Third of parents don't want H1N1 flu vaccine for their kids

Last update: October 8, 2009 - 12:22 PM

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ATLANTA - As the first wave of H1N1 flu vaccine crosses the country, more than a third of parents don't want their kids vaccinated, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll.

Some parents say they are concerned about side effects from the new vaccine -- even though nothing serious has turned up in tests so far -- while others say H1N1 flu doesn't amount to any greater health threat than seasonal flu.

Jackie Shea of Newtown, Conn., who has a 5-year-old son, Emmett, says the vaccine is too new and too untested.

"I will not be first in line in October to get him vaccinated," she said in an interview last month. "We're talking about putting an unknown into him. I can't do that."

The AP poll found that 38 percent of parents said they were unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated at school.

The belief that the new vaccine could be risky is one federal health officials have been fighting from the start, and they plan an unprecedented system of monitoring for side effects.

They note that H1N1 flu vaccine is made the same way as seasonal flu vaccines that have been used for years. And no scary side effects have turned up in tests on volunteers, including children.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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