The rage against H1N1!!

By: Alan Siegel


What is all the gossip pertaining to the new and improved H1N1 vaccine? Doctors have spent huge portions of their lives trying to be rid the world of the Flu. Has it all been a waste or have they discovered a prevention plan.
The flu shot has been around for decades and continues to prove itself to be useful, but many concerns have arisen after the 1976 epidemic. A total of five hundred cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome were reported amongst the forty five million people vaccinated for the swine flu. The Associated Press recently published an article discussing the people’s concerns about the safety of the vaccine. According to this article published September 27th 2009, the government has started a system in which its sole purpose is to track possible side effects of this new vaccine. The system will differentiate true side effects from false claims and public propaganda.
Health authorities hope to vaccinate more that half the population in just a few months. With this large increase of vaccinations, there is a great deal of concern regarding the vaccines overall safety. Many people who have had vaccines in the past, continue to try to portray themselves as victims, stating that the medications caused them to get sick by lowering the immune system. Before blindly believing these “victims,” we must question those people demanding recognition and decipher the truth from these false claims. We must force them to ask themselves the following extremely important question: what was the real cause of their illnesses? Was it the flu vaccine or the double value sized super burger with fries and a coke from the night before!
At the end all of the day it all comes down to one question: is the vaccine safe or not? Yes, safety comes first and that is why monitoring systems have been created. Harvard Medical School scientists are investigating up to 50 million people with vaccination registries around the country, to see whether people visit a doctor in the weeks after their flu shots and why. Another monitoring system is being followed by Johns Hopkins University. They will continue to directly e-mail at least 100,000 vaccine recipients to track how they're feeling, focusing on the smaller complaints that wouldn't require a doctor visit. If anything seems connected, researchers can call the patient to follow up with detailed questions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also prepared take-home cards. These cards tell vaccine recipients how to report any suspected side effects in the nation's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system.
Don’t get me wrong, sore throats and occasional headaches will always be around, but that doesn’t mean that they has been caused by a vaccine in the past. It is critical that organizations like the CDC continue to research and monitor the progress and safety of these vaccines.