My family has been urging me to get the H1N1 flu shot for a couple weeks now, and I have yet to give in. Actually, I’ve been playing dumb.

“I don’t even know where I can get it,” I told my dad when he called to recite the long list of reasons why I should get vaccinated.

“But you have asthma,” he said, “And you’re under 24. That’s two of the risk groups! Look on the Internet and find a doctor!”

True, I own a blue inhaler (though I have no idea where it is) and I will not be able to rent a car until January, but I would hardly say I am at “high-risk” for the Swine. Knock on wood!

Lately I’ve been hearing and seeing some ridiculously scary things about flu shots, from a cheerleader contracting dystonia (a nerve disease) after receiving a shot and can now only walk backwards, to some letter leaked by the Health Protection Agency in the UK. I’m not saying I believe all this hoaxy-sounding stuff, but there was one reported line I’ve heard that has stuck with me. It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the US in 1976:

“More people died from the vaccination than from the swine flu.” Ahhh!

On the other hand, I keep getting swayed to the other side. On a special H1N1 segment on 60 minutes last Sunday, Dr. Bruce Gellin, director of the National Vaccine Program Office of the Department of Health and Human Services, compared getting the H1N1 shot as a precautionary measure similar to that of wearing a seat belt. The chance of an accident occurring is less than 1/100 — but if it happens, you better be safe than sorry.

For the record, I’ve not received any vaccinations since grade school, and I think I’m doing OK. I do recall contracting a 24-hour bug a couple years ago, but it didn’t bother me — I felt like my body was doing what it’s supposed to do — fight germs and viruses.

I am not for or against this vaccination — I am just confused. I am doing my part and educating myself as much as I can. But it seems that the more I research, the more confused I get.

Did you get the shot? are you going to? Is this one of those “just do what you think is right” situations? Or should we wait until more research comes out?

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