Most U.S. Parents Leery of H1N1 Vaccinations for Kids, Survey Says; Are Millions of Children Being Put at Risk?
With health officials urging millions of Americans including young children to line up for a jab in the arm with a vaccine to prevent the H1N1 influenza virus, most parents are saying “not so fast.”
A new study conducted by the publishers of Consumer Reports magazine found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. parents say they will either delay vaccinating their children against the H1N1 swine flu or will not let their children get the shots at all.
The survey’s findings come from a recent telephone survey of more than 1,500 adults, according to a Reuters news report.
H1N1, also called “swine flu,” was first detected in Mexico and southwestern U.S. states in March, but it quickly reached pandemic status and spread across the world. Millions of people have been sickened with H1N1 and thousands have died worldwide.
Young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with serious underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and lung disease are most likely to die or develop severe medical complications from H1N1 infections.
The new survey statistics are troubling for federal health officials, who are asking most school-aged children to be vaccinated against the potentially deadly flu strain to prevent its spread in schools, where proper hygiene that can prevent swapping illnesses are not always practiced.
In a normal season flu season, about 36,000 Americans die from various strains of influenza virus, but officials warn that many more could die this year due to the H1N1 outbreak. Many of those most at risk are children age 18 and under, officials caution.
The Obama administration plans to begin distributing vaccine doses next week as part of a nationwide H1N1 immunization campaign that should account for more than 250 million doses by the end of the year.
Survey Findings of Parent Views
About half of parents surveyed said they are holding off on making a decision on whether to vaccinate their children against H1N1 because they fear that the new vaccines have not been tested enough and could present serious health consequences for the children.
About 14 percent of those surveyed said the same concerns about possible side effects from the H1N1 vaccines have led them to rule out the shots altogether for their children.
About 35 percent of adults surveyed said they would definitely have their children vaccinated, which is considerably higher than the 22 percent of 5- to 18-year-olds who are immunized in a typical year, according to federal statistics, Reuters said.
Also, about 43 percent of parents surveyed said they were “not too worried” about their children contracting H1N1, while about the same number worried about other parents overreacting, the survey said.
Vaccines Due in Circulation Oct. 6
The first of the new H1N1 vaccines are expected to be available for use on October 6. Preliminary test results have found children respond to the new vaccine just as they do to seasonal flu vaccines, with those over age 10 needing a single dose but children under nine needing two, Reuters said.
While many drug companies are producing H1N1 flu vaccines, the U.S. government has ordered millions of doses from MedImmune, a unit of AstraZeneca, Sanofi-Aventis, Australia’s CSL, GlaxoSmithKline, and Novartis.
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