Two reactions for H1N1 vaccine

H1N1 vaccine reactions

There are just two reactions when you the words "H1N1 flu vaccine:" 'Where is it available and how do I get me or my child vaccinated?' or 'I don't trust it and why should I risk vaccination?'

Those who don't want their children to have the flu vaccine fear it has not been fully tested, but as the New York Times states, in an article written by Dr Perri Klass, this is not a new vaccine, it is made with the same techniques as the seasonal influenza vaccine - and it has been fully tested.

Dr Paul Offit,chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, meanwhile, has written extensively about vaccines and the antivaccine movement. The H1N1 vaccine has 60 years of experience and technology behind it, he said: "Its safe, its clearly effective - and yet many people still have difficulty figuring out where the real risks lie."

Nose spray

In the New York Times article, Klass talks to friends who have experience of dealing with parents who fear the vaccine.

"When I gave a discussion to a group of parents at my daughter's day care," Dr Mitchell Katz, the San Francisco public health director, explained, "I counseled parents who were worried about the risks of vaccination to give their children - if healthy - the nasal vaccine, because what don't our children put up their noses?

"Given the variety of viruses that our children are exposed to through their noses, it's very hard to imagine how the vaccination could be that different. I think a lot of people were comforted by that."

Frustration

Yet, for those who want their children to have the vaccine, it is in short supply, despite the fact that 36 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine has been distributed. An article that appeared on US News a few days ago statig that two thirds of parents who have sought the vaccine for their children have found that they have failed to find it.

The failure of some to get access to the vaccine has left many frustrated, especially when it was reported how the big Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs andCitigroup have received an allocation of the vaccine.

It's strange to think that there is the two different kinds of fear - the fear of getting the vaccine, and the fear of not getting the vaccine due to the shortage and the demand.

Advice

US News offers the following advice to those that are eager to get their children vaccinated:

• Check your county health department's website and call the county flu hotline. You'll even find that some county's H1N1 vaccine supply is on RSS, Twitter and Facebook feeds. The federal government's flu.gov site can point you to state and county health department websites.

• See if your local school system is offering vaccine clinics. Many have been canceled for lack of supply, but they'll get cranked up again as stocks increase later in November. Look for a dedicated Web page or hotline number for updates.

• Become the new best friend of the receptionist in your pediatrician's office. These people have had a rough few weeks, besieged both by parents trying to get H1N1 vaccine and kids sick with the usual viruses. Pediatricians will be getting more vaccine in the weeks to come, you need to stay in touch. Ask if the office is keeping a list of high-priority patients so you don't have to keep calling.

• Shop around. Vaccine distribution is spotty, and you might strike gold at the health department in a nearby county.

Related News:

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