Me and my elderly Mom participated in a H1N1 study and just got back the results.

[snagglepuss]

The study was to test Ontarians for antibodies to H1N1 and determine who is at risk for infection by the H1N1 virus.

The results showed that niether of us had antibodies to virus which doesn't seem to be great news given that both of us got vaccinated.

snip

An "antibodies not detected" blood or saliva test result indicates that you do not have antibodies to the H1N1 'swine' flu virus. The result most likely means that you have not been infected with the virus.

If you received a vaccination against H1N1 ‘swine’ flu virus, there is a small chance that you did not produce antibodies to the virus as the vaccine is not 100 per cent effective. If you are elderly or immunocompromised, your body may not respond well to the vaccine and you may lose the antibodies that are produced in a short time period.

In addition, our test for the H1N1 ‘swine’ flu virus is new and may not be 100 per cent accurate.

[mzmolly]

1. Sheesh.

That sucks, for lack of a better word. If it's of any comfort we had it and my child was the only person in the house with any symptoms. In this case, symptoms were mild thankfully. I think my dh and I had protective antibodies from the previous swine flu outbreak because neither of us developed symptoms? On the other hand, our animals were sneezing and coughing. It was truly bizarre.

Stock up on vitamin C and D, as they may be helpful in prevention. Doesn't seem it can hurt to take them, regardless.

You may want to inquire about the nasal version of the vaccine? I wonder if the live version might offer better protection? I know that it's not recommended for everyone, however.

Best of luck!

[snagglepuss]

2. The strange thing is that I was 100% sure I contracted H1N1 even though I

was vaccinated because I came down with such a horrible flu last winter, had H1N1 symptoms such as utter exhaustion. I am really surprised that what I had must have been a 'common' flu virus.

[mzmolly]

3. I've read that contracting common flu

might offer some protection? Hopefully, if true, that's the case for you.

[snagglepuss]

4. The other odd thing which I recalled after reading your post is that my Mom

remembers clearly how sick she and my Dad were during the swine flu outbreak in the mid-fifties. So I am surprised that her results also indicate that she has never been exposed to the virus. As for vitamin D, we both take 2000 daily and have had our levels tested. Come Sept the dose will be upped to 5000 mg daily and hope this year's vaccine will be more effective.

[mzmolly]

8. Strange indeed.

Do inquire about the nasal version. It may be more effective. Though again, I know it's contradicted in those with compromised immune systems etc.

[trotsky]

5. Yup, that is why it is in society's best interest to vaccinate as much as possible.

Oh, vaccines could probably be made 100% effective, but the risk then is being more likely to actually cause the disease in someone. You want the virus to be strong enough to replicate a bit, but not strong enough to engage in a full-on assault on your immune system. Tough balancing act, and of course vaccine manufacturers are going to err on the side of the latter. But as long as enough of us get immunized, herd immunity will protect the rest. Vaccination is a liberal, socially responsible thing to do. The fearmongers who bash vaccines without any facts on their side are doing many people harm.

[snagglepuss]

6. That's a very good point, one that should be stressed. I imagine

there may be many people who don't realize that vaccines are not always effective. I myself thought that flu vaccines won't be effective if they target the wrong strain but I didn't realize that one's body might simply not create antibodies.

Do you know whether that is always because the strain isn't strong enough or might it indicate the immune system is weak?

[trotsky]

7. Could be either of those, or plenty of other reasons.

And it's not necessarily that the immune system is weak, just that it doesn't recognize it as a dangerous invader. Incredibly fine line it has to walk, when you think about it. Say it mauled everything that didn't have your DNA. Crap, you wouldn't survive much past birth. It'd destroy all the friendly microbes in you, attack every particle of dust or pollen, etc. It's really a testament to medical science that vaccines work as well as they do, when there are so many variables in play.