Dear Dr. Mercola,
I am a 29-year-old woman with spinal muscular atrophy type II... I live in Toronto, Ontario, and there is a lot of publicity in my area about increased incidence of H1N1 infection, with 37 people having already passed away, and 150 people in the hospital in critical condition. I am very concerned because, I have a 40% reduced lung capacity because of my disorder and usually, even when I get a cold, it can turn into pneumonia quite easily. I am wondering if, in my case, it would be advisable to take the vaccine... using sort of a risk/benefit analysis of the situation, or whether it would be better to hold off?
I know that there is some relationship between this vaccination and nerve damage. It is possible that my disorder, itself, was caused by the DTP vaccination (this is still under debate in the medical community), and I wouldn't want to risk further damage from the vaccine.
That said, I will be traveling to Florida this coming Sunday, November 8, for a surgical consultation and am especially nervous about exposure to viruses on the plane, and while away.
Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Stella
There is a lot of information about vaccines on swineflu.mercola.com and nvic.org. The overwhelming information about vaccine dangers are really alarming, so I can understand why you're worried. You may want to look into more natural ways of strengthening your immune system. Avoid sugars as much as possible and get a good night's sleep before your flight.