Opinion

What editorial writers are saying about H1N1 flu vaccine

Some health care workers have protested against a vaccine mandate. But the message elsewhere has been that adults and children should get the flu shot.

Posted Oct. 26, 2009.

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A sampling of newspapers across the country details views on who should get influenza vaccine and on the flu's impact so far.

Health care workers should get H1N1 vaccine

Health care workers resisting state mandated flu vaccinations should make what is admittedly a tough call and put the interests of patients and the public ahead of their personal concerns and get inoculated. That's the best way to ensure that vulnerable patients won't be unnecessarily exposed to the seasonal and swine flus. Newsday, Oct. 1

Don't fear the flu shot

This is the age of conspiracy theories and distrust of authority. Even something as seemingly self-evident as the need to be inoculated against a swine-flu pandemic leads many -- a majority according to some opinion polls -- to say they and their children will opt out. Skepticism toward power is healthy in any society. But when many people who enjoy the fruits of more than a century of medical breakthroughs, including vaccinations against deadly diseases, decide to distrust the medical establishment, that smacks of an element of the irrational. Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct. 11

Benefits of swine flu vaccine greatly outweigh the risks

Some of the antipathy to the shots no doubt dates to the 1976 swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, N.J., which caused one death and sent the government into overdrive down a tragic path. President Ford pledged to vaccinate everyone in the USA against an expected epidemic. But the flu never escaped Fort Dix. More than 500 of the 45 million people vaccinated got a rare neurological illness, Guillain-Barré. Dozens died. Whether that was related to the vaccine is still unclear. But the program, quickly suspended, left many Americans with a fear of vaccines. USA Today, Oct. 9

Flu vaccine holdouts could aid and abet pandemic

The nation could be on the verge of a serious swine flu crisis -- one that could strain the health system's ability to cope with it. But many parents and health professionals are reacting to the pandemic with little more than a ho-hum and a shoulder shrug. Only slightly more than half of parents say they plan to have their children vaccinated with doses being shipped this week. And the Washington State Nurses Association, the union representing MultiCare Health System nurses, is resisting the company's requirement that employees either get flu shots or wear face masks when near patients. That's mind-boggling. News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.), Oct. 9

Don't dismiss flu shot

Health officials are stressing that the H1N1 vaccine is only a recipe change from the regular flu shot, which has been used for decades. There have been no serious problems among thousands of people used to try the new vaccine earlier this year. Just to be sure, health officials are creating an unprecedented system to track possible side effects. Harvard Medical School will use insurance databases for real-time checks on up to 50 million people. Johns Hopkins University will follow up on at least 100,000 vaccine recipients. And the CDC will issue cards explaining how to report vaccine problems. Just as important as tracking any potential problems, the system will help explain health troubles unrelated to the vaccine that could discourage people from getting vaccinated. Times-Picayune (New Orleans), Sept. 30

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