moms

On one of the parenting message boards I read, a mommy posted a thought-provoking  e-mail from her pediatrician.

The doctor warned parents not to take media reports about the swine flu too seriously. He also advised that parents consider not giving their children the (regular) flu shot this Fall and to wait and see what happens with the H1N1 shot before deciding to administer it as well.   Here is an excerpt:

“What is not reassuring is the media coverage of this flu and some of the warnings from major health institutions. Could this flu become more virulent and turn into a major pandemic? It’s hard to predict, but let’s recall the bird flu scare from a couple of years ago. Media-mongers were raising the spectre of that illness migrating to humans and becoming a major worldwide health concern. That never happened: Bird flu is still around, but it’s confined to birds, with only very exceptional transmissions to humans. When was the last time you heard someone worrying about bird flu?”

The physician goes on to say that a child should build immunity and being exposed to the flu is certainly the best way.  That’s why older people, having been exposed decades ago to H1N1, seem to handle the virus better.

As a mommy who does not want to expose her child unnecessarily to unneeded vaccines, I completely see his point.  But as a “media monger” who has been covering the US government’s preparation for the coming Flu season, I feel conflicted.  In my most recent piece (see below) I simply reported what the President’s advisory committee said and where the vaccine trials stand as of now.   Surely one of the reasons bird flu was contained was because of media coverage and caution on the part of travelers, airlines, etc.?

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more about “A Rush Order on the H1N1 Flu Vaccine …“, posted with vodpod