Atlanta – While the new H1N1 vaccine hits the streets, critics are raising uncomfortable questions. The most important is will this vaccine present a higher risk of complications than the flu itself?

Most of the medical community stands behind the vaccine, saying that it is safe, despite the rapid and limited testing. In fact, the majority of doctors are more concerned about whether there will be enough vaccine available for everyone who wants it.

However, there is a growing reluctance to actually get the shot. A Consumer Reports survey shows that as many as two-thirds of US parents do not want to give this vaccination to their kids. Reasons for wanting to avoid the vaccine include concerns about effectiveness, potential side effects on kids with asthma and the presence of mercury.

Health experts worry that this ground-swell of resistance could jeopardize the public health strategy behind H1N1 vaccination, which is to help to stop the spread of the disease.

Sonja Gerrard, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, commented, “Polls are showing that more parents are concerned about giving their child another vaccination than [worried about] the child getting seriously ill.”

Parents avoiding the shots could be on the right track: despite media hype and concern from the medical community, the swine flu has been responsible for only 500-600 fatalities, compared to the regular seasonal flu which kills approximately 36,000 every year, mostly elderly. Some are questioning the need to vaccinate against a relatively mild disease compared to other flu viruses. Meanwhile, critics are focusing on the vaccine itself, saying that the shots do not show good effectiveness in children. Even worse, the vaccine itself has been linked to complications in asthmatic children. Many are also saying that the vaccine could help the process of “genetic pressure”, and cause the existing strain to mutate into something more lethal.

Partly to ease these increasing fears, the CDC is – for the first time – will be doing a survey to track adverse events from the swine flu vaccine. The hope is that the results of this survey will put many other vaccine-related prejudices to rest regarding reactions, including the idea that autism is related to vaccination.

Source: Christian Science Monitor