Parents Leery About H1N1 Vaccine

'Uncertainty' dominates as families mull shot
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 14, 2009 10:34 AM CDT
Parents Leery About H1N1 Vaccine
In this photo taken Aug. 28, 2009, lab workers check chicken eggs that are being used to develop H1N1 flu vaccine at Shanghai Institute of Biological Products.   (AP Photo)

Concerned over unforeseen effects and unconvinced that the H1N1 virus is really anything worse than a case of the sniffles, some parents are leaning away from vaccinating their kids against it, the Los Angeles Times reports. “It's a different brand of flu, but it is still the flu,” says one mom. “I'm really more concerned about the long-term effects and lifelong damage it could do.”

Federal officials are thought to be planning a wide-ranging vaccination campaign, and “complacency is a big challenge,” says a CDC director. Others worry that “there's so much information out there," notes another mom, that "You don't know what's right and what's wrong." Some epidemiologists support widespread vaccination of schoolkids to help restrain the flu’s spread, but parents plagued by “uncertainty” could prove a roadblock. (More flu shot stories.)

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