It is true that for most healthy people, the H1N1 flu isn't worse than the regular flu. But i've never said that sps & clients shouldn't get vaccinated for the regular flu either. I've actually been advocating it for years. I had influenza two years ago & let me tell you that i had never been ill like that in my entire life. The first day, i had a sore throat & low grade fever. It felt like a cold was coming. But it just didn't feel right. On the second day & third day, it got rapidly got gradually worse & it felt like i had been hit by a bus & could barely move. My throat & tonsils were very swollen & i couldn't eat anything. I barely felt like drinking anything. I had a fever & hadn't never felt weaker in my entire life. Luckily, the symptoms began diminishing a few days later. But by then, i was dehydrated & needed to replenish my fluids & eat something.
The reason i'm posting this is because many of us come into sexual contact with people who regularly come into sexual contact with dozens of different people on a regular basis. Sure, there are exceptions. But let's not forget the fact that many sps have sexual contact with hundreds of different partners on an annual basis. Do the math & i'd be surprised if you don't arrive at the same conclusions i have. What i'm basically saying is that in this risky business that we're all involved in, the risks are higher for the reasons i've mentionned above. Plus the fact that H1N1 has been more prevalent in larger cities, like Mtl. Let's also be serious & admit that many hobbyists & sps are not exactly living healthy lives. A couple of months ago, i've seen a teenager in my area lose his life to H1N1. Yes, he was extremely obese, which didn't help him in this case. But many hobbyists i've met & seen at gatherings over the years fall under this description. I'm also aware that there are many hobbyists over the age of 55. They don't have the health & immune system of a 20-30 year old, that's obvious.
The poster stated that H1N1 isn't worse than the regular flu. In the majority of cases, that's correct. But would you want to have sex with an sp who has H1N1? Would the sp want to have sex with a client with H1N1? The answer to these questions are obvious. I'm just suggesting everyone get vaccinated as a precautionary measure.
The poster stated that his brother is a doctor. Fine. Myself, i'm surrounded by doctors on a regular basis & some of my best friends are doctors. Do they recommend that everyone gets vaccinated? Not necessarily. But they do recommend that groups at risk (like the elderly, among others) , health care professionals & other high risk professions get the vaccine. Personally, if sps & johns don't fall under this group, i don't know what a high risk group is. And Cloudsurf is correct: doctors have their own opinions about the validity of the vaccine & many agree & many disagree.