H1N1 Vaccine Map: A Big Picture of the H1N1 Vaccine Shortage

An H1N1 vaccine map shows doses the H1N1 vaccine was shipped to a given state. The H1N1 vaccine map and the H1N1 vaccine shortage are on the forefront of many minds.Fox News has an H1N1 vaccine map that shows you how many doses of the vaccine were shipped to your state.

A little over 160,000 H1N1 vaccine doses were shipped to my home state of Tennessee. The state's population is a little over 6.1 million people. The interactive H1N1 vaccine map indicates that the doses shipped to this state are enough for 19.9% of the population under the age of 14.

The 160,000 vaccines aren't just for children under 14. Pregnant women and those with certain chronic health issues are among priority recipients of the vaccine. Take into consideration that pregnant women need the injection without the mercury-containing preservative, and you will see how severe the shortage is.

California seems to be lucky. According to the H1N1 vaccine map, over 836,000 H1N1 vaccine doses were shipped to the state. That's not the good news you may think- California has over 35 million people in its population, and only 20% of the population under 14 would get the vaccine.

President Obama declared the swine flu, or H1N1 virus, a national emergency. There have been over 1,000 swine flu deaths in the United States and things don't look like they are getting any better. What's worse is the fact that the flu season isn't even in full swing yet. When the seasonal flu is added to the mix, the H1N1 poses a significant health threat.

Many people are concerned as to whether or not the H1N1 vaccine is safe. Pregnant women are hesitant to get the H1N1 vaccine for fears of how the shot will affect their unborn child. On the other hand, pregnant women are at an increased risk of severe complications from the flu. There have even been several deaths of pregnant women, including a woman that stayed on life support long enough to deliver her baby. Once disconnected from life support, she passed away.

There are two types of H1N1 vaccines available. One is a shot, and the other is a nasal mist. The shot contains a killed virus and the mist contains a weakened virus. Neither the shot or the nasal mist is supposed to make people ill with the H1N1 swine flu.

Those seeking the H1N1 vaccine can tell by the measly numbers on the H1N1 vaccine map that the vaccine is very hard to get. Thousands of people have lined up at various health departments when only a few hundred doses of the vaccine existed.

Depending on how you look at it, those who obtain the H1N1 vaccine are lucky. Skeptics may not think these people are lucky, as the safety of the vaccine has been widely criticized.

Doses of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine are hard to come by. Knowing where to find the H1N1 vaccine near you is challenging. Pregnant women should call their OB/GYN to see if their office has the vaccine. Those with immune deficiencies should contact their doctors to see if they can help them find a dose. Those with young children should call the health department in their area or their pediatrician.

The H1N1 vaccine map shows us a brutal truth: we are not ready for a major swine flu outbreak.

Sources:

Foxnews.com H1N1 vaccine map: http://www.foxnews.com/health/h1n1_vaccine_map.html