H1N1 vaccine fears range from overblown to untrue; journalists need to deliver the facts

Probably no story has been more widely circulated in the news media in recent months than the outbreak of the novel H1N1 flu, unfortunately most widely known as swine flu. Now that the H1N1 vaccine is being distributed, new rashes of fears and untruths have begun to circulate. In providing an excellent resource for journalists, FactCheck.org has released its list of H1N1 vaccine misinformation.

The vaccine has some risks, the same ones associated with the seasonal flu vaccine released each year, FactCheck reports. The vaccine is functionally the same as the seasonal vaccine except for the virus it contains. Some have alleged that thimerosal, a substance used in the multidose formulation of the vaccine, causes developmental disorders in children, but no scientific evidence exists to prove this claim. The vaccine also has no connection to Gulf War syndrome or Guillan-Barre syndrome despite claims to the contrary. A naval vessel was prevented from deploying because of a flu outbreak, but it had nothing to do with the vaccine and there were no deaths aboard the ship, as some chain emails claim.

The full article from FactCheck.org contains much more detailed analysis of each falsity, and we encourage you to examine it and contact local health officials for further comment. Delivering the facts to an overly skeptical public can help prevent individual flu cases or even outbreaks and death. (Read more)

Also, take note that National Newspaper Association President Cheryl Kaechele, publisher of the Allegan County News in Michigan, last week urged community newspapers to use precise language in coverage of H1N1 and avoid the term "swine flu." NNA "was asked on behalf of pork-producing states to clarify for readers that exposure to hogs, pork products or other swine is not the precipitator of the virus," an NNA release said.