I’ve been getting a lot of questions in response to a recent blog I wrote about monitoring H1N1 vaccine side effects, so I wanted to take the time to address some of your concerns. I know the overload of information on this pandemic can be confusing, but I’m here to help, so keep the questions coming and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

I thought I heard that the H1N1 vaccine is bad for pregnant women as it has long term effects on the baby. Now, I find nothing on Fox about that. Can you PLEASE clear this up? My daughter is 6 months pregnant and does not know what to do!!
 
You must have heard wrong. We have been saying right from the beginning, as we say every year for the regular flu shot: Pregnant women are considered a high-risk group. Pregnant women have an underactive immune system as well as compromised respiratory capacity, so if a pregnant woman gets the flu, she could have serious side effects, which may not only jeopardize her health – but that of her unborn child. So get both flu shots!

Once you have had H1N1, can you get it again in the same season? What about next season? Can we get it again after it mutates?

We do not know the complete answer to this question however, if you have had the current H1N1 flu strain, you probably have immunity to this specific strain of the virus. So this season, you may have nothing to worry about. However, if the virus mutates or a new strain of H1N1 virus emerges, past exposures to the current flu strain may not be protective.

My son is 15 months old and he is borderline asthmatic. Should I get the vaccine? So many people say yes, and so many people say no. I’m so confused and don’t know what to do!! Please help!

The answer to your question is, yes. The CDC is specifically looking at children with asthma. Many of the complicated H1N1 cases we’ve seen have been in asthmatic children. The combination of viral pneumonia and asthma in a small child could be quite devastating and deadly. So talk to your pediatrician and strongly consider vaccinating your child. And don’t forget to get yourself immunized.

If the H1N1 vaccine is not available, will the pneumonia vaccine help protect your lungs from getting pneumonia if you get the flu?

The pneumonia vaccine is targeted to protect against bacterial pneumonia – specifically pneumococcal pneumonia. This will not offer protection against a viral pneumonia – which can be a complication of the flu. So talk to your doctor before you make any decisions.

There has been a lot of push back when it comes to the H1N1 flu vaccine. Of course, as with any medication, there could be side effects because not all immune systems are created equal.

But what people have to remember is their reasons for not supporting the vaccine – mainly because of the fear that it was rushed and long-term side effects are not yet known – are some of the same reasons preliminary reports of possible side effects could also be coincidental. For example, if someone has a heart attack after receiving their H1N1 flu shot, are they going to assume it’s directly related to the vaccine or attribute it to unhealthy lifestyle decisions?

The Associated Press recently published an article on this topic that looked at how the government will be intensely tracking the side effects of this vaccine and separating legitimate medical concerns from inevitable coincidences.

This is a proactive plan. The government is going to be putting information together for the public in an effort to stop the spread of false rumors and try to put the public at ease.

One major focus will be miscarriage since they are encouraging pregnant women to get the vaccine and miscarriages are quite common anyway.

Like the seasonal influenza vaccine, medical professionals expect the side effects associated with the H1N1 flu vaccine should be minimal. The most common side effect with all flu vaccines is soreness at the injection site, and sometimes people feel achy.

Many Americans are concerned about the safety and efficacy of the newly developed H1N1 flu shot because of a similar vaccine that was linked to a swine flu-like outbreak at Fort Dix in 1976.

Guillain-Barre occurs naturally following upper respiratory illnesses, digestive illnesses and on rare occasions – is associated with drugs and vaccines. However, the frequency is still 1-2 per 100,000 people.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on this, and if anything is reported, I’ll be the first one to let you know.

I read an interesting article today reporting the findings from a poll that seriously contradict what the White House and the AMA have been suggesting about the way medical professionals feel about the proposed bill to overhaul the health care system. And while I can’t say I’m surprised at the overwhelming negative response to the plan – the statistics speak volumes.

An IBD/TIPP poll found the following:

– 45% of doctors polled said they would consider leaving their practice or retiring early if the proposed health care bill was to pass

– 65% or 2 out of 3 practicing physicians polled say they oppose the plan

– 72% of doctors polled disagree with the administration’s claim that the government can cover 47 million more Americans with better quality care and at a lower cost

Click here to read the full article

I think there’s some truth to this study – and here’s why…

Right now, doctors are caught between a rock and a hard place and we have very few alternatives – many doctors have already started moving to other parts of the country where there is less government regulation on how they run their practice. What we are finding – and will continue to find with this health care bill looming – is that doctors have already started dropping their private practices and taking hospital jobs. Many are changing specialties or plan on not offering certain procedures because of strict government regulation once we move toward a universalized health care system – and for those doctors to perform procedure using local hospital facilities, well, that costs money, too. We’ve been facing a primary care doctor shortage for years now, and the numbers continue to drop. All of these things have a negative impact on the quality of care patients receive.

So I want to do a little research of my own. I want to hear what YOU think – especially if you’re a doctor or in the medical field. How do you feel about the proposed bill and do you think that it will cause doctors to leave the medical field?

Make your voice heard! I’ll be reading some of your comments on FOX & Friends tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. E.T., where we’ll be discussing this report in more depth.

Bristol Palin, 18, went “On the Record” Monday with Greta Van Susteren in her first TV interview since giving birth to her 2-month-old son, Tripp. 

On the one hand, she was touted by some as a new spokesperson against teen pregnancy.  After all, she stated that she would have preferred waiting to give birth until she was much older.  But that was the weaker hand being played, regardless of what Palin intended.  As a pretty, intelligent, poised and smiling teenager on national television with a cute baby, Palin has, perhaps unwittingly, become a spokesperson for teen pregnancy.

Palin told Van Susteren that her baby brings “so much joy,” she doesn’t regret giving birth to him at all.  She just wishes he had entered her life about ten years later.  She, like Jamie Lynn Spears, is helping paint a picture of teen mothers as happy, strong and confident young women, enjoying the limelight and making the best of things with the support of their loving families.

Palin looked as well-kempt and well-rested as she was well-spoken.  There was no desperation in her voice.  She shed no tears of panic or guilt.  She hasn’t sworn off sex.  She hasn’t sworn off unprotected sex.  By all appearances, she genuinely loves her baby and is committed to him.  Just like Spears.

So what’s the problem?  Why would American teenaged girls, who are desperately seeking something genuine to cling to in their lives, something more to believe in than their friends’ Facebook profiles, take Palin’s life story as a cautionary tale?  Why wouldn’t they see it, instead, as an antidote to the meaninglessness of ceaseless instant messaging, the interpersonal black hole of cyberspace, the emptiness of hooking up with one sexual partner after another, often beginning in seventh grade, if not sooner?

In a world where the stock market is crashing, major industries are dissolving, drugs are rampant and the government desperately needs to regain credibility, the gaze of an infant looking back into one’s eyes can be the kind of humanity that teenagers intuit will anchor them to something genuine.

For millions of American girls, Palin and Spears are, whether they like it or not, defining the leading edge of what I believe is a new social, cultural moment in America in which girl-women aged 15 through 17 are actually losing their fear of motherhood and entertaining the concept of having babies as a matter of free choice and free will. 

This is just the beginning of the example Palin and Spears are setting.  There will be countless very cute photographs of their babies.  Magazines will cover these girls as they take their children to their first day of nursery school. There will be coverage of their love affairs, engagements and weddings.  If they hold themselves together and life brings them joy (which I sincerely hope it does), they will be glamorized for their boldness, their commitment to their kids and their inevitable personal achievements.

Teenagers are not going to look at Palin or Spears and think how horrifying it would be to be them.  More than likely, they are going to look at these trailblazers and be envious — whether consciously or unconsciously.  These “girl-women” look like they have it all.

All we need now to seal the deal and create even more of a groundswell in favor of early childbirth is a special bailout plan for young, unwed mothers.  Maybe a free General Motors Hybrid SUV and government-insured mortgage would do the trick?

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com or e-mail him at info@keithablow.com.

Today we heard the news that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has accepted President-elect Barack Obama’s offer to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. It seems to me that Obama is willing to hit the ground running and might make healthcare reform one of his top priorities.

I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Daschle years ago, and I left with the impression that he was quite knowledgeable in healthcare issues and indeed was very attentive to my concerns. But, as I said, that was many years ago.

So, what do we know so far about Senator Daschle’s credentials? Well, we can get an idea by looking at his voting record and some quotes from previous interviews.

Here’s what we know so far:

Senator Daschle supports a government-funded insurance program for the uninsured. Since 2004, he has been stipulating that everyone should have the same healthcare plan as members of Congress.

Another interesting concept that Senator Daschle likes is the creation of a Federal Health Board. Now, I’m not quite sure yet what he means by that, but it seems that this board could act as a federal clearinghouse for healthcare mandates.

With regard to his voting record, I give Senator Daschle a B+. He understands the national nursing shortage we are experiencing, and he has voted “yes” on allowing patients to sue HMOs and collect punitive damages. However, he voted “no” on limiting self-employment health deductions.

I’ll go on the record and say that when it comes to healthcare, I think that Daschle has demonstrated a balanced approach to his decisions. And, in the weeks to come, we should be getting a clearer picture of his immediate priorities.

Hopefully Senator Daschle and I will get the chance to have a one on one again soon. In the meantime, let’s all congratulate our new Secretary of Health and Human Services and wish him well―he’s got a big job ahead of him.

But let him not forget that it is important to evaluate all points of view and to maintain transparency in all aspects of healthcare reform. This is a change we must all expect.

The government is likely to move its research on one of the most contagious animal diseases from an isolated island laboratory to the U.S. mainland near herds of livestock, raising concerns about a catastrophic outbreak.

What do you think about this move?