H1N1: Who Should Get the Vaccine?

By Janet Horn, M.D., Women’s Health Expert

Published November 03, 2009

 President Obama last month declared a National Health Emergency because of the H1N1 “swine” flu pandemic. But misunderstanding surrounds the viral illness that’s sweeping the country. To separate hype and hysteria from the cold, hard facts, we turned to Dr. Janet Horn, women’s health expert. Read on for her answers to top questions our readers asked.

Every day we see and hear frequent updates and daily news reports about the H1N1 flu pandemic. Still, many women have questions. Who needs to get the vaccine? Is it safe? Can it make you sick? Read on for the answers.

1. Should the whole family (my husband, kids and I) be vaccinated?
The first problem is the limited availability of the H1N1 vaccine. As of now, production is behind schedule, so the government has been able to release only about 11 million doses of the 120 million it had hoped to release by mid-October.

When it’s available in your area, get your kids vaccinated first because they are among the most susceptible to H1N1 virus.

Also, if you or your spouse has a chronic medical problem, such as diabetes or heart or lung disease, get the vaccine as soon as possible.

You must get it if you or your family members are in one of the following groups:

• Children and young adults, 6 months to 24 years old
• Pregnant women
• People living with and caring for children younger than 6 months old (for example, parents, siblings and daycare providers)
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel
• People 25 to 64 years old with medical conditions associated with a higher risk of influenza complications

2. Who should avoid the vaccine?
Those who shouldn’t get any flu vaccine without first checking with a doctor are:

• People with a severe allergy to chicken eggs
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within six weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously
• Children younger than 6 months (Influenza vaccines aren’t approved for them.)
• People with a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (They should wait until they recover to get vaccinated.)