Oct 20, 2009 6:15 am US/Eastern
Decision Time: To Vaccinate, Or Not To Vaccinate?
NYC's Elementary Students Given H1N1 Packet; Parents Asked To Make Choice Of Whether Or Not To Receive Vaccine
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine sit in a basket at Rush University Medical Center on Oct. 6, 2009, in Chicago, Ill.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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A vile of Panvax H1N1 Vaccine is displayed during the launch of the National pandemic (swine flu) influenza vaccination campaign by the Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon at Swan Park Leisure Centre on September 30, 2009 in Perth, Australia. Four
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Isiah Harris receives an H1N1 influenza vaccine at Rush University Medical Center on Oct. 6, 2009, in Chicago, Ill.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Nasal spray doses of the H1N1/swine flu vaccine are shown at Montefiore Medical Center on Oct. 6, 2009, in the Bronx borough of New York City.
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All New York City elementary school children came home from school Monday with an important letter, one which asks parents to make a difficult decision: Should my child get a swine flu vaccine or not?
Keaton Vogel is 18-months old and will be getting the swine flu vaccine, just like his older brother and sister, as soon as their pediatrician gets it. It was a tough decision for their mom, Kelly Vogel.
"There's uncertainty, there's a lot of controversy surrounding the vaccines right now and nobody can tell me definitively whether those concerns are valid so it does give you pause," she told CBS 2.
Kathy Chan is holding off for now.
"I've decided not to give my kids the vaccine because it's just too new I just feel it's not a lot of research, so I don't know what the side effects are," she said.
Today, elementary school students started bringing home H1N1 information packets along with a consent form so parents can have their children vaccinated for the swine flu for free in school. The Department of Health is hoping parents will have their kids vaccinated at their doctors office, but wants to make sure it's accessible to all children.
The vaccine comes in both "shot" and "nasal spray" form, and the medical expert on site will decide which is more appropriate for each child. Children 9 and under will need to get two doses of the vaccine, which will be given four weeks apart.
Dr. Jane Zucker is Assistant Commissioner with the Department of Health and said this new vaccine is just as safe as the one we're all use to.
"This H1N1 vaccine is made exactly the same way as the seasonal flu is. It's undergone all the same rigorous safety testing that any vaccine does before it's released," she said.
She added the side effects are the same as well.
"The most common one is really a sore arm for people who get the flu shot. It is a shot in the muscle so as many as 1 in 5 may complain of soreness and for those children who are going to get the nasal spray, you can get some nasal stuffiness or runny nose, are the most common side effects," she said.
The first round of vaccinations in elementary schools will start in the next few weeks. In November, middle and high school students will be offered free vaccinations on the weekends, at locations in each borough.
If you have any questions about the vaccine, you can call 311 for help.
Officials say those at most risk for the swine flu are pregnant women; people 6 months to 24 years old; anyone 25 to 64 years old with long-term health problems; anyone who lives with or cares for children younger than 6 months; and health care and emergency medical workers.
Parents, of course, have a lot of questions on their minds about the vaccine. For starters, is it safe to have children vaccinated?
One of the biggest myths is that the vaccine is too new to trust, and that's not the case, according to CBS 2's Dr. Holly Phillips, who said the vaccination is just like the seasonal flu shot each fall.
"Every year we get a new flu vaccine because the flu strain changes each fall. So the basics of the shot are the same, but the strain it protects against is different. That's just what the 'swine flu' shot is, it's pretty much just like the regular flu shot, but the strain is different," she said. "Last year, 100 million people got the flu vaccine and there were no major issues."
And second, there's a lot of misinformation out there. Many parents are surely hearing many things from many different people and are wondering if it's possible to actually get the flu from the flu vaccine.
Doctors tell CBS 2 you cannot get the flu from the vaccine.
"It's a normal achiness or reaction to the flu shot that tells you that the flu shot is working," said Dr. Bruce Polsky, Chief of Infectious Disease at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital.
The nasal spray vaccine flu mist does contain a live, but weakened, form of the flu virus. There is a possibility that you may get more flu-like symptoms including a low grade fever and body aches.
Doctors insist it will not infect you.
"You will not get full blown influenza from this," Dr. Polsky said. "There is zero chance of actually getting the disease from the shot."
Experts said you can't get the swine flu or the seasonal flu from the vaccine because the shot does not contain a live virus.
"It contains parts of the flu virus that have been inactivated, but they're the parts that give the protection against the real thing should you encounter it," Dr. Polsky said.
The first round of vaccinations in elementary schools will start in the next few weeks. In November middle and high school students will be offered free vaccinations on the weekends at locations in each borough.
CBS 2's Cindy Hsu and Mary Calvi contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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