UPDATED FROM 9/30/09. Gather facts and consult a medical professional you trust, then make your own decision about flu shots including the H1N1 vaccine. The article below provides information from a number of sources and hopefully, encourages you to do more research in order to make an informed decision.

An Associated Press poll conducted October 1 - 5 shows that  72% of those surveyed are worried about side effects and 38% of parents are unlikely to give permission for their children to take the vaccine. Health officials say there is an unprecedented system to monitor for side effects but the monitoring will be after the fact.

The vaccine can cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that damages nerves. It can worsen existing medical conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease. It can cause digestive disorders, metabolic and nutritional disorders, respiratory disorders, neuropathy and paralysis, and a long list of discomforts and irritations like pain, rash, chills, fever, headaches, fatigue and more.

All this, yet in a few days millions of Americans, perhaps even you, will take the H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine. If that is your decision, you should make it based on knowledge and not "fear of flu" or the government marketing of a product that they own.

Consider the swine flu scare of 1976. 60 Minutes, during a November 4th, 1979 program (this is a "must watch"), revealed blatant U.S. government propaganda and fear-mongering during that swine flu outbreak. The incisive report said that although only one person died as a result of the swine flu, there were 300 vaccine related deaths and 4,000 Americans claimed damages from Uncle Sam amounting to three and a half billion dollars because of the swine flu vaccine.

Could this happen again? A warning that the new swine flu vaccine is linked to the deadly nerve disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) was sent by the Government of Great Britain to 600 senior neurologists in a confidential letter on July 29, 2009.The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, was leaked to The Mail. GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causes paralysis and can be fatal. The letter also referred to the 1976 U.S. swine flu vaccine. 

Another warning comes from German Lung specialist, Wolfgang Wodarg, who said that there are many risks associated with the vaccine for the H1N1 virus. The nutrient solution for the vaccine consists of cancerous cells from animals and he said, "we do not know if there could be an allergic reaction".Wodrag also described people’s fear of the pandemic as an "orchestration": “It is great business for the pharmaceutical industry,” he told the German ‘Neuen Presse’. Swine flu is not very different from normal flu. “On the contrary if you look at the number of cases it is nothing compared to a normal flu outbreak,” he added.

What else is in the 2009 H1N1 vaccine? About the same ingredients as in the regular flu vaccine. PhysOrg.com™ a web-based science, research and technology news service, LifeSciences Blog and the government's own flu site,  state that the new H1N1 vaccine contains thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that has been phased out of childhood immunizations since 2001 due to concerns that the preservative MAY be linked to autism.

Thimerosal is about 50% mercury and will be found in most vials of the H1N1 vaccine. According to the CDC, "Single-dose syringes will be thimerosal-free, which will address concerns about this additive, especially regarding pediatric and pregnant vaccine recipients. Inhaler sprayer vaccine products also will be thimerosal-free." Worth noting: before the CDC advocated vaccinating children under the age of five, the number of children dying from the flu was very low, and on the decline. Then, in 2003, just after children aged five and under started receiving flu vaccinations, the number of flu deaths among children escalated The death toll was much larger compared to the previous year, when the flu vaccine was not administered to that age group!

Other toxic or hazardous ingredients included are

• Aluminum — a neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease
• Triton X-100 — a detergent Phenol (carbolic acid)
• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
• Betapropiolactone - a disinfectant
• Nonoxynol - used to kill or stop growth of STDs
• Octoxinol 9 - a vaginal spermicide
• Sodium phosphate
• And of course, the virus or viruses.

Flu shots are include dead flu viruses that are usually injected into the arm. FluMist, the only government-approved flu nasal spray, delivers a live but weakened strain to the nostrils.

Want to know what the CDC says about the swine flu? Use this link for updates, vaccine information and other references.

Pharmaceutical companies are also promoting the flu vaccines, so its worth noting that the Obama administration is protecting drug companies by extended broad legal protection to anyone who makes, distributes, prescribes or administers the H1N1 pandemic vaccine. This is nothing new. Protecting drug companies from lawsuits by requiring claims to be handled in federal court came after the 1976 swine flu outbreak.

I have never had a flu shot and I don't intend to start now, partly because flu shots are determined based on known flu strains that are occurring on the other side of the world in January and February, way ahead of our winter flu season and may not even include the right strains. The basic content of the shots and known reactions are also not appealing to me. I am however conscious of the efforts I should take to protect myself like making sure I have good levels of Vitamin D in my system, eating lots of fruits and veggies, spending more time away from the computer exercising, and washing my hands frequently. If there is an increase in the flu in my neck of the woods, I will probably also avoid unnecessary shopping and wear a flu mask on trips to the market regardless of how I look.

Dr. Mercola's web site includes a video that puts some of this in perspective and includes other information you may want to consider like anti flu health tips.