CR poll: Many Americans are unsure about getting the swine flu vaccine

A majority of U.S. adults say they are either reluctant or unsure about whether they or their children will get vaccinated for the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. And more than half of the people at high risk for flu complications don't realize they are, according to a nationally representative survey of 1,502 adults conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center in the first week of September.

Just 34 percent of Americans said they definitely planned to get the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available, while 21 percent said they would not. Forty-three percent said their decision would depend on how things go. And though children are among the groups given priority for swine flu immunization, many parents said they were unsure about what they would do when the vaccine becomes available. Half of them said they were undecided; 35 percent planned to have their children vaccinated. Fourteen percent said they definitely would not have their children vaccinated.

Are you at risk?

Though officials now say that the swine flu vaccine will be available in large enough numbers for anyone who wants it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically recommends it for about 160 million Americans, including health-care and emergency workers, pregnant women, people who live with or care for children under 6 months of age, young people from 6 months through 24 years old, and adults ages 25 to 65 who have an underlying health condition or compromised immune system.

Among people who classified themselves as high risk for swine flu complications, 60 percent in our survey said they would definitely get vaccinated, and 29 percent said it would depend on circumstances. But more than half (55 percent) of those who reported that they had medical problems such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease didn't realize that their medical conditions put them at higher risk.

The confusion is similar to what we found in an earlier poll conducted at the end of August: Older adults were the most likely to be worried about swine flu, while young adults, who are at greater risk of catching it, were least concerned.

But our latest survey found that the college-aged crowd, from 18 to 24 years old, was motivated to comply with the CDC recommendation that they be vaccinated for H1N1. Forty percent of them said they definitely would, and 43 percent said it would depend. Only 17 percent said they definitely would not get vaccinated, suggesting that education and outreach efforts—or concerned parents—may be having an effect.

Immunity appears more common in people over 60

Evidence suggests that the swine flu is caused by a new H1N1 virus with some similarities to an H1N1 flu virus that circulated before 1957. Many older adults appear to have some lingering immunity to the virus from earlier exposure and are therefore less likely to catch it. So far few cases and fewer deaths have been reported in adults older than 64, but those older adults who do get swine flu may be at higher risk of severe symptoms or complications.

But most people, especially younger adults and children, have little or no immunity to the current virus. That means it can spread easily. So far most cases have been mild, meaning that patients can generally treat themselves at home. But even a mild case of the flu can be miserable, causing high fever, aches and pains, a cough or sore throat, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. Swine flu can also cause severe symptoms in healthy people, in addition to those with one or more risk factors.

Patterns can be difficult to change

The survey results suggest that people tend to do what they've done in previous flu seasons. Seventy-one percent of those who did not get vaccinated last year said they never get vaccinated for the flu.

Many of those who do get a seasonal flu vaccine every year said it was simply part of their medical routine: 80 percent of those who were vaccinated last year said they got vaccinated almost every year, and 80 percent got vaccinated because it worked for them in the past. Most (83 percent) said that they got vaccinated to prevent themselves from getting sick but that helping others also provided a good motivation; 74 percent said they got vaccinated to protect the people they lived or worked with.

Health-care providers prove to be the best advocates for vaccination, with 60 percent of those who were vaccinated saying they did so because their provider recommended it. Unfortunately, health-care workers and others who work with vulnerable populations, such as child-care workers, were just as likely to skip vaccination as the general population.