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Some Americans shun H1N1 vaccine, despite successful testing

Updated: 2009-11-19 22:05:52 CST Category: Infectious Diseases

by Brendan Missett

According to a new national poll, more than half of American adults say they don't want to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu strain.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released on Wednesday indicates that 55 percent of the 1,014 adults surveyed do not wish to receive the swine flu vaccine and don't plan on getting a shot.

"The perception that the vaccine has dangerous side effects is the top reason" for avoiding the vaccine, the survey's polling director Keating Holland told CNN.

He added, "Roughly half of those who don't want a swine flu shot say that the possibility of side effects is one reason they don't plan to get the vaccine" - a ratio which amounts to about 28 percent of all adults.

Regardless, the National Institutes of Health reports that clinical testing has revealed no serious side effects and those who have been immunized have responded well.

The CNN poll furthermore reveals that some Americans who would like the vaccine have been unable to obtain it. While just seven percent of those surveyed have been inoculated for H1N1, a total of 14 percent have tried to get the shot, but have been unsuccessful.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 46 states have reported widespread H1N1 flu activity.

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