A short stroll through campus makes it obvious the flu season is here. The health center booths set up to facilitate the convenient scheduling of flu shots are a clear reminder.In class, people are dropping like flies from swine flu. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but the virus has definitely made its rounds.The age group most affected by the swine flu is 5 to 24 years of age, according to the CDC. Reading this, I’m happy to be older than 30 for the first time.  The current flu shot, which the Student Health Center will begin offering Oct. 19, is for the seasonal flu only. But the vaccine for the 2009 H1N1 virus may be available in the near future.The question is: How many will provide their bodies as test tubes for this vaccination, which has been rushed through production and testing? This sentiment is splashed across the Internet, from blogs to “informative Web sites” providing opinion and questionable statistics against the vaccine.Much of the current fear results from an effort to vaccinate against a strain of the swine flu — in 1976. Back then, numerous people were afflicted with Guillain-Barre Syndrome as a result of a reaction with the vaccine. Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) can result in complete paralysis and, on rare occasions, death.  “But the problems in 1976 have nothing to  do with the current vaccine, which is produced in the same fashion as the regular flu vaccine,” reported Tara Parker-Pope in the New York Times.This is not entirely true. According to the CDC’s “Your Online Source for Credible Health Information,” there is a possibility of GBS developing from a reaction to the current vaccine.  “It is not fully understood why some people develop GBS, but it is believed that the nerve cells are damaged by a person’s own immune system. . . . On very rare occasions, they may develop GBS in the days or weeks following receiving a vaccination.”But this isn’t the only concern of many Americans. An issue lies in the use of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative. There has been speculation this preservative may be linked to an increased occurrence of autism.According to a report on the CDC website, “Numerous studies have found no association between thimerosal exposure and autism. Since 2001, no new vaccine licensed by FDA for use in children has contained thimerosal as a preservative.” There is also the rumor the new vaccine will be mandatory.This isn’t true. The CDC recommends the vaccine for “pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel, persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people ages of 25 through 64 years of age who are at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.”But ignoring the noise, we need to examine the facts. In the 2008-09 flu season, 50,768 cases of 2009 H1N1 have been reported in the U.S., as well as 147 pediatric deaths from the flu in general.People need to protect themselves and especially their children from this virus. Failure to protect children with a simple vaccine  borders on neglect. Although the CDC states evidence does not support a causal relationship between thimerosal and autism, thimerosal-free doses of the vaccine are now being produced for children.Despite the necessity of a short testing period for this vaccine and budget cuts in the public health department, the government has done an exceptional job of responding to this health crisis. So don’t let your fears get in the way of common-sense preventive medicine.Nathan Shull is a 35-year-old finance junior from Seattle.  Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nshull.
 
 
 
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