There are two kinds of flu vaccines. One is the normal flu shot, which uses killed virus to induce immunity. The other kind, the nasal spray, uses live attenuated vaccine, which uses weakened/nonvirulent live virus.
I'm not sure where you heard that it "attacks all organs" or "attacks the heart." H1N1, like all strains of flu, mainly affects your respiratory system. Like any other strain of flu, it can weaken your immune system and potentially allow for other infections.
Swine flu — just like any other flu — is a respiratory infection. It exploits a weakened immune system to attack major organs — especially your lungs. When it gets into your lungs, it can lead to pneumonia, which can kill you. The flu can also cause secondary infections in your body — any of which can lead to failure of vital organs and death.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/24/f-swineflu-faq.html
H1N1 was found to cause pulmonary embolism as well, ie a blood clot blocking the arteries that go to your lungs. But again, this has nothing to do with the heart.
http://www.ajronline.org/aheadofprint/12_09_3365PP.pdf
I'm also not sure where you heard that a pregnant woman's immune system is "5 times weaker". That would be ridiculous. For the most part, pregnancy does not weaken the immune system:
There is little firm scientific evidence that pregnant women are more susceptible to infectious diseases.6 In general, neither viral nor other infections (such as tuberculosis) seem to occur more commonly in pregnancy, nor are localised infections more likely to become generalised, as occurs in immunosuppressed patients
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/308/6941/1385
However, women are more susceptible to a few infections when pregnant (namely toxoplasmosis and listeriosis). As for other infections, the severity of illness is usually worse in pregnant women (even though the pregnancy doesn't make them more likely to get sick in the first place), and illness can have effects on the fetus too. Pregnant women are no more likely to get the flu than other people, but if they do get it it can be a lot worse for them:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no11/06-0152.htm
The flu shot is recommended for pregnant women:
http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/about/qa/flushot.htm
Remember, because the flu shot contains
killed virus, it cannot make you sick with the flu. Some people do, however, feel sick or get sick, and this is also explained by the CDC's website:
Why do some people not feel well after getting the flu shot?
The most common side effect of the flu vaccine in adults is soreness at the spot where the shot was given, which usually lasts less than two days. The soreness is often caused by a person’s immune system making protective antibodies to the killed viruses in the vaccine. These antibodies are what allow the body to fight against flu. The needle stick may also cause some soreness at the injection site. According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), rare symptoms include fever, muscle pain, and feelings of discomfort or weakness. If these problems occur, they are very uncommon and usually begin soon after the shot and last 1-2 days.
What about people who get a seasonal flu vaccine and still get sick with flu-like symptoms?
There are several reasons why someone might get flu-like symptoms even after they have been vaccinated against the flu.
- People may be exposed to an influenza virus shortly before getting vaccinated or during the two-week period that it takes the body to gain protection after getting vaccinated. This exposure may result in a person becoming ill with flu before the vaccine begins to protect them.
- People may become ill from other (non-flu) viruses that circulate during the flu season, which can also cause flu-like symptoms (such as rhinovirus).
- A person may be exposed to an influenza virus that is not included in the seasonal flu vaccine. There are many different influenza viruses and this year there is a new and very different flu virus spreading worldwide among people called 2009 H1N1 flu. The seasonal flu vaccine will not provide protection against 2009 H1N1 flu. This year there is also a 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine. The 2009 H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine – it is intended to be used along-side seasonal flu vaccine.
- Unfortunately, some people can remain unprotected from flu despite getting the vaccine. This is more likely to occur among people that have weakened immune systems. However, even among people with weakened immune systems, the flu vaccine can still help prevent influenza complications. For more information about the effectiveness of the flu vaccine, see How Well Does the Seasonal Flu Vaccine Work?
Seasonal influenza vaccine provides the best protection available from seasonal flu – even when the vaccine does not closely match circulating flu strains, and even when the person getting the vaccine has a weakened immune system. Vaccination can lessen illness severity and is particularly important for people at high risk for serious flu-related complications and for close contacts of high-risk people.
I don't understand why you "don't trust the H1N1 vaccination shots." Yes, unfortunately, there are some very rare complications. But the normal flu vaccine carries the exact same risk. In fact, the H1N1 vaccine contains the same ingredients as the normal flu vaccine. The only thing different is the flu strain. I haven't checked the numbers, but I'm pretty sure the rate of complications for H1N1 vaccine is the same as it is for seasonal flu vaccine.
