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H1N1: Feelin' Fine or Feelin' Swine?

(The Chronicle Herald) The first 52,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine have arrived in Nova Scotia, waiting to be injected into arms across the province next week, starting either Wednesday or Thursday. Community clinics are expecting to be pretty busy as they undergo one of the largest immunization drives the province has ever seen. While certain priority groups will be focused on, no one is going to be turned down or triaged if they come in looking for a shot. Some worry that the vaccine's main component, adjuvant, is unsafe, but Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer for Nova Scotia, says the benefits of the immune booster outweigh any potential and "theoretical" risks. So, between all the hype and the holler about the swine flu, are you going to get the vaccine? Here's some useful information that might help you decide.

1.

What is Swine Flu?

MedicineNet.com
MedicineNet.com, an online publishing company that deals with issues of medicine and healthcare, has posted a page answering some frequently asked questions about swine flu, including what it actually is. H1N1, commonly known as the swine flu, is a strain of the influenza A virus that began to infect humans in Mexico and the US that has proven to be resistant to more common flu vaccines like amantadine. The article has over ten pages just answering H1N1 questions for those who are confused about what it is or how it can affect them.

2.

Swine Flu v. Regular Flu

Empowher.com
With the death toll for the common flu is upwards to 36,000 annually, some people rightly wonder if swine flu is barely a threat compared to it. Empowher.com, a website that writes about health issues that affect both women specifically as well as the world on the whole, tries to put the differences between H1N1 and the regular flu into context. While it is true that the flu kills 36k each year, and hospitalizes 200k, most of the ones affected the most are 65 or older. Swine flu mainly attacks people under 25. Most people have immunity to the regular flu, except those with a compromised immune system, such as the elderly. Swine flu is dangerous because many people don't have an immunity to it, which could allow it to spread and mutate. Oddly enough, according to the CDC, those older than 64 generally are immune to H1N1.

3.

5 Swine Flu Myths

Discovery.com
Who better than Discovery Channel's Mythbusters to dispel some common misconceptions about swine flu? Posted on Discovery's website, the page deals with 5 myths about the virus. Among them, they dispel the misconception that swine flu is contracted from eating pork (and explain a little bit about the origin of the disease), urge people that surgical masks are a good idea, but not a failsafe that will prevent you from catching the illness 100 per cent of the time, and that the hype, while it may seem persistent and part of the 24-hour-news cycle seeking rating, does come from a background of tracking a serious risk, and people shouldn't take it too lightly. As an added bonus, the page features a PSA video by the Mythbusters themselves, and you get to see Adam Savage sneeze in slow motion!

4.

The Vaccine

Suite101.com
Some have worried that the swine flu vaccine was rushed and could be potentially dangerous, while others have stressed that everyone should get it in order to nip the mutation in the bud. Suite101.com, a website with its content filled almost entirely by freelance writers, weighs in on the issue by considering the pros and the cons of the vaccine. Much like with any vaccine, there are side effects, though they're mostly similar to the ones you'd be likely to get from the normal flu vaccine. There are two kinds of vaccines; an inoculation using dead virus cells, and a nasal spray that uses live, yet weakened cells. For those wishing to avoid these symptoms, the site reminds readers that there are alternatives to vaccination, and that knowing how it spreads is a major preventative measure.

5.

On the lighter side...

http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/english/
Lastly, for everyone who's sick of swine flu coverage, enjoy this editorial cartoon and a link to several more within.