Harvard Survey: Only One Third Of Americans Believe Swine Flu Vaccine Is Safe Worries about vaccine’s side effects outweigh worries about swine flu

Just 40% of respondents said they would take the swine flu shot in the poll carried out by Harvard Opinion Research Program at Harvard School of Public Health.

The study, funded under a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also found that respondents were worried about side effects or not concerned about catching the flu at all.

44% of respondents who were parents said they were unsure over getting their children vaccinated against H1N1, with 21% of those parents saying they absolutely will not allow their kids to be vaccinated.

Parents said that they were concerned about their children getting other illnesses from the vaccine and that they do not trust public health officials to tell them about vaccine safety.

The results show a great public distrust in the vaccine with just one third (33%) of the public viewing the H1N1 vaccine as very safe “generally for most people to take”. Even less (18%) believe it is safe for children aged 6 months to 2 years, and only 13% feel it is safe for pregnant women.

Almost one third (31%) of respondents think that public health officials’ concerns over H1N1 flu have been overblown.

Of the 40% of adults who said they would not take the shot, the majority said they may reconsider if people begin dying from the virus en mass.

The survey was conducted with a broad representative national sample of 1042 adults aged 18 and over.

The survey dovetails with a similar poll from Consumer Reports, one of the top-ten-circulation magazines in the country, that found almost two thirds of Americans would either refuse the vaccine outright or wait for more information before considering vaccinating their children.

As we have previously reported, both the GlaxoSmithKilne and the Novartis H1N1 vaccines contain both the novel adjuvant squalene, which has been linked to Gulf War Syndrome, and thimerosal, the mercury based preservative that some scientists have testified can cause brain disorders.

The vaccines have been rushed through safety procedures while the government has provided pharmaceutical companies with blanket immunity from lawsuits arriving out of the vaccine causing deaths and injuries.

In related news, more hospitals are demanding that workers be mandated to take the H1N1 shot, while Sacramento International Airport is to offer vaccinations in its terminals in a precedent setting move that critics have described as concerning.