Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised by the emotional responses to the US Preventive Services Task Force new mammography guidelines for women age 40-49 released this week, but I have been taken aback by the incredulous tone taken by the mainstream media and even health professionals. A CNN interview today illustrates the dominant tone.

Flu shots!

I took the kids (ages 10 and 2) for their flu shots today at the county fairgrounds. The line was a quarter-mile long, but it moved quickly. Luckily, the 2 year-old was eligible for the nasal spray, but my son (with asthma) got the needle. No one cried.

I was concerned, though, because I ran into a parent at school today who expressed some surprise that we were getting H1N1 shots. Apparently they were told by their pediatrician that the vaccine hadn't been properly tested. I tried to correct their impression, but I'm still surprised this was advice offered by a health professional. (I'm less surprised to hear the same claim while we were waiting in line today, by a couple who went on to suggest that President Obama was a terrorist, and that the authenticity of his birth certificate was in question.)

To debunk some vaccine myths:

1. The H1N1 vaccines were produced and tested in the same thorough fashion as each seasonal influenza vaccine has been every year

2. The vaccine is not mandated by the federal government

3. While the majority of people infected will recover without significant sequelae, a small number of people will become seriously ill, and--just as with the non-H1N1 seasonal flu infections--some will die. Young children and pregnant women appear to be at greater risk.

4. Vaccines that contain the preservative thimerosal (used in multi-dose vials) are safe.

5. The flu vaccine has not been associated with fatal reactions, or with serious problems like miscarriages or Guillain-Barre syndrome. Unfortunately, people will continue to have neurological disorders, heart attacks, and strokes, and by coincidence some of these may occur after a flu shot.

Get your shots!