It is advisable to get one’s Swine flu shots as soon as possible; this is a government recommendation on the official flu site.
In particular it is recommended that pregnant women and others at risk such as immune compromised individuals should get Swine flu shots as soon as they are available in the community.
However, many myths and fallacies about the vaccine are circulating; and it is important to sort out fact from fiction here.
There is the apprehension that the swine flu vaccine is unsafe; that it will cause Guillain-Barre (GB) Syndrome etc. as it was seen to cause in the last outbreak of the flu in one out of a million cases. This however has no basis in truth; the Swine flu vaccine does not cause GB syndrome.
Another myth doing the rounds is that the vaccine will actually give you the flu. This is not true either.
It is contended that the swine flu vaccine is less safe than the seasonal flu vaccine, which is also not true.
There is also the widely held view that it is better to take your chances with flu rather than to take the vaccine. However, it is to be remembered that though the illness itself is not serious, it can lead to several serious complications that may even lead to death.
So really at this time, the swine flu vaccine is our best defense against the infection, and so it is one that should definitely be used.
