Read and report vaccine reactions, harassment and failures.
Stay Informed and Connected
Understand the public health laws that govern residents of your state whenever the Governor declares a public health emergency.
Although the current swine pandemic influenza outbreak may never result in federal and state health officials using the authority to require vaccination, isolation or quarantine, it is always good to be prepared for a worst case scenario. Discuss with your family and make a plan for responding to the possibility that your state, city, community, you or a member of your family will be asked to be vaccinated, isolated or quarantined.
Information is power and staying in contact with and communicating with others who care about you helps protects you and your family in times of emergency.
- Monitor the latest developments about pandemic influenza in your community on the internet and on television and radio newscasts.
- Stay in touch with close family and friends by phone, email, and internet social networking.
- Make an Emergency Notification phone list of key family members, friends, co-workers, school teachers, attorneys, health professionals, legislators, journalists or others you want to notify by phone or email if you need them to know that you or your children are sick or where you are. Choose one person to call if you only had one phone call to make.
Remain Cool, Calm and Collected
There is a lot of fear and anxiety being generated by frequent warnings from WHO and CDC officials that the current swine H1N1 influenza could mutate and become more deadly. However, it is also just as possible that the swine flu will remain mild to moderate in severity just like regular influenza that circulates around the world every year. If you do get swine flu this year, one benefit of recovering from influenza is that the antibodies you create may well help you resist getting sick from H1N1 influenza viruses that circulate in the future.
Hopefully, federal and state government officials will choose to exercise health emergency police powers with restraint; allow citizens to exercise informed consent to vaccination, including the right to decline vaccination without being harassed or punished; and allow home quarantine of citizens as the least restrictive means of controlling pandemic influenza if quarantine laws are enforced.
Whatever happens, you can best protect yourself and your family if you do not panic, remain calm, and take well considered and responsible actions with full knowledge and understanding of federal and state public health laws that govern you and your community during declared public health emergencies.
Below are additional strategies and information to consider.
Issues to think about:
- Have you decided whether you or your child/children would agree to get the swine flu vaccine if requested by government or school officials?
- Do you know if your child’s school will notify you in advance when children are going to be given swine flu vaccine at school?
- If you do want your child to receive the swine flu vaccine in school, do you want to consider asking the school to give you written vaccine benefit and risk information ahead of time, including how to monitor your child for signs and symptoms of a vaccine reaction?
- Do you want to give a letter to the school principal at the beginning of the school year to be placed in your child’s records indicating that you do or do not want your child to receive the swine flu vaccine? Do you want your child to carry a copy of the letter in his/her school backpack?
- If you do not want your child to receive the swine flu vaccine at school, do you want to consider keeping your child home from school on the day(s) that the swine flu vaccine will be administered to children?
- If you do want your child to receive the swine flu vaccine in school, do you want to contact the school principal to make sure that you are given a written record of the swine flu vaccine given to your child, including the manufacturer’s name and lot number?
- If you or your child/children become sick and are subjected to isolation or home quarantine, do you have adequate food, vitamins, supplements, medication and other supplies in your home to live safely and comfortably for several weeks? Do you know someone who would bring additional food and supplies to you?
- If you or your child/children are required by health authorities to be temporarily placed in quarantine or isolation outside of your home, are you prepared to notify family, co-workers, friends or an attorney, as well as prepared to pack personal items and any necessary medications or vitamins, supplements or other items to take with you?
- Do you have readily available copies of your and/or your children’s important medical records, including vaccination records or vaccine exemptions filed with the state, as well as a written list of all prescription medications, allergies or special dietary restrictions/needs?
- If you are considering getting the swine flu vaccine for yourself or your child, do you know how much scientific evidence has proven the vaccine to be safe and effective, whether you or your child has a personal or family medical history that could increase risks for a vaccine reaction, and what vaccine reaction symptoms to look for after getting vaccinated?
Take Action with NVIC
To stay up to date on swine flu and pandemic influenza vaccines, become a subscriber of the free NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter and periodically check www.NVIC.org for more information. If you or your family are pressured to use swine flu vaccine or other vaccines without your voluntary, informed consent, you may want to share your story with others by posting a report on NVIC’s Cry for Vaccine Freedom Wall.
Come to the Fourth International Public Conference on Vaccination sponsored by NVIC Oct. 2-4, 2009 in Washington, D.C. and meet others in your state. Learn more about vaccine science, policy, law and ethics from top speakers and how to organize and work to change federal and state public health laws, including vaccine laws, that govern you and your family.
Contact Your Legislators & Community Leaders
If you are concerned about lack of vaccine safety and informed consent protections in public health emergency laws, call, write, email or visit the legislators you elected to represent you in your State Capitol and in the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. Also contact leaders in your community schools, political and civic organizations, town and county governments.
Get involved by volunteering in your community and getting to know your neighbors. Talk about ways you can support each other if a public health emergency is declared in your neighborhood.
If you see an article in your local newspaper that you do or don’t agree with, write a letter to the editor. Call and voice your opinion on talk radio.
Constructive change of laws and policies at the grassroots level will only happen if we become activist citizens and participate. Speak out and stay positive. Know that the effort you make to educate others and be the change you want to see in the world is never wasted even if change comes more slowly than you would like.