Attempting to innoculate all students against the flu, is in all reality, about as futile as finding a needle in a haystack. There are so many different strains of flu out there, that the one they are making the injection for is just a GUESS as to which strain will hit here. In all actuality(if you check with the health officials worldwide, not just here in Qatar), the elderly and extremely young, should get the injection. Or, if you or your child has respiratory problems or prior health issues, get the injection.
I find it rather interesting that the swine flu has been around for over 30 years but just this year its made the news again and the media is acting like it something new. I remember getting the injection for it when I was a freshman in college because health officials were scared it was going to hit. Its nothing new, just now more widely publicized. My sister and her future husband also received the injection. They got ill, ran fever of 102 degrees Farenheit, and I had to take care of them for 3 days while they recovered from the injection itself. It did nothing to me. And for the record...the swine flu DIDN'T hit hard that year, in fact, it just kinda got forgotten by the media because it wasn't a big news story.
I also have been the lucky recipient of a flu injection and STILL got the flu 2 months later. That would have been the strain that WASN'T on the list of most likely to hit the area I lived in, obviously.
That being said...parents, YOU are the only ones who can make this decision for your children. Weigh the risks and the potential benefits...then decide. Do research on the internet for the pros and cons.
Attempting to innoculate all students against the flu, is in all reality, about as futile as finding a needle in a haystack. There are so many different strains of flu out there, that the one they are making the injection for is just a GUESS as to which strain will hit here. In all actuality(if you check with the health officials worldwide, not just here in Qatar), the elderly and extremely young, should get the injection. Or, if you or your child has respiratory problems or prior health issues, get the injection.
I find it rather interesting that the swine flu has been around for over 30 years but just this year its made the news again and the media is acting like it something new. I remember getting the injection for it when I was a freshman in college because health officials were scared it was going to hit. Its nothing new, just now more widely publicized. My sister and her future husband also received the injection. They got ill, ran fever of 102 degrees Farenheit, and I had to take care of them for 3 days while they recovered from the injection itself. It did nothing to me. And for the record...the swine flu DIDN'T hit hard that year, in fact, it just kinda got forgotten by the media because it wasn't a big news story.
I also have been the lucky recipient of a flu injection and STILL got the flu 2 months later. That would have been the strain that WASN'T on the list of most likely to hit the area I lived in, obviously.
That being said...parents, YOU are the only ones who can make this decision for your children. Weigh the risks and the potential benefits...then decide. Do research on the internet for the pros and cons.