H1N1 vaccine

From what I understand the H1N1 vaccine is going to be available to everyone in October. It will be one dose and recommended for health care workers, the elderly, children 24 and under, immunocompromised people, and those with chronic medical conditions. In case any of you are thinking about getting the vaccination, I would wait a few months to see how other people react to it. I would be cautious of any medication that is manufactured this quickly.

I actually posed a few questions to 2 infectious disease specialists prior to the start of our Pharmaceutics and Therapeutics Committee meeting, and they were equally skeptical. Normally, medications take at least 20 years to go to market, and the majority do not even make it. This vaccine was formulated and FDA approved withinin a year... just something to think about.

Ultimately, it's your decision. Seriously ill people should definitely get it. In otherwise healthy people, H1N1 is similar to the flu. For me, even though I am considered high risk for H1N1, I'm probably not going to get it until Dec, maybe Jan, if at all. The best advice I can give is common sense. Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and do not go to work when you are sick.

Don't get me wrong... I fully support vaccinations (unlike Jenny McCarthy) because I am definitely getting the influenza (flu) vaccine. I am just holding off for this one.