How do people react to A/H1N1 jabs

October 21 is the first day of the free A/H1N1 flu vaccination project involving five types of groups in Beijing such as elementary and middle school students. The decision whether or not to get the A/H1N1 flu vaccine has become an issue for numerous residents. On the one hand there is the lingering shadow of the A/H1N1 flu while on the other hand there is the doubt people hold over the safety of the new vaccine.

Free A/H1N1 jabs for school students

Parents of students

Is vaccination the only way to protect against the A/H1N1 flu?

Mr. Du (a senior officer in an industry association in Dongcheng District)

Prior to the National Day holiday, Mr. Du received a notice from his daughter's school requiring students to take traditional Chinese medicine to prevent the A/H1N1 flu and also to get a A/H1N1 flu vaccination.

"I refused immediately," said Du, "What is the use of such Chinese medicine? All medicine has side effects, don't they know this simple fact? Aren't they overreacting to require my child, who is so young, to take the medicine? I will never sign the consent letter related to the A/H1N1 flu vaccination.

The reason behind Du's refusal to get the vaccination is very simple. He said, "As the vaccine was newly developed and is too new, I do not think it is safe."In addition, Du, who is fairly knowledgeable about immunizations, believes that vaccine is not a panacea. Vaccinated people are not guaranteed to be immune to the A/H1N1 flu and a variation of flu viruses is more likely to occur than any one type of the virus. "Once a variation takes place, the vaccine administered will become useless. Many people who get flu vaccinations every year still catch a cold, right?" Moreover, vaccination is a passive measure after all, so we cannot rely on it, let along depend on it for a long term."

He believes that if a family has a sick elderly member, other family members may receive vaccinations. This isn't the case for children, however. "Must my daughter, who is only about 10 years old, rely on the vaccine to handle the flu? If she were dependent of vaccine from her childhood, her own immune system would be damaged and even lose some immunologic functions. I accompany my child to do physical exercise every day, we wash our hands often and pay attention to our personal hygiene and avoid going to crowded public areas, such measures are more effective than all types of vaccine.

"The current situation shows that the central government is capable of preventing, controlling and treating the A/H1N1 flu. If each of us pays attention to our personal hygiene, do not spit everywhere or continue to work when sick, quarantine ourselves if we're having flu symptoms, and have the more sense of responsibility for ourselves and the society, the prevention and control of the A/H1N1 flu will not be difficult work. A sense of responsibility is far more important than a dose of vaccine," said Du.