President Obama was given the swine flu shot on Sunday, while Mrs. Obama was vaccinated a few days earlier.  The President and First Lady waited so late in the flu season to get the H1N1 vaccine because they were not in one of the high risk groups — mostly children and pregnant women, as well as people with asthma.  Now that the H1N1 vaccine shortage is more or less over, health officials are encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.

President Obama got the swine flu shot — should you?

Obama was comfortable getting the swine flu shot, and having his family vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus, does this mean that getting the H1N1 vaccine is perfectly safe?  President Obama said in an interview with April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Network, “people need to understand that the vaccine is safe,” and in many cases it is.  Tens of thousands of people have gotten the swine flu shot and have only walked away with a sore arm, perhaps an upset stomach, fever, and a headache.  Others have had a severe allergic reaction due to a bad batch.  Many pregnant women have questioned the strange and terrible occurance of losing their baby within hours or a couple days of getting the H1N1 vaccine.  Flu.gov, the government’s flu information site has called the miscarriages nothing but coincidence.

How does anyone know for sure if the swine flu shot is safe, and what exactly are all of the side effects of the H1N1 vaccine?

As much as the medical community and the government firmly stand behind their motto, that everyone should get the swine flu shot, the public may be better served using their own judgement.  The H1N1 vaccine was very recently created, and its side effects and potential risks are untested beyond the people who have taken the swine flu shot so far this year — that is a fact.  For perfectly healthy people, supplements of echinacea and vitamin C to boost the immune system may be a much safer way to prevent the flu.  For people in at-risk gorups, the decision is much more difficult, but there is information out there on what exaclty a vaccine does to the body, and why it may or may not be necessary.

-Examiner.com-