The people who think they don't need to get inoculated because they have strong immune systems are only thinking about themselves. Even if they get infected and beat the virus, they will still serve as a vector for the disease during that time. Not everybody has a Wolverine-like healing factor, but this thought doesn't seem to enter the smug brain convinced of its own personal exceptionalism.

The vast, vast majority of people won't experience any side effects beyond what is typically seen with a flu shot. If there is any hysteria being propagated here, it's on the part of conspiracy theorists who think the CDC, the media, and the entire medical community is in some sort of cabal together.

I will get the vaccine on Friday.

i will, and a regular flu shot, too. i have asthma, and once had a flu turn into pneumonia. i'm also a home care aide for old folks, one of which has congestive heart failure... so for both of our sakes, i'll get a little extra protection this year.

If my company pays for it (they already pay for the regular flu shot), I probably will.

Yep - not because I'm particularly worried about swine flu, though. I got the regular flu shot as well. I just really hate getting the flu, and I'm around lots of students/stress/late nights so I'm pretty susceptible!

No. I never got the regular flu shots either. I do encourage my folks and grandparents to get them though.

Yes. I am 6 months pregnant and the highest percentage of swine flu related deaths has occurred in pregnant women as our lungs and immune systems are compromised. I don't think that other people should pursue immunization if it doesn't seem like the right thing for them but I do urge folks with colds and fevers to stay home, rest and try not to share. This flu won't be a big deal for most folks but for little kids and pregnant women, it can be fatal.

l'm not sure. l have a raging immune system for some reason (maybe it's the years l spent in malaria-ridden Kenya), so my ego tells me l can withstand everything. However, l recently spoke with a friend who has a doctor friend who said (that totally sounded like some General Hospital shit) that there's a new flu strain that isn't affecting the young or old, it's hitting the mids, 20-40 year olds, and that it's got a pretty high fatality rate. l haven't confirmed this officially yet, but l don't see any reason she or her friend would make it up. So l may have to forgo my overblown assurance that my body will take it and get one. There's definitely some truth to the 'Better safe than sorry' deal, and l've come close to death enough times to not actually invite it into my life. So yeah, l may go ahead and nip it in the bud.

Absolutely.
I made the mistake of reading a Dennis Lehane novel that described the 1918 pandemic, which made me do some historical research, which was sobering...to say the least.

My wife and I are old enough to have endured the various Asian / bird flus, so supposedly we are both at low risk.

However, if I *did* get it... I'd place the lives of all my loved ones at risk: my grandson, my pregnant daughter-in-law, my mother-in-law, and so on.

So I'll endure both the H1N1, seasonal, etc. to keep my family and friends safe.

Yes, but I'm a healthcare worker, so I'll have to. If you're pregnant or a kid, you definately should get it. Right now the highest fatality rate appears to be among children, particularly TEENAGERS, and especially pregnant women. There have already been fatalities - a pregnant woman with no prior health issues, and the other people effected that I know of also were not immuno compromised and did not have pre-existing conditions - TOTALLY HEALTHY.

Manufacturers are scrambling to get the vaccine out right now - it's already fairly prevalent in our community and the vaccine won't be available until next week.

Please please pregnant ladies, get the shot. It can cause a necrotizing pneumonia - basically your lungs will rot and decompose inside you, it's not a pretty way to go.

I wish I could skip this vaccine. However, I have really bad asthma, and I'm prone to bad bronchitis even when I get mild colds. That puts me in the high risk category for h1n1.

I got my regular flu shot already (which I don't normally do), and I'm wanting an h1n1 vaccine as soon as I possibly can. I asked my doctor first, and he said I should pursue one.

Yep. Already got the seasonal vaccine. I think I already had swine flu, but I can't be sure, so I'll get vaccinated. I have pretty significant asthma that likes to morph into pneumonia. While I don't much care if I keep breathing, my mom cares. Stab me, doc.

No. I don't think it's necessary at all. All it is a is a flu, hyped up by the media.

I will not get the h1n1 vaccine. I'm in a demographic that's highly unlikely to be hospitalized for h1n1 symptoms, and my immune system is very strong thanks to exercise, hydration, consumption of antioxidants, vitamins and fish oil. I am also suspicious of the side effects of the h1n1 vaccine.