I got both shots (H1N1 and seasonal) this year and have had NO problems. I get the seasonal flu shot almost every year because of my line of work and being exposed on the job, and usually get a sore spot at the injection site out of it. The H1N1 shot didn't even give me that.
All of this "trust the government" crap is blown completely out of proportion. The H1N1 vaccine is made in the EXACT same way as the seasonal flu vaccine is EVERY year. Every year the flu vaccine has to be changed so that the vaccine matches the protein markers of the particular strain of flu that is circulating that year. Which is why occasionally the flu shot does little to no good at all, as every now and then the makers of the vaccine pick the wrong strain to vaccinate against, since they have to start making vaccine before the large part of the flu season even hits. More of the time they are at least mostly right, but not all strains of the flu are in each vaccination so getting the flu shot does not guarantee you won't get the flu.
As far as testing data and safety, there's no reason to suspect that the H1N1 vaccine is any more/less dangerous than ANY flu vaccine. It is made in the EXACT same way. Yes, the protein markers are different. But, they are every year for the seasonal flu vaccine.
You CAN NOT get the flu from the flu vaccine if you get the flu shot. There is absolutely no live or deactivated virus in the shot. NONE. You may have a reaction to the shot, as with any shot, vaccine or medication there are side effects that some people can/will have. The flu has an incubation period of 24-72 hours, so, you can be sick without experiencing symptoms. If you get a flu shot and get the flu within 24 hours of the shot, YOU ALREADY HAD THE FLU. It also takes time for the vaccine to take effect, so you can actually still get the flu the good old fashioned way up to a week or so after the shot.
The nasal spray version of the shot does contain deactivated live virus. In theory, I suppose it is possible to actually get the flu from the nasal spray, but the chances are incredibly small (like go play lotto small) and that is also why they have limits based on health on who can get the nasal spray.
As far as "reports coming out" of miscarriages, deaths etc, after getting the shot its all BS until a causal relationship is established. I mean, I went to work 24 hrs before I got the flu last year, that must mean that going to work gives you the flu! I'd better never go to work again if I know what's good for me! But seriously, a lot of things happen to a lot of people every single day. I'm sure that there's a person out there that got the H1N1 flu shot and was then struck by a bus,it doesn't mean that getting an H1N1 shot causes people to get hit by buses. Miscarriages in particular have numerous understood causes, and a HUGE number of causes that modern medicine still doesn't understand. Could some women have miscarried because of the vaccine? Yes, its a possibility. Would most of them miscarried anyway? Probably (the linked article even admits it).And isn't it convenient that you don't have access to any medical details about these cases? The first article talks about 20 women. 20 people out of the number that has been vaccinated is practically clinically insignificant. Yes, its a huge life altering event for those people. But when you talk about vaccinating MILLIONS, its not even a blip on the radar screen. And this is before any of them are shown to have actual causal effect. You can't have a medication without having some people have an adverse effect. You certainly can't prove a medication has no effect on anyone, after all, even the control group in most studies report having some adverse or positive effect. Which is why we have something called the "placebo" effect.
The H1N1 flu vaccine is no different than any regular flu vaccine. If you normally get it, there's no reason not to get the H1N1 vaccine. If you happen to be one of those folks that experience a reaction to the flu shot, then don't get it. If you've never had a flu shot before, then keep in mind you may have some kind of side effect. Its not a conspiracy, its not a cover up, and its not Big Brother.
