Doctors try to allay myths about H1N1 vaccine

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Topics: Health
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Rumors about swine flu have been circulating widely in Ohio and across the country, so a panel of local Doctors tried to clear up some misconceptions at a public forum Monday night. ideastream®'s Ida Lieszkovszky has more on the facts of swine flu.

Cuyahogy County Health Commissioner Dr. Terry Allen says he’s heard a lot of myths about H1N1.

Allen says, “people think you can get sick from the vaccine, people think because the vaccine was developed quickly that somehow it’s less safe, we know for instance that those two are completely untrue.”

Dr. Philip Totzis of University Hospitals reinforced the effort to squash the misinformation that’s out there. He says everyone, particularly pregnant women and children should get inoculated as soon as possible.

Toltzis says, “all of the current data support that the novel H1N1 vaccine is as safe as seasonal flu.”

Nonetheless, federal agencies like the FDA, HHS, and CDC are stepping up efforts to monitor H1N1 vaccines as they are rolled out. They’ve also set up a group of independent experts, in case the feds miss anything. Officials say this isn’t because of concerns about safety, it’s just to keep tabs, and to allay any public concerns.