I got the H1N1 shot earlier this week. It’s the first time I’ve gotten a flu shot, although I doubt I will get the seasonal flu shot this year. The catalyst to getting the shot is because we’re going away on vacation and don’t want to deal with 105°C fever or blurry vision.

There has been a lot of talk about the dangers of a vaccine and whether it is worthwhile to get it: there is mercury in it, you can die from it, etc. I found that this visualization of the risks and percentages associated with the vaccine was useful. Some interesting statistics:

• The efficacy of the vaccine is only ~45%
• There is less mercury in the shot than in a salmon fillet
• There is only a 14:1 chance of getting Swine Flu

Although I’m not sure about the last number. There must be a lot of personal factors that affect one’s chances, such as social contact and cleaniness habits. Well if you’re average then you only have a 7% chance of getting it (and only 3.5% if you’ve had the shot).

Posted by Kevin in Blogs Tags: influenza, research, statistics