Influenza, Who Should Get Vaccinated?
Get Vaccines against Both Seasonal and H1N1 Swine Flu
Oct 17, 2009
With a double-barrel flu season upon us, many people will need two flu vaccinations this year, because seasonal influenza is different from the novel H1N1 swine flu.
Here’s what the CDC is saying about influenza vaccination safety. “We expect the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine to have a similar safety profile as seasonal flu vaccines, which have a very good safety track record. Over the years, hundreds of millions of Americans have received seasonal flu vaccines.” (4) The most common side effects from influenza vaccines are very mild, and include soreness, redness, and tenderness or swelling at the injection site.
Those especially vulnerable to influenza could potentially die from infection. Influenza vaccines save lives. There are many years of accumulated data on health risks of getting the influenza vaccine, and the only serious complication was from a batch of vaccines in 1976 which were connected to cases of a nervous system condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome (1,3).
Seasonal Flu Vaccine Distribution Problems
Who should get vaccinated against influenza? Everyone. But this year that may be easier said than done. Some doctor’s offices are experiencing delayed shipment of seasonal influenza vaccines, and are only vaccinating those at highest risk. But there are also many flu shot clinics at drug stores, where patients can pay to get vaccinated. So the doctor’s office is not your only option.
Priority groups recommended to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine include:
- Children 6 months through 19 years of age.
- Pregnant women.
- People 50 years of age and older.
- Those with certain chronic medical conditions.
- People living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
- Those who live with or care for people at high risk for influenza complications.
When Will the H1N1 Vaccine Be Available?
The H1N1 vaccine is just now, in the month of October, being rolled out through government channels. Local public health departments are deciding how to distribute the vaccines, and it is expected that those at highest risk—children, pregnant women, young adults and those with preexisting medical conditions that make them vulnerable to the flu—will be the first to be vaccinated.
Priority groups recommended to receive H1N1 swine flu vaccine include:
- Pregnant women.
- Household contacts and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age.
- Health care workers.
- All people 6 months through 24 years of age.
- Those between the ages of 25 and 64 years who have health conditions that put that at higher risk of medical complications from influenza.
Although there is always a buzz of hearsay about the dangers of vaccination, look to the CDC and other health care experts for information on the actual risks when making that important decision of whether on not to get vaccinated for seasonal and H1N1 swine flu this year.
Sources
1. Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice (October 6, 2003) "Immunization Safety Review: Influenza Vaccines and Neurological Complications." Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
2. Centers for Disease Control (October 14, 2009) General Questions and Answers on 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Safety.
3. Reuters, (January 28, 2009) "Influenza May Trigger Guillain-Barre Syndrome."
4. US Department of Health and Human Services (October 17, 2009) Flu.gov web pages.
The information in this article is not to be followed as medical advice. Please consult with your physician for information regarding your own personal health.
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