Have you made up your mind about whether you’ll receive an H1N1 vaccine? According to a new survey by the Harvard School of Public Health, only 40% of adults are “absolutely certain” they’ll receive the H1N1 vaccine. Polling was completed September 14-20, 2009.

One major reason people who took the survey weren’t certain about getting the new vaccine is side effects. Other reasons given include people thinking they aren’t at risk of getting a serious case of H1N1 and some believing they can easily get medication to treat the illness if they do become sick. Some parents said that they …read more

Several stores and drugstore chains are offering free flu shots for people looking for work and those who are uninsured or low cost shots, making it more affordable for preventative health.

CVS will offer 100,000 free seasonal flu shots (approx $3 million value) those who are job hunting. They are also offering low cost vaccinations at no-appointment walk in clinics throughout the United States. Walgreens, which also provides low-cost vaccinations, will provide $1 million worth of vaccinations to those who are unemployed.
Although not free, Rite Aid Corp is offering seasonal vaccinations beginning today and Walmart will be starting in …read more

In case of emergencies, people often wonder how it’s decided who gets what. In a situation such as the H1N1 pandemic, the question becomes, who gets vaccinated first and if there are limited stores of vaccines, who has priority?
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices today issued its recommendations and vaccine guidelines for H1N1 vaccine . They target 5 groups:

Pregnant women
Health care and emergency services personnel
Children and young adults to age 24 years
Caregivers and caregiver contacts of children under 6 months old
Otherwise healthy adults with certain chronic health conditions

It’s estimated that these five groups cover half of the American population, about …read more