While last year the main public health concern was the H1n1 Flu (or, as it was more commonly called the Swine Flu) strain, officials are now saying that it is no longer the pandemic that is was. Cases have been reportedly dropping, and while some are still coming down with it, it’s not the threat many feared it would be.

While the public is still advised to still get the yearly flu vaccination, it isn’t due to the same fears from last year.

The WHO itself is under pressure about the sounding of the alarms over the Swine Flu, and causing so much fear in the media and general public. While this may deter some from giving as much credit to the normal flu shot, it shouldn’t.

Presently, the swine flu is being lumped into the normal seasonal flu and it is still being watched closely in case cases do get more severe, while it isn’t expected- it is possible.

According to the CDC, most who don’t get vaccinated may be worried about some misconceptions about the flu and vaccine:

• People think they know about the flu and the flu vaccine. But myths are common, especially the old “I got the vaccine and it gave me the flu” myth — which is medically impossible for flu shots (no live virus) or the intranasal flu sniff (weakened live virus that cannot grow in the lungs, although it may briefly cause mild flu-like symptoms).
• The inclusion of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine worries rather than reassures. Even though the vaccine underwent the most intense safety testing ever, many still fear the vaccine is more dangerous and unpredictable than the flu itself.
• Many people were skeptical of the new, universal vaccination recommendation.
• People who got their 2009 H1N1 flu shots during the pandemic may wrongly think they are immune (flu shots typically protect for only six to eight months).
• People would be much more likely to get their flu shots if their health-care provider — or friends working in health care — told them it was a good thing

Tags: elderly, Health, health inquiries, Influenza, Influenza vaccine, Medicine, quality of life, senior citizens, Swine Flu, Vaccination

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 5th, 2010 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Home Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.