Monday, October 19, 2009

Swine flu (H1N1) vaccine will not be recieved by millions - by choice and scarcity.



Despite the media attention regarding the Swine Flu (or to be politically correct the H1N1 strain of the flu virus), and the deaths resulting from the virus, millions of American's will not receive the vaccine.

A Harvard study shows that 41% of people will elect to definitively not receive the Swine Flu vaccine, compared to the 51% of people who will choose to receive the vaccine. The survey also states that -


51% of Parents "Absolutely Certain" to Get It for Their Children
Major Reasons People Saying "No" or "Maybe" to Vaccine Include Belief They Are at Low Risk of Illness and Concerns About Vaccine Safety
In a nation of about 300 million, with only 51% choosing to receive the vaccine, that leaves roughly 150 million who wish to recieve the vaccine, however, only 40 million doses were expected to be created, which due to shortages, has now been estimated at 23 million. So this leaves about 120 million people who wish to get the vaccine who will be unable to.

This brings me to the picture posted at the top of the page. Today while at a local Shaw's supermarket there was several patrons asking about the flu clinic, which has been canceled due to the lack of available vaccine, and a sign posted explaining as such.

This is likely the case across the country, as the demand greatly outweighs the supply. I present no real opinion on the H1N1 virus vaccine in this posting, however, one must wonder that aside from the concerns about the safety, if the government takes over health care, would the system of vaccination be any more efficient? This question is especially important with some people calling for government and state run vaccination programs.

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