Swine Flu Vaccine

A lot of rumors have been flying around about the H1N1 vaccine coming out. Working in a hospital, I got an email saying I was required to get it. I was nervous about being a guinea pig, and couldn't decide if I really wanted to get it. Then I heard all the things people are saying about it, even some girls at school saying that the vaccine was made with cancer cells and were worried it was going to give us all cancer. So, amid all the craziness, I decided instead of listening to what everyone else had heard, I'd look up more info about it myself. Here are some things I found:

-The vaccine is NOT made with cancer cells, it is made the exact same way as the seasonal flu vaccine. There is a dead virus vaccine-the shot, or live virus-which is the nasal spray. The live virus does not mean you will get the swine flu, they have crippled the virus so it can no longer cause the disease, but your body can build antibodies to it.

-The similar strain of H1N1 in the 70's did have a vaccine that caused Guillan Barre, but this vaccine does not. In fact, an MSN health article I found said that getting swine flu now can cause Guillan Barre. They have worked that out with the new vaccine.

-There are side effects, just like the seasonal flu vaccine, such as headache, fever, runny nose, sore throat, etc. But the side effects are no where near as dangerous as getting the swine flu.

-If you're worried about thimerosal (preservative used that contains a small amount of mercury), the shot does have it, but in a very small amount that can't cause any harm. The nasal spray doesn't have thimerosal.

I got the nasal spray last week and other than a bit of a runny nose, I haven't had any problems. The swine flu is most dangerous to pregnant women and young people, healthy or with other health problems. I don't judge people for not getting it, but I think people should be better informed about it. Since I have friends that are pregnant and young siblings and nieces, I got my vaccine because I don't want to risk exposing them to swine flu since my floor at work takes care of those patients. But I suggest reading up on it yourself, The CDC website is the best place to look, also MSN health answers a lot of questions.