# 4332
USA Today has an article this morning on the safety of the H1N1 flu shot in California after roughly 13 million shots have been given.
And the news is good
First some excerpts from the story, then a deeper look at the numbers.
Swine flu vaccine safe, California and CDC data show
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
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.
Having promoted the benefits of getting the H1N1 vaccine since the beginning, I’m obviously quite happy that the vaccine has turned out to be very (but not 100%) safe, and effective.
There was always a very slight chance that it could have turned out differently.
Admittedly, some of these numbers being bandied about in the article above are rough estimates.
California has recorded 506 deaths as of January 30th, but I don’t think anyone really believes that is a complete count. And as far as how many people were infected . . . well, that’s a ballpark guess at best.
But 1 death in 10,000 infections is probably a reasonable estimate. At least for now.
Despite the ominous warnings of the anti-vaccine crowd – many of whom predicted more deaths last fall from the vaccine than from the virus - after dispensing 13 million vaccinations, California has only investigated 3 deaths in connection with the vaccine.
And of those, they’ve pretty much eliminated any causal link to the shot in 2 of them.
One (possible) death out of 13 million shots?
Even if they’ve missed a few in their surveillance, that’s an impressive safety record by any standard.
