Swine flu vaccine fears dampen demand, poll says

Now that swine flu vaccine is more widely available, most parents hoping to have their children inoculated have done so, according to a Harvard survey released today. But not everyone is planning to get vaccine for themselves or their children.

Three-quarters of parents who tried to find vaccine for their children were successful, but one-third of all parents said they were not planning to have their children vaccinated. Most cited concerns about the safety of the vaccine.

Children 6 months to 18 years old are considered at high risk for swine flu, which first emerged in the spring and erupted in a second outbreak in the fall. Shortages in vaccine meant doses were limited to children, pregnant women,  people with health problems, their close contacts, and health care workers.

The Harvard School of Public Health telephone survey, conducted last Wednesday and Thursday, also found that more than half of all adults do not plan to get the vaccine and almost half of high-risk adults decided not to get vaccinated, listing worries about safety or a lack of concern about getting infected.

"Public health officials who want to increase vaccination rates will need to focus more attention on convincing people who most need it of its safety," Robert  Blendon, director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, said in a statement released with the poll. "Findings here—like past polls—suggest that beliefs about safety have been difficult to change for a segment of the public."

The survey, which is the seventh in a series about swine flu, polled 1,637 adults, including 428 parents. Its margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percent.

Nationally, an estimated 60 million US adults and children have been vaccinated against the H1N1 strain, Dr. Anne Schuchat, a top flu specialist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said today.

About 40 percent of the doses have been given to children. The coverage level among youngsters, Schuchat said, is double the rate for adults.

"That's really good news," Schuchat said. "Usually, with seasonal flu, there's a lot more vaccination of seniors than children."

So far, about 111 million doses of swine flu vaccine have been produced, and, in a press briefing, Schuchat urged Americans to get a flu shot or nasal spray, even during the holidays.

"The vaccine is becoming available at more and more places," Schuchat said. "The time is now for adults with chronic health conditions to look for vaccine ... and really everyone else."
    
Schuchat said elaborate safety monitoring networks established to detect adverse effects from the vaccine have found no evidence of problems.

Last week, Massachusetts health authorities lifted restrictions on who could receive swine flu vaccine, which had been limited to children and adults at greatest risk of complications from the virus, as well as people who take care of them.