H1N1 Vaccine Controversy

Just yesterday a friend of mine was contemplating cancelling an appointment for her two young children with the pediatrician to get H1N1 flu shots.  When I asked her why she would cancel, she said that she was concerned about the safety of the vaccine, that it hadn't been tested enough and that the risk of H1N1 to her kids really wasn't that great compared to the seasonal flu.  When I explained to her that:

1) a vaccine shot is made up of the inactivated virus and a carrier and that the H1N1 vaccine is made with the same process that has been used for the seasonal flu shot for years.

2) the main side effects from the H1N1 shot will be the same for the seasonal flu shot - irritation, redness and/or soreness at the injection site and a possible allergic reaction to the egg albumin in the carrier.  If you have a seasonal flu shot before, your risk for the H1N1 flu shot will be similar

3)although H1N1 is a new virus for us, the vaccine has been tested for a long time.  By this I mean that the carrier has been tested and monitored for many years (see #1 above).  The virus in the vaccine is inactivated (killed) and a person cannot contract H1N1 from the shot itself.

4)as far as the risk of kids contracting H1N1, the following facts are known....flu activity is much higher so far this year than in other years...this a bit worrisome because fluu season is typically from December to May...H1N1 has more of an effect on children and people under the age of 65 than does the seasonal flu...Ohio (where we live) is one of the states currently reporting widespread flu activity. 

my friend said that was the information she needed to hear.  She said that her pediatrician also said the vaccine was safe but media reporting on the "vaccine controversy" had caused her to have doubts.

What I don't understand is why an intelligent, caring person like my friend would begin to question something that was designed to protect her children despite the fact that her pediatrician assured her it was safe.  Why does someone start to disreguard the opinion of a trained professional for that of someone in the media?  It's no mystery that the "media reporting" she referred to was coming from Glenn Beck and his ilk at Fox News.   I don't have a problem with Mr. Beck expressing his own opinion about the H1N1 vaccine.  I just don't want people to blindly accept everything he says.  THINK FOR YOURSELF, PEOPLE!   Listen to what is being said and then dig for the facts from a trusted source.  There is excellent information on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  They have pages dedicated to H1N1.  You can very quickly and easily find answers to just about any question you may have.  You can even read the transcript from press conferences with the media and see the questions the reporters asked and read the answers for yourself.  There is a separate site for information on vaccine safety.  You can become well-informed on H1N1 and the vaccine in the time it would take you to pursue the online Land's End catalog for the latest outerwear! 

I'm not saying you shouldn't watch Fox News or listen to Rush Limbaugh.   Just take the time to do a gut check and THINK FOR YOURSELF!  Don't let someone (with a hidden agenda) keep you from doing what's right for you and your family.  Being informed is truly the American way!