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People aren't sure they'll get swine flu vaccine, poll says

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Elizabeth Cooney October 2, 2009 11:05 AM

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Only four out of 10 adults are absolutely certain they will get swine flu shots once they are available and only a little over half will get their children vaccinated, according to a Harvard poll released today. But others might change their minds, which could put pressure on vaccination delivery.

Among the people who said they wouldn't get the flu shots for themselves or their children, about 6 in 10 said they might reconsider if people in their community were sick or dying from swine flu. Also known as H1N1, the strain emerged last spring and has so far sickened an estimated 20,000 people in Massachusetts, including 12 who have died.

"These findings suggest that public health officials need to be prepared for a surge in demand for the H1N1 vaccine if the H1N1 flu becomes more severe," Robert J. Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a statement released with the poll.

When asked why they weren't planning to get flu shots, people said they were worried about side effects or not concerned about catching the flu. Parents also said they were concerned about their children getting other illnesses from the vaccine and didn't trust public health officials to tell them about vaccine safety.

Only a third of adults think the swine flu vaccine is safe, compared to a little more than half who think seasonal flu vaccine is safe.

The poll is the fifth is a series of public opinion surveys about swine flu. Conducted by telephone from Sept. 14 through 20, it has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

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White Coat Notes covers the latest from the health care industry, hospitals, doctors offices, labs, insurers, and the corridors of government. Chelsea Conaboy previously covered health care for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Write her at cconaboy@boston.com. Follow her on Twitter: @cconaboy.

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