With the H1N1 swine flu vaccine being distributed from the east coast to the west coast the are many in the United States saying they have safety concerns that will probably stop them from getting the flu shot.
While the experts are saying that these fears are very unwarranted, a recent AP poll found only about 50% of Americans say that they are planning to get the H1N1 swine flu vaccine shot. The major of these not planning to get the shop are the elderly who are so far among the least vulnerable to the H1N1 swine flu virus.
75% of the people responding said they were very concerned about the inoculations safety.
In another very telling poll done by the University of Michigan the parents responding said that only forty percent wanted to get their children the flu shot.
What does the medical profession think about the H1N1 swine flu vaccine? In a poll released Tuesday — commissioned by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists that surveyed pharmacy directors at 341 hospitals across the United States found that many hospital employees are asking if the H1N1 swine flu vaccine is safe. They have the same concerns that the normal US citizens have.
In response to all these concerns experts continue to stress that not only is the vaccine safe, it’s the surest way to protect yourself from the H1N1 swine flu virus.
“The H1N1 vaccine is made in exactly the same way, using the same material, the same companies, the same process as the seasonal flu vaccine we make every single year and give to tens and tens of millions of people,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. However it is very interesting that no US company is making the vaccine. I wonder how many Americans realized the most of the materials to make the vaccine are coming from China. We have seen many cases in the past about how the quality control of processes in China have affected our help. Recalls on toys and dog food quickly come to mind.
To be fair, side effects from the H1N1 swine flu vaccine have so far been mild, including tenderness and swelling at the inoculation point and a mild fever. In China, 4 of 39,000 people vaccinated reported muscle cramps and headaches.
“We’ve had experience with this particular variety of killed vaccine for 20 years, and the risks are primarily swollen arm and low-grade fever,” said Dr. Nathan Litman, director of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “There are some very, very rare other events, but some of them happen naturally even in those who don’t have the vaccine. The risk of disease and complications of disease is far greater than the vaccine.” Some people however are not buying this statement.
Their concerns come from an earlier experience with the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. In 1976, the U.S. government vaccinated 43 million people against swine flu following an outbreak at Fort Dix in New Jersey. Some 500 of those who received the shot developed a rare neurodegenerative condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which was found to be linked to the inoculation. 25 of those 500 died.
This year’s swine flu pandemic is reported to be already completely different. The 1976 swine flu virus never spread beyond the 240 soldiers stationed at Fort Dix, while the current outbreak has already sickened more than 340,000 people worldwide, killing 4,100 or more, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The government, CDC and WHO however are not educating the people on what they can do as prevention beyond the swine flu vaccination, in case you so choose not to get the swine flu vaccine or have your children get the H1N1 vaccination.
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