H1N1 vaccine not panacea for media panic

While the media gleefully promotes the where and how to attain a vaccine for the H1N1 virus, a growing concern about the vaccine’s potential side effects and safety is keeping many worried Americans away from the needle.

A Sept. 24 poll conducted by the Associated Press found that 72 percent of people surveyed are worried about the potential side effects of the vaccine and 38 percent responded they would not be getting their
children vaccinated.

In another poll conducted by the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, only 40 percent of respondents said they would get their children immunized for H1N1 and many other polls show similar results.

But despite the panic campaign, an increasing majority of Americans aren’t so convinced on the necessity of the H1N1 vaccine.

The bulk of concern stems from the vaccine’s recent introduction to the market leaving little time for it to be thoroughly tested. It has also been rushed onto the market to battle a flu that, frankly, isn’t anymore of a threat than the regular seasonal flu and has been relatively mild as of late.

People want assurances of safety before they inject themselves with potentially harmful chemicals.

But we’ve been down this H1N1 street before. The horrible blunder of the 1976 H1N1 hysteria epidemic weighs heavily on the minds of those who remember it. Despite the fact that only one person actually died as a result of that strain of H1N1, a vaccine was quickly produced anyway and millions of Americans received it.

Following the mass vaccination program, about 500 cases of the debilitating nerve condition Guillain-Barré syndrome were reported in which 25 people died as a result of complications related to GBS.

It’s that risk that prevents many from getting the jab this time around.
Another alarm bell is speculation that the vaccine contains harmful adjuvants, a preservative that increases the shelf life of a vaccine.

More specifically, the adjuvants used in this vaccine reportedly consist of at least trace amounts of mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene; thimerosal has been found to be a leading cause of certain brain disorders, specifically autism in children.

But some people will claim the amount of mercury is so limited it poses no serious threat; however, if you’re someone who receives multiple vaccinations yearly, all those chemicals will undoubtedly add up.

Of course, the ever-excitable news media continues its irresponsibility in selling panic over the H1N1 flu. Every other day or so, Americans see news coverage of an unfortunate death which is immediately accused of being the fault of the H1N1 virus, only to find out days later it was not H1N1, but some other complication that resulted in the deaths.

Why in the past had the news media never chosen to report each flu-related death?

Even though the news media portrays a broad consensus among doctors that the vaccines are safe, there are still those who warn to the contrary.

“I have more concern about vaccine than I do about the H1N1,” said Dr. Kent Holtorf, an endocrinologist and board examiner for American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine in a recent interview on Fox News. “It’s been rushed to market, and there are high levels of adjuvants which basically make it more potent.”

When asked if he would give his kids the vaccine, Dr. Holtorf responded, “I definitely would not,” much to the surprise of the interviewer. Even Dr. Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show” said, in a recent CNN interview, his wife and children would not be getting the vaccine.

And let’s not forget the thousands of New York health care workers who are refusing to be vaccinated even under pressure of losing their jobs.

Regardless of the unrelenting media campaign in favor of vaccinations, there still remains much skepticism among doctors, patients and concerned parents alike.

So should you get the H1N1 vaccine? I’m not. But before you decide, take it upon yourself to do your own research and know the risks either way.

Scared of the swine of sick of the stories? Let Jeremy know at daj8@mail.uc.edu.