A recent survey has one in five Americans having received the H1N1 vaccination. To the CDC, this is a success. Yet one in five is a very low number when one considers the number of people not taking the vaccination.
Currenlty 11,000 Americans have diead from H1N1 infections. The loss of one human life is certainly something to abhor but is it worth risking more lives on an untested, hastily developed vaccine. As comparison in the 1990s the military was heavily ridiculed for its implementation of the Anthrax vaccine. While many that supported the use of the untested, controversial vaccine it was later proven to have adverse effects. Even at the start there1,544 adverse events were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 76 of these events (5%, 0.004% of total doses) were serious (”results in death, hospitalization, or permanent disability or is life-threatening”). Regardless of the dangers a congressionally directed study by the Institute of Medicine (part of the National Academy of Sciences) concluded that anthrax vaccine is as safe as other vaccines. Even still it was later determined that the military did not inform Congress of 200,000 hospitalizations due to the vaccine.
Another comparison is to look at the CDC’s report on seasonal Influenza. By its own report it says 36,000 deaths are casued by seasonal flu and in some years it was as high as 52,000. As the winter moves along and the world seems undisturbed by the raging pandemic of Swine Flu, one has to wonder what the emergency was about?
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What needs to be emphasized is the CDC reports on seasonal flu deaths are only from the United States. Worldwide the number is staggering, and this occurs every year.
Three things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones:
1. Get the flu shot
2. Wash your hands
3. If sick, stay home!