 |
|
|
|
|
Many Americans Still Leery of Swine Flu Vaccine
But experts say it's as safe as the shot for run-of-the-mill seasonal flu
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter
|
| | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
TUESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Even as the H1N1 swine flu vaccine is distributed coast to coast, many people say they have safety concerns that may stop them from getting vaccinated.
Although experts say those fears are unwarranted, a recent Associated Press-GfK poll found only about half of Americans said they are planning to get the vaccine. Most of those are older people -- so far among the least vulnerable to the virus.
Text Continues Below
Almost three-quarters of respondents said they were concerned about the vaccine's safety (although many of these said they still were going to get the shot).
A University of Michigan poll found that only 40 percent of parents wanted to get their children inoculated.
And a survey released Tuesday -- commissioned by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists that polled pharmacy directors at 341 hospitals across the country -- found that many hospital employees are asking if the H1N1 vaccine is safe.
In response, experts and officials 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.
Fauci explained that even the seasonal flu vaccine is changed slightly each year, with slightly different strains.
Had the H1N1 virus emerged just a little bit earlier, it would have been included in this year's regular flu shot, he stated.
"We wouldn't be talking about safety now if [the H1N1 vaccine] were given within the context of the seasonal flu," Fauci continued.
Nor has the vaccine been made too quickly, as some have worried. In fact, "it hasn't been faster at all," said Dr. Robert Frenck, a professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious diseases.
Page: 1 | 2 | Next >>
|
Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 10/13/2009
|
|
SOURCES: Anthony Fauci, M.D., director, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Robert Frenck, M.D., professor, pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and member, American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious diseases; Nathan Litman, M.D., director, pediatrics, and chief, pediatric infectious diseases, the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, New York City;
Sept. 24, 2009, University of Michigan poll; Associated Press; Oct. 13, 2009, news release, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bethesda, Md.
|
.gif)
