Torn over safety, mom seeks assurance

Q. How safe is this H1N1 shot or nasal spray? I have heard it has caused some pretty serious problems. ... I love my children. I want them to be safe but I'm not sure what is best at this time? I am a single mother of three and my children have recently been offered the shot at school. What happens to the parent or parents at home after the children have been treated?

If I understand correctly they're being given the actual virus and it's very contagious, and at this time it's only being offered to school children and health-care workers? So if I was convinced that the shot itself wouldn't be a threat to my children and they have it then I would be putting myself and anyone whom comes around me or my children in danger. Do you have confirmed info that might help me not to be so torn about what would be the best thing to do?

- Rhonda, Palatka

Q. My child's daycare is offering the nasal H1N1 vaccine. Is this safe for young children?

- Mary, Inverness

A. This seems to be the biggest question on people's minds right now. And it's a decision each family must make individually after considering how best to protect against this illness, which is mostly mild but carries very real health risks.

The voluntary swine flu vaccine has been tested the same way government officials handle the testing for the annual seasonal flu vaccine. Thousands of predominantly healthy individuals were given the vaccine in clinical trials. They were watched for possible side effects and complications. The Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine for use before any doses were made and distributed.
That being said, you may want to read up on the pros and cons of vaccination before making a decision.

You can read this story we did recently, "Why get the vaccine?" to sort out the issue.

Do you have a question or comment about swine flu that isn't being addressed?

Helping us track it all down is the Hillsborough County Health Department, which, like us, draws much of its information from the very helpful Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.