As Dr. Andrew Weil has said (paraphrase), "If I get run over by a bus, please take me to the ER asap,and not to a crystal healer"

In the meantime, if you can't get a vaccine, take 5000 IU of Vitamin D a day. It has a proven role in preventing respiratory infections, its extraordinarily cheap and safe, and anyone who lives in the Northern latitiudes is most likely deficient.

The anti-vaccine nuts are morons. There are NO adjuvants in any US vaccine. If you happen to get one of the vaccines that does contain thimerosal, the amount of mercury you will receive is less than that of a single tuna sandwich. And its also a different form of mercury from the one we pickup in food, ethylmercury rather than methylmercury, and it has a half-life of only a few days in people. Thimerosal has been removed from childhood vaccines as well (with no impact on the increasing rate of autism).

Hooray for New Yorkers who recognize the threat posed by swine flu. Right now, Ukraine is in the throes of a serious epidemic with 1,400,000 sick, 70,000 in the hospital, and 300 already dead, all within the past three weeks or so. And we have the largest Russian/Ukranian community in the world outside of Russia and Ukraine, with people traveling to and from on a regular basis.

As an aside, why do the anti-vaccine "activists" keep mentioning the ALLEGED dangers of adjuvants when no US vaccine contains ANY adhuvant. And why do they keep mentioning the alleged danger of the tiny trace amounts of preservative (thimerosal aka ethyl mercury) when a large percentage of vaccine has no preservative (both the Flumist as well as vaccines in single dose vials). Why must they be so intellectually dishonest and constantly lie their behinds off?

Andre, because they're not that different than Wingnut Teabaggers.

I.e., they find a lengthy website full of a lot of unproven claims,

(the more lengthy the better, and more validating of course) and take it as fact. (Kind of like folks having proof that Obama has been sent to us from an evil galaxy)

Shinobi Shaw, Please sit down and shut up.

No one is forcing you to do anything, except to write pap.

And maybe be glad you can actually stand up if you choose

as a result of that minor Jonas Salk discovery,

the polio vaccine.

Manhattan site was the only school with long lines. I went to the queens (PS 77) site and walked right in. Absolutely no wait.

I hope you anti-vaccine morons die of some crazy hybrid smallpox/influenza/Measles disease. Either that or fall in a vat of mercury.

What you do with your body is your decision and your problem, if you want to inject mercury among other toxic substances that will delibitate (not strengthend) your immune system that's fine by me.

But no one should force somebody who does not want to, to actually take it.

Forcing people take Vaccines that can harm them is downright Tyrannical.

saw a long line at Wal-Mart today for the vaccine too

This is brilliant. Almost no high-risk patients can get the vaccine from their own doctor, yet the NYC Health Dept. seems to have plenty, but is rationing it out in once-a-week flu clinics over the next month, where you have to wait 90 minutes in the rain.

It's amazing how long people will stand in line to get their children injected with mercury, aluminum, and possibly squalene (amongst other nasty adjuvants). They might be on the fast track to autism, dystonia, gullian barre syndrome, or other terrible conditions. Think twice people. No, think three times before drinking the kool aid the government and big pharma are offering you. Get educated before you trustingly bare your arm to them for whatever they want to vaccinate you with.

Anyone who is worried about this kind of anti-vaccine hysteria should read this very thorough Wired article from this month's issue: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_waronscience

Oh please, do you think I am going to fall for a propagandist magazine like WIRED?

I practically see this magazine shilling propaganda for Corporations and Government all the time.

It's negated.

might

How much it must have pained you to have to type that word in.

My wife is 9-months pregnant, so we decided to go up to 82nd to get the shot. Big mistake-- by the time we got there at 1pm, the line was already three blocks long, and hardly moving. Like most pregnant ladies at the end of their term, my wife couldn't stand in line for 3 hours-- that's a long time to be on your feet and not able to pee! So we walked to the front of the line, and asked nicely if they could make an exception, given the circumstances, and let her skip. They turned her down flat, and told her she could either get in line and wait, or come back tomorrow, but the line would probably be the same length or longer (since it wouldn't be raining!)

It doesn't make sense to me that the DOH would make pregnant women and old people stand out in the rain for three hours. Common sense says that's a good way to get people sick.

Anyway, we'll try again tomorrow at one of the Brooklyn locations and report back-- a friend of mine said the lines there were shorter.

"It doesn't make sense to me that the DOH would make pregnant women and old people stand out in the rain for three hours. Common sense says that's a good way to get people sick."

What did Thomas Paine say about common sense? Oh yeah, that's right, not so common...

Jake, standing in the cold and rain will not in fact make anyone sick, it just doesn't work that way. Viruses are what make people sick, not the cold, not the rain. They may make you feel worse if you are already sick but they can't actually make you sick. The reason that more people get sick in the wintertime than in the summer is because folks tend to stay indoors due to conditions and germs have a much greater opportunity to spread.

And about your methods. Perhaps don't wait until 1:00 in the afternoon to get to the clinic if this is a priority. I went this past Saturday at 10:00 with my family and we all got vaccinated - all of us, me too, and I'm not in any risk category being a guy/not pregnant/not around young kids/ not elderly, etc. I wasn't even planning on it but they ended up having enough to go around and my chick made me get it.

The early bird gets the worm dude.

Please do not give your pregnant wife the swine flu vaccine, This could potentially kill the child and your wife. You shouldn't take this either. I suggest you do some research on it before you inject yourself.

this a good website to start

http://drtenpenny.com/default.aspx

You are not a doctor.

pretty ironic that most of these people will probably get the normal flu trying to protect themselves from the swine flu.

Hmmm... people could get sick standing outside in a steady downpour waiting for a vaccine to prevent them from getting sick in the first place