As promised, October has arrived with the first batches of the swine flu vaccine.
The World Health Organization rolled out the first doses of the vaccine in China, soon to be followed by Australia, the United States, and parts of Europe.
Four out of the thirty-nine thousand people vaccinated in China reported mild side effects. That works out to approximately one in every ten thousand people getting the shot — not surprising, according to WHO officials. When large numbers of people are getting a vaccine, side effects are to be expected.
Once the swine flu vaccine hits the United States, side effects will be carefully tracked. Why? To see if there are any side effects that can be attributed directly to the vaccine itself, and not coincidence. Over the next few months, U.S. officials hope to see more than half the nation’s population vaccinated against swine flu.
What side effects are being reported so far? Muscle cramps and headache are the top two complaints.
World Health Organization officials say that the vaccine is the “single most important tool” in the fight against the flu — not just the swine flu, but seasonal influenza as well. A WHO spokesman stressed the importance of the vaccine for health care workers, so they can protect themselves from catching the flu and spreading the flu to patients.
In the United States, there are federal guidelines for swine flu vaccine distribution. The first group to receive the vaccine will include health care workers, pregnant women, those who live with or care for children under the age of six months, people with compromised immune systems, and people between the ages of six and twenty-four. After people who meet those guidelines have been vaccinated, the swine flu shot will be available to others (if there are vaccines remaining).
Are you getting a swine flu shot? Why or why not?