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H1N1 Vaccine: the Data Versus the Hype
Link: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-inact-h1n1.pdf
When considering whether to vaccinate your loved ones against H1N1, don't listen to the hype or the nay-sayers unless they can give you real data.
These are the FACTS:
1) Since April, about 6 people of every 1,000 people who have been infected with H1N1 have DIED.
2) H1N1 vaccine is made in precisely the same way the regular flu shot has been made for decades - the only difference is in the type of virus injected into the eggs.
3) The risk of death (or serious side effects) due to flu vaccine is so small as to be incalculable. Large studies in children as young as 6 months old have found no serious reactions.
Unless you have a history of serious allergic reactions to vaccines, there is no reason to deny your family this potentially life-saving vaccine. I'm immunized and personally gave the shot to my children and my nieces in accordance with CDC recommendations. I didn't lose a moment of sleep over it.
If you want the links to the data, I'm happy to respond. Here are a few to start with:
1) Two large scale studies show influenza vaccine to be safe in children as young as 6 months old: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17062862
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/158/11/1031
2) Immunizing infants and young children against influenza reduces the risk of hospitalization due to other viral illnesses, especially RSV:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/342/4/232
3) The risk of death from H1N1 and who has died of it thus far (data since July 2009 only - before the disease peaked nationwide):
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