANDS!!!!

How many people have died of swine flu in Turkey so far ?

Answer: 112

how about in the UK

215

Population of Turkey > 74.8 Milyon

pop. of the uk > 61.6 milyon

*ETT

People should always look after their health...you should always wash your hands When did this become news? I am thankful that people get scared and wash their hands more cause I´m more shocked about the number of people who don´t wash their hands after going to the toilet, then about the number of people who die of mexican/swine flu.

I know that some Americans only use roll paper. They dont wash it

People should wash hands several times a day....not just after using the rest room!!!

Sorry...just trying to share some knowledge from ACTUAL practice and not the news! 

It did mutate. recent news from Norway confirm that the virus mutated in 3 cases. Pharmaceutical companies assure that the vaccins provide protection eventhough the virus mutated !

(article in french)

(http://www.20minutes.fr/article/365100/Monde-Grippe-a-H1N1-Le-virus-a-mute.php 

In France mass vaccination campaign started. Vaccins are provided for free.  

This week pregnant women (>3months) and children (<23months old) are invited to go to vaccination centers (managed & controlled by the french army)

When you read about the side effects of the vaccin and the adjuvants, you get reluctant to go vaccinate your children and get vaccinated. But then you hear about how fast it is spreading in schools and how healthy kids are in critical condition now after they got the virus you get scared! 

It keeps us wondering Why would a government do a national campaign and vaccinate all citizens starting with children if the vaccin is not safe!!???

It is true that the government paid lots of money to pharmaceutical companies to get the vaccin but afterall they are giving it for free for everyone. So the hypothesis of "they are making money out of this" does not stand !!

Honestly it is hard to take a decision whether to give your child the vaccin or not!!

 Again...all I am saying is that the numbers of people dying from Swine Flu are no higher than normally die from flu every year. 

Maybe the difference is that it is affecting younger people - and a younger life is considered more important

It´s very frustrating to see the media gets people worked into a frenzy which eventually dies down and then people become apathetic and don´t see the real danger that still exists.  You´re correct the swine flu is not as pervasive as seansonal flu but this is not to say that it is harmless or can not become even more mutated and cause even more illness and death.  My message is to be cautious and to do everything you can to prevent yourself and your loved ones from becoming ill. 

The fact that not many people have died is a tribute to the hard work that the World Health Organization, individual countries, local health departments and our everyday healthcare workers have done in educating the public and getting the vaccine and/or treatment to the general public in record time!      

I do not believe I have said anywhere in my posts that I am apathetic and do not see any danger, however, the title of this thread alone is very funny (...the only way to be SAVED) ahaha and also you are condoning everyone getting vaccinated when in fact there is not enough vaccine for EVERYONE to have (and even if they could, countries could not afford it!).

You have also not mentioned the thousandsof people who have been MISDIAGNOSED with Swine Flu, when in fact they have mild colds or seasonal flu, because doctors have refused to see them and have diagnosed over the phone.

I think the above puts things a bit more into perspective.  I am not saying that you, or anyone else is not doing a good job, I am merely saying that we are NOT ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!

Yes that is great

I agree...the title of this post does lend itself to a bit of drama and hysteria! 

My daughter´s mother -in-law died last week with swine flu. She rang the help line twice and was told she did not have swine flu. She did not have any other underlying illnesses, but i would still not have the injection.

my condolences to you and your family 

Actually we ARE all going to die                                                                                                                                                                       

This is the only guarantee in life

 Hahaha good point Maisie - yes we ARE all going to die!  (I missed you here )

As I am living in the UAE, a main tourist destination, we are hit by the swine flu earlier and harder than many places... now everybody is over it I think.. at least me.  Anyway, I received this email from a friend... worth to read.. but I will not have my kids vaccinated, as one of them already got it (confirmed) and got over it, and most likely the other ones too... 

IT’S REALY DANGEROUS….

   
"The H1N1 vaccination program, when put into the same frame as the engineered virus to go with it, appears to be a clear effort to divide humanity into two groups; those who have lost their intellect, health and sexuality via a tainted vaccination, and those who have not and are therefore superior." 

PLEASE GO TO THE LINK BELOW…

http://www.jimstonefreelance.com/squalene.html

 PLEASE DON’T ALLOW THEM TO KILL YOUR KIDS…

There generally is a problem with vaccinations. Two months ago I was in two minds about whether or not to vaccinate my son against Mumps, Rubella and Measels (with the inafmous MMR vaccine). Having read both the terrifying stories of mums who vaccinated their children and now regret it and scientific blah blah blah I took the reasonable approach and calculated the risk, I compared the percentage of childen allegedly suffering from post-immunisation effects (autism included) and the percentage of children whose well-being was ruined after coming down with one of these illnesses. And the numbers told me it´s safer to vaccinate although there still is some risk.

As for swine flu, there´s no way I´m vaccinating my little terrorist. The vaccine has not been on the market long enough to know the side and post effects and the virus mutates quickly enough the vaccine might soon not be able to work. But that´s just my opinion...

What about my mom?

My mom is in a high risk group, so she always gets the vaccin for the normal flu (she has a form of astma). So now, she also got offered the swine flu one... why take the normal vaccin but not the swine flu one? Anyway, for her, I think it makes sense. If she gets any kind of flu she could very easily die from not being able to catch her breath.

I´m not getting the vaccin, because I´m not in a high risk environment and in good health. Annnd, because I would have to pay for it and I´m to cheap to pay that kind of many Just give me some alcohol whipes and I´m fine

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8376534.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/8373908.stm

I think wine helps...

Helps what?

Well you do have a point there.....I think a lot of people forget about that.....

I generaly avoid vaccinations myself.....but I have more opportunities and choices than some.

As a parent, it´s a big decision. We get vaccinated against a lot of horrid diseases and most the time they seem to work. I think it´s best to do research (as you are doing) and choose carefully.

Some illnesses were wiped out by vaccinations..things like polio, a truly horrific disease that affected millions of people. Many victims of polio are around still suffering from the effects.  I would not prohibit any child from gettng a polio shot, would you? ..........but I would be very careful in researching and asking questions about just what vaccine was being used.

As for flu shots....they only work on particular ones....not all of them. The best tactic is taking care by watching what you touch, wash your hands....stay out of crowded areas....but it´s hard. Everyone does not have that freedome to choose where they go and do not have access to sanitary facilities. They also don´t have access to healthy foods, so it´s impossible for them to fortify their systems to fight diseases.