Safety Concerns Linger for H1N1 Vaccine

(CBS)  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than 22 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine are currently available. But, despite the high demand and long lines for these vaccines, some doctors are still on the fence about recommending it.

The current death toll from H1N1 is more than 1,000 deaths - which includes 100 pediatric swine flu deaths.

Special Report: H1N1 Virus

However, despite the high numbers of deaths, some parents and doctors are still uneasy about the new vaccine. "The Early Show" staff conducted an unscientific poll in which we called 100 anonymous doctors from around the country. Among those surveyed, 91 doctors said they would recommend the vaccine, while nine doctors said they would not.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said on "The Early Show" about 35 percent of the U.S. Population on any given year normally receives a seasonal flu shot. However, a recent CBS poll revealed about 50 percent of Americans want to get the H1N1 flu vaccine.

But is the vaccine safe?

"In medicine...we can never say with 100 percent certainty that anything is safe," Ashton said. "There are always risks. ... You have to balance proposed risks versus proposed benefits, and the risk of this virus, we know is particularly high for younger people, including children. The risks of the vaccine, which you can never say are zero as all government health officials and scientists have told us are so low, they are (immeasurable)."

[confusedmommy]

Does anyone know if all the children who have died from this flu had an underlying condition? Were any of them perfectly healthy beforehand?

[gaye5]

Gidday from Australia, we had a handful of people die of this flu, all but one had underlying problems, mainly drink, malnutrition and sickness.
We have gone through the winter, no one wore masks, no one was scared and no one stayed home, shopping centers were always stacked with people.
And yes some got it.. friends had it, and they said that it was only very mild, but parents at my husbands school had it, and they got it very bad, but that was after they had just recovered from the normal flu and had to keep working, and even with the swine flu they had to keep working.. so people, don't panic and if you want to protect your children.... definitely DON'T get the immunisation, look up the dangers of immunisation or dangers of swine flu immunisation..
then start thinking for yourselves, and stop being manipulated by the media and those who have alternative agendas, and ask yourself ... why when in America there are over 800 people a week die of the normal flu do they suddenly call a pandemic when only a 100 die world wide of this flu, and how did 4 different viruses get together especially when they come from different parts of the world.. and then, how has it spread so fast, when it is only spread by droplets, when the normal flu spreads fast because it is air born, plus, Who makes the money out of pushing this fear..

[sandy19731]

This doesn't surprise me. I teach graduate students and even they don't completely understand or trust the scientific method. Many of them believe in astrology and other crazy ideas. Of course, this is before they take my classes, what is wrong with our educational system? No one should get out of High School without understanding basic science.
The doctors - make me despair.