Monday, February 8, 2010

The threat has passed but . . .

it's worth noting that those spreading vaccine-phobia were wrong, again.

At the height of fears over H1N1 flu this fall, some vaccination foes claimed it was safer to get swine flu than to be inoculated against it. But data from California show that getting the flu was drastically far more dangerous.

One in every 10,000 Californians who contracted H1N1 died, statistics from the State Department of Health show.

Out of 13 million Californians who were vaccinated for H1N1, three people died. In one case, the patient already had the flu and a streptococcus infection when vaccinated. One was a cardiac patient whose death the coroner ruled was related to pre-existing heart problems. And the final case is still being reviewed by health officials.

So the death rate for those vaccinated at the highest is one in 4.3 million, and more likely either one in 13 million or even 0 in 13 million, depending on what a review of that patient's medical chart finds.

One in every 10,000 Californians who contracted H1N1 died vs. one in 4.3 million (more likely one or zero in 13 million) for those vaccinated.