Should Patients Get the H1N1 Flu Shot?
Reported September 12, 2009
Its that time of year to roll up your sleeve for the annual flu shot. Drug stores across the Las Vegas valley started giving out the seasonal flu shot Tuesday. But with a vaccine for the H1N1 virus on the way, should you get both?
Doctors encourage people to get a vaccine for the flu and H1N1. Health experts say until the swine flu vaccine is ready in mid-October, you should get the seasonal flu shot out of the way.
“I’ve had a lot of medical conditions and the flu shot is one thing I want to take care of right away,” said Lance Fairbanks.
Land and his wife wasted no time. They took the first available shot at fighting off the regular flu.
But what about H1N1? “I have no concerns about getting a second vaccination for the H1N1. I think an ounce of prevention is worth whatever the concern is,” said William Tullock.
And UMC doctor Dennis Fuller agrees. He says the seasonal flu shot will not protect you against the swine flu. “They are safe. You should get all of them. We are probably looking at three shots total this year. The swine flu is two shots about three weeks apart. But yes, you should get the seasonal flu like any other year,” he said.
Doctors usually urge the elderly and people will chronic diseases to get the seasonal flu vaccine as soon as possible. But with H1N1, doctors want pregnant women and those who care for children to go first. “Younger adults are being more affected by this. There are deaths in the young adults. Because we are thinking that the older adults may have gotten some virus in the past,” said Matthew Wiese.
But some people, like Janice Kellogg, say they aren’t taking any chances. She says the seasonal flu shot keeps her healthy very year. So if a little pinch protects her against H1N1, Kellogg says she’ll roll up her sleeve again.
The Center for Disease Control says they are testing the H1N1 vaccine in humans right now. Doctors say it is safe and should have the same side effects as the regular flu shot.
Source : Las Vegas Now