Blog the second - Thoughts on H1N1

I've been asked this question a lot lately, so I think I'll share publicly what I've been telling people:

The question: What do you think of the H1N1 vaccination?

The first thing I have to say about this question is that I'm not a doctor. My opinions about the vaccine are personal. I'm not qualified to give a professional opinion.

I think there are risks both from the flu, and from the vaccine being given to prevent it. I don't know and have been unable to find actual numbers quantifying those risks. The best I can do is to think of things in terms of relative risk: Which seems more risky? Complications from flu, or from the vaccine?

For myself, I have a fairly overactive immune system and the regular flu shot tends to make me feel somewhat ill for a week or two. I think it's fair to think that I'd likely feel much worse from the H1N1 vaccination. I'm a massage therapist working in a naturopathic clinic. I'm not coming into contact with large numbers of people in a day and we keep things clean both at home and at work. So I've decided not to get the shot.

I've had friends and patients get the shot for a number of very valid reasons: Asthma, immune suppression, young children at home and worry about flu complications seem to be the most common that I hear. The reasons I hear for not getting it largely come from a worry about side effects of the vaccination itself.

I do think it's important for people to make up their own minds. There's risk in both and since no one seems to know (and certainly no one seems to agree!) which risk is actually higher, it's the individual's situation that seems to be the most important consideration.