To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate

Paola was wondering why we decided to vaccinate le Petit against the H1N1 virus. The truth is, we hesitated a long time before making up our minds. If a vaccine exists for something, I'm likely to want to be the first in line for it, and doubly so if it's for le Petit health (even if the line is, ahem, five hours long). My husband, on the other hand, is somewhat vaccine-skeptical. Not that he's opposed to the normal series of vaccines against childhood illnesses, and he certainly doesn't believe any of the bizarre urban legend/conspiracy theories floating around linking, for example, the MMR vaccine to autism. But I had to work hard to convince him to vaccine le Petit for hepatitis B -- an optional vaccination in France, generally proposed for older infants -- and he does rather anxiously check for potential side effects in the days following any shots. So when I started lobbying for the H1N1 shot it was an uphill battle, and I, too, was skeptical at first.

Although I haven't seen the latest numbers, I would guess that in France at least half of the population has no intention of getting the H1N1 flu shot. My husband isn't planning to. I, however, will as soon as I can. We both agreed to vaccinate le Petit, and here's what decided us, in no particular order:

• I take public transportation every day during rush hour, when "standing room only" on the RER A means "breathing room barely." I figure that if there's a flu virus out there it probably has my name on it, and I don't want to give it to le Petit or the ten-month-old baby that shares our nanny and plays at our house every day.
  
  
• Dr. Sears had a post on their site which I interpreted as pro-vaccine. I'm far from an unconditional Dr. Sears fan, but I know that they tend to be vaccine-conservative, so I figured that if they were more or less in favor of the H1N1 flu vaccine, it probably was for a good reason.
  
  
• Our much-trusted pediatrician recommended it. He also assured me that kids under 10 would be vaccinated with the non-adjuvant form, which I've heard is better tested in young children.
  
  
• Although I don't have complete confidence in either the government or the pharmaceutical companies, I trust both of them far more than I trust a virus.

Finally, having spent one scary evening in the emergency room when le Petit suffered from an unexplained high fever, I can all too easily imagine finding myself in the same position again. Add breathing difficulties, an unknown pandemic, and I shudder at the regrets I might have. So, I decided the risk I wanted to take was to trust that the vaccine was safe and effective, and that le Petit wouldn't have any problematic side effects (he hasn't).

I understand and repect parents who choose not to vaccinate for H1N1, of course.

I think it is interesting, however, to see how people evaluate risk: poorly, generally. We are terrified of flying, but think nothing of getting behind the wheel of a car. We worry about chemical contaminants and genetically-modified foods, but without any real idea of the data that might support our anxiety. Cloud wrote about this quite eloquently. I'm no better than anyone else -- I'm a computer geek, not a scientist -- but for once, I did at least read the official information provided by the ministry of health. The infamous Guillan Barre Syndrome, the only dangerous flu vaccine side effect I've heard about so far, was mentioned, and the chances of contracting it were estimated at one in one million. I told my husband he'd do better to worry that le Petit and I would cross the street safely on our way to the vaccination center. That didn't stop him from nervously calling and texting us all afternoon.

Le Petit was just fine. I based this assessment on the soundest measure of his health that I know: he refused typically, stubbornly and categorically to nap. Take that, swine flu!