Majority of H1N1 flu Vaccine Seekers Could not Get It

A recent poll of 1,073 adults found that the majority of adults who tried to get the H1N1 flu or swine flu vaccine for themselves or their children were unable to find it.

The survey showed that since the H1N1 vaccine became available in Oct., 17 percent of adults, 41 percent of parents and 21 percent of high priority adults have already tried to get the flu vaccine.

Of those who have tried, 30 percent got the vaccine as they wished, while 70 percent couldn\'t. Of the parents who have tried to get the vaccine for their children, 34 percent got it.  Of the people who are classified as high priority to receive the swine flu vaccine, only 34 percent were able to get it.

The poll conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health between Oct 30 and Nov 1 was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The health agency is interested in learning how effectively they communicated with the public on the H1N1 vaccination.

High priority adults included those who live with or care for a child less than 6 months of age, pregnant women, health care professionals, and adults aged 25 to 64 who have medical conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from flu, asthma, heart disease, and organ transplantation.  Parents included in the poll are those who have children 6 months to younger than 18 years of age.

Of those who had tried to find locations where they may receive H1N1 flu vaccine, 49 percent could not find it.

\"These findings suggest that the nationwide H1N1 vaccine shortage is presenting a real challenge for those who have tried to get the vaccine,\" said Robert J. Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at HSPH, who co-directed the poll.

The survey results might not reflect the real situation, as the survey included oversamples of non-Hispanic African Americans and Hispanics. According to HSPH, 107 non-Hispanic African Americans and 141 Hispanics were interviewed. But the researchers adjusted the results to reflect the sampling bias.

While the shortage of H1N1 flu vaccine frustrated some adults, nearly half of adults did not show any interest in getting the vaccine now or later, according to the Washington Post.

It is difficult to have a higher percentage of adults vaccinated against the H1N1 virus because many of them believe this virus is no more risky than the common seasonal flu. Even the majority of medical workers do not think they need the H1N1 flu vaccine; thus, they refuse to get the vaccine even in the state of New York, where by law they need to be vaccinated to protect patients.

By David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton