Flu Vaccine Shunned Despite Availability
Vaccination against swine flu has started in the US and will soon
begin in Europe, but many of those who should be first in line are
having second thoughts.
Healthcare workers are a top priority for vaccination because
they can infect vulnerable people and because their services are
vital in a pandemic. Yet in a survey
of UK nurses last week, 47 per cent said they would not get
vaccinated.
Meanwhile, British
hospital bosses quizzed by The Guardian newspaper claim that
as few as 10 per cent of staff will have the shot. In the US,
many hospital employees are protesting against rules saying they
must be vaccinated or lose their jobs.
Children are also at the top of the vaccine list. In the US summer
outbreak, the age group most hospitalised was children under 4.
Yet 40 per cent of US parents say they won't vaccinate their kids,
according to a poll by the University of Michigan.
Many parents and health workers argue that swine flu is not dangerous
enough to justify the potential side effects of a vaccine.
* A
full list of h1n1 vaccine ingredients, alerts and warnings.
Reference Source 134
October 14, 2009
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