While you are trying to prevent yourself from getting the regular flu with the influenza shot, you might be increasing your chances of getting something much worse – H1N1 swine flu!
Study About Swine Flu Risk with Influenza Vaccine
Canadian researchers have found that people who received their influenza vaccine but not the swine flu increased their risk of getting the swine flu by 68 percent! This was in just one study. The researchers conducted three other studies in Ontario and Quebec and found that the seasonal flu vaccine increased the risk of swine flu contraction to as much as five times.
The Reasons Why There Is Increased Risk
The researchers are not certain why there is a correlation between the two. It may have something to do with biological interactions that make people more susceptible to the swine flu after getting the season flu vaccine.
It could also be that the seasonal flu vaccine has no correlation and it’s just a coincidence. It could be that people who received the flu shot did so because there were many incidences of the flu in the area but it ended up that the swine flu also came into play without the residents realizing the severity of it.
Safeguarding Yourself
Whether or not the regular flu vaccine causes someone to be more susceptible to H1N1 is still unknown. What is known is that you can safeguard yourself from H1N1 simply by getting the vaccination.
Soon, the World Health Organization will mandate it as part of the seasonal flu vaccine (both will be in together). That way, people won’t have to be inconvenienced with getting two separate vaccines.
Leave Your Thoughts
Does this information sway your decision about getting the H1N1 vaccine? What are your reasons for not getting it if you haven’t or won’t? Let’s discuss!
Photo: USACE Europe District
Tue, Apr 6, 2010
Health