Quotes and Comments

“This definitely is a safe vaccine for people to get.”
-Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, seeking to dispel fears about the H1N1 swine flu vaccine

I’m not getting vaccinated for H1N1.

It’s more than just a fear of needles and shots that continues to plague me at age 18, though, I’m not going to lie, some of my anxiety does stem from my phobia. I’m thinking about getting a seasonal vaccine, but for some reason, I’m hesitant to get vaccinated for H1N1.

The thing that bothers me is the amount of panic over this vaccine. Parents are up in arms about giving their children the shot. You don’t hear people freaking out about the seasonal flu shot. But for some reason, America seems to be fearful of this new H1N1 vaccine.

Some of these fears stem from a previous H1N1 vaccination that was produced during 1976 that seemed to be linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disease in which the body damages nerve cells, causing weakness and sometimes paralysis. Although the connection was never officially made between the vaccine and the disease, it leaves something to be questioned.

Unless specifically requested, the shot may also contain traces of thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative. It has been suggested that this preservative found in many vaccines may cause autism in children, however, this too has not yet been proven. You may specifically request that your physician use a preservative-free vaccine, but not many people know to do this.

There is a major contraindication, a symptom or condition that makes the treatment inadvisable, for those with egg allergies. Luckily for me, I don’t have an egg allergy. Because the vaccine is developed using chicken eggs, those with serious allergies have been known to have horrible reactions to both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccine.

Some of the reported side effects include tenderness, redness, and swelling at the site of injection. Others have experienced head and muscle aches, fever, naseua, and fatigue. In extreme cases, anaphylactic shock due to life threatening egg allergies, has been reported. Nothing too frightening, yet I’m still not convinced.

For some reason, there seems to be some shadiness around this vaccine. I’ve heard rumors about ingredients not approved by the FDA, or that have been linked to causing cancer. Yikes.

What frightens me the most is what might happen in the future. I don’t want to get cancer, or grow a third eye. It seems like certain vaccines are being pushed a lot lately. Another of which I’m wary is the Guardasil series that prevents HPV. They’ve been pushing it on lots of adolescent girls, and there just hasn’t been enough long-term study and testing. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

And yet the government tells us not to worry. We’ll be fine, the vaccine has been carefully tested and watched. I still can’t help but be a little wary, however. With all of the controversy, I’d rather wash my hands, get a seasonal flu shot, hand sanitize, Clorox wipe and take my vitamins to keep it away.

- Alexandria Shiner
Copy editor

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=9427

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Oct 7 2009. Filed under Opinion, Quotes & Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com