Which scares you more — the swine flu or the swine flu vaccine?
Does that sound like a silly question? To many people, it’s not.
A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that while Americans are increasingly alarmed by the H1N1 flu, they’re also reluctant to be inoculated, or to have their children vaccinated. More than six in 10 surveyed said they would not get vaccinated and only slightly more than half the parents said they plan to have their children take the shot. One reason: Fears over the safety of the H1N1 vaccine.
Some people believe the vaccine was rushed into production. That it’s untested. That it is filled with harmful substances.
Wrong, wrong and wrong. Paranoia and Internet rumor are galloping ahead of the facts. So let’s slow down and look at what we know from scientists and experience.
The H1N1 flu is a new variant on a familiar illness. Every year, people get the flu and some of the more vulnerable die from it. But every year, millions take the flu vaccine, suffer few if any side-effects, and avoid the flu. Companies have decades of experience in manufacturing vaccines. This year’s H1N1 vaccine was tested on thousands of people. It is safe.
There is always a tiny risk of side-effects with any mass inoculation, of course. But surveillance methods are better now, health officials say. And the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has set up a program to catch severe side effects and reactions quickly.
Here’s the scariest part of H1N1: It can hit otherwise healthy younger people hard. The CDC has tallied 47 pediatric H1N1 swine flu deaths from late August to mid-October. That’s usually about the number of child deaths in an entire flu season, according to Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s director of immunization and respiratory diseases.
Who needs a better reason for inoculating young people from 6 months through 24 years old, as the CDC recommends?
Millions of Americans are convinced. They want the vaccine. But they’re finding they can’t locate it easily — or at all.
It is frustrating that the federal government hasn’t kept up with demand — or delivered on its promises that millions more doses would be available by now. Federal officials say the crash H1N1 program was slowed to ensure the vaccine’s safety. And there were unexpected snags in vaccine production.
There’s no reason to panic. Many people will catch the flu. In most cases, it will be mild and people won’t need special treatment or medical attention. But you should be vigilant for signs that would warrant a visit to the doctor or local clinic. A person who is having difficulty breathing, for instance, or swallowing liquids.
Even a delayed inoculation is better than none. This pandemic may come in waves, as others have. It is hitting children hardest now; it may strike more older people later.
The best advice remains: If you want to avoid the risk to your health and that of your family and friends, get inoculated as soon as you can. As CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a news conference on Friday: “The enemy is a virus.”
Not a vaccine.
