1. I have contact with people who are susceptible to serious complications from the H1N1 flu (pregnant women, healthy young people up to age 24, people with other medical conditions), and I am a healthy young person under 24, so I guess I fit into that category myself.
2. From everything I can find from reliable sources (those that back up their arguments with actual studies, reports, or scientific data), the process for certifying the safety of the H1N1 vaccine has been identical to the process followed for previous flu vaccines except that the CDC and FDA have created extra oversight committees to check for unforseen adverse effects and monitor for the possibility of guillan-barre syndrome, since a 1976 swine flu vaccine might have caused GBS in 1 patient per 1,000,000. Also, the vaccine companies ran a few extra safety trials for adults, children, and pregnant women above what was required by the FDA for annual influenza vaccinations.
The way the testing works (from everything I could find) is that the vaccine companies have to prove efficacy and safety for an initial formulation. After that, they only need minimal studies for the new strains (as it only changes a very small amount of the vaccine, as hard as that is to believe)
3. A lot of people are worried about the side effects of the vaccine, and talking about how the CDC has even come out and said there might be a risk of Guillain Barre syndrome from this one, and they even pay for medical costs in some cases after vaccines. However, they estimate the risk is at most 1/1,000,000, and:
"Influenza viruses are infrequent triggering agents of GBS but may play a significant role during major influenza outbreaks"
Sivadon-Tardy, Valerie et al. "Guillain‐Barré Syndrome and Influenza Virus Infection." Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2009;48:48–56
Meaning that in major flu outbreaks (like this one), you probably have a much higher risk of GBS from getting the flu than from getting the vaccine.
The same goes for convulsions and some of the other concerning side effects.
So, get the vaccine. And spread the word. If someone tells you the vaccine isn't safe, ask them for their sources.
Chatboard (0)