Does it Still Pay to Get H1N1 Flu Shot?

If you think the H1N1 "swine flu" virus is so 2009, think again. During the apex of the second wave of the H1N1 epidemic last fall, people were lined up and clamoring to get a scarce H1N1 flu shot as if it were the latest Beanie Baby or Zhu Zhu Pet. In January, though, with the number of H1N1 cases dwindling to a trickle, not so much. That's why government health officials, such as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius--predicting a possible third wave of H1N1 "swine flu"--are promoting the H1N1 flu vaccine wherever they can, from old fashioned TV PSAs to hipper social media, such as Youtube and Facebook.

The federal government, in an attempt to make getting an H1N1 flu shot a complete no-brainer, created a user-friendly website with an easy to remember six-digit name, flu.gov. The official HHS flu.gov website even contains an H1N1 flu vaccine locator field on the home page in which people can insert their zip code to find out where H1N1 flu shots are being given in their area, just like that used by popular restaurants or retail stores to find the Applebee's or Banana Republic closest to their home.

Third Wave of H1N1 Predicted (kind of)

With only about one in five Americans vaccinated against the H1N1 virus as of early January, according to a CDC survey, the vast majority of people who have not gotten the H1N1 vaccine are susceptible to a possible third wave of the H1N1 swine flu virus, a recurrence that is easy to picture with children back in school and cold weather confining adults indoors in sealed buildings, such as movie theaters and malls, in which droplets carrying the infectious virus travel through the air. (See Avoid H1N1 Virus by Flying First Class; Also Avoid Cramped Seats, Dirty Blankets and Crying Babies.)

Although the incidence of H1N1 flu virus cases waned in December, almost as if the bug considerately slunk away so as not to be a holiday party pooper, the H1N1 flu virus could follow the pattern of the flu pandemic of 1957-58 and return for a winter encore, warned Beth Bell, an influenza specialist with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), who was alarmed that many parents were not bringing their children back in for their second dose of the H1N1 vaccine (most health experts advise that children under ten years of age get two separate doses of the H1N1 flu shot).

Even President Barack Obama is urging people to get vaccinated against the H1N1 "swine flu" virus, implying that getting an H1N1 virus flu shot is almost a patriotic duty that helps protect all Americans. "This week presents a window of opportunity for us to prevent a possible third wave of H1N1 flu in the United States," he said in a prepared statement launching National Influenza Vaccination Week in mid-January. "I strongly encourage those who have not yet received the H1N1 flu vaccine to do so....Together, we can all fight the H1N1 flu and help protect our families, friends, and neighbors."

Despite the fact there is little to no profit derived from the H1N1 vaccine for pharmaceutical companies or doctors, some Americans still think the H1N1 scare is a scam motivated by greed. "It was clear to me from the beginning that the H1N1 swine flu 'pandemic' was nothing more than a hoax perpetuated by big pharma to drive vaccine sales," wrote a skeptical Barbara Atkinson of Phoenix in an e-mail to ABCNews.com. "The fact main stream [sic] media and the White House perpetuated the lie is nothing short of contemptible."

Sources:
www.flu.gov
www.cdc.gov
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-influenza-vaccination-week
www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-01-14-H1N1-swine-flu-booster-children_N.htm
abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/h1n1-vaccines-now-public/story?id=9536289&page=3