H1N1 Vaccine: Examining Benefits Vs. Risk For Individuals
The CDC has released 3.4 million doses of the H1N1,or swine flu,vaccine, which will be distributed throughout the 50 states. More than 251 million doses of the vaccine will be administered to patients throughout flu season. Although the panic factor surrounding the potential threat of a swine flu pandemic ishigh, lethal cases of H1N1 have been relatively low. Out of the almost 30,000 cases of swine flu that have been reported, most cases are mild. As of early September 127 people in the U.S. had died of swine flu. Pat El-Hinnawy, H1N1 Public Affairs Specialist for the FDA, says "So far, [the H1N1 virus] has not shown a very high virulence or a very high mutation rate. For most of the people who get it, it's not a very severe set of symptoms."
