1. The vaccine is dangerous and will give you the flu. – This is one of the most common misconceptions. Experts all agree that there is absolutely, positively, no way that you can contract the flu from the vaccine. The fact is, the flu vaccine contains a dead virus, meaning it can’t infect you. The nasal vaccine does contain a live virus but has been specifically manipulated to extract the part of the virus that makes you sick. In spite of this, this popular myth seems undefeatable. There are a couple answers as to why some experts blame this prevalence. The first is that people normally mistake the side effects of the vaccine for the flu. Although these side are usually just a sore arm, in the past, side effects often felt like mild flu symptoms. The other being that flu season is around the time of year when bugs that cause colds and other respiratory infections are circulating. Many people get the vaccine, get sick a few days later, and accuse the flu vaccine, instead of the coughing boss or sneezing child.
2. You can contract the swine flu by eating pork or touching a pig.
– Touching or eating pork can transmit some viruses but that’s not why the H1N1 swine flu virus is spreading. As reported by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it has happened many years ago in the past but is not the case now. Swine flu is considered to be a respiratory virus which means it can be spread from person to person through liquid droplets that become airborne through actions like sneezing and coughing or by touching something with the live virus on it and then touching your nose, eyes, or mouth. On the contrary, if the swine flu was being transmitted from pigs to people, there would not be such distress by public health regulators. This type of transmission would likely encompass the flu’s spread to individuals who are in close proximity to pigs such as farmers and meat workers. 
3. Only unhealthy or chronically ill individuals get the swine flu. – In many cases, children who died of the H1N1 flu were normal, healthy, children. And in the cases of the adult deaths, many had no underlying conditions. Over a third of the public (which is more than four times the normal amount) are predicted to get the flu in 2009. Reason being, only a very small group have sufficient antibodies to protect them against the virus. The genuine apprehension is the extreme form of the disease which quickly strikes deep into the lungs. This is more commonly in people with underlying lung conditions like smoking or asthma, pregnancy, or chronic inflammation from heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Out of the cases of the severest forms about a quarter of the adults and a little over 70 percent of kids had no chronic illnesses.
4. Wearing a face mask will keep me from catching it. – You should wear a mask if you work in a hospital or medical facility and make contact with patients who that have flu symptoms. It would also be a good idea to wear one if you have to go to a waiting room in a hospital or clinic, according to the outbreak in your area. Using a face mask is not a foolproof way to catch the swine flu. The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose. In the case that you are infected with the swine flu, you should wear a mask if you are to be in a public setting or traveling. If you are caring for someone with the swine flu, it is recommended to wear the mask also. Be sure to dispose of your mask right away after leaving. Wearing the same mask over and over again or touching it with your hands can make you more susceptible to catching it than wearing no mask at all.
5. This is the first outbreak the United States has had. – There have been plenty of outbreak cases in the U. S., just a much smaller scenario. In 1976 there was a casualty of swine flu in a group of five soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In 1988 there was an outbreak in a Wisconsin community. It is very difficult to track where swine flu viruses originate. Primarily, when a strain might only cause mild symptoms or fatigue, it may not always catch the eye of researchers. This actually means that a mild case could have already affected the world already many times.
6. Swine flu symptoms are just like the regular flu symptoms. – Symptoms of the H1N1 flu can be similar to those of the regular flu, but have shown not to be quite frequently. These general symptoms can include nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Additionally, in more than half of those cases, a fever was never developed. This is of concern being that one may not know they are infected until severe symptoms like shortness of breath, blue lips, and severe chest pain.
7. The swine flu was created by humans. – There are a portion of people that think this rare genetic virus must have been made in a lab by high tech scientist. There was also a study done by an Australian virologist that boosts this myth. He reported that the swine flu must have been originated from a laboratory accident after researching public gene information pertaining to the virus. Hearing about this, the World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.int/publications/en/ studied this claim with various scientists, experts and related organizations. The result was that the swine flu was indeed NOT created in a laboratory and was a natural mutation process.
8. Antibiotics will make you better. – The flu, swine or no swine, is strictly caused by a virus. Antibiotics can only fight infections caused by bacteria. So certainly, there is no way that antibiotics can be used to treat the flu of any kind. However, in some situations flu complications have involved bacterial infection. The virus can weaken your immune system y and allow bacteria to invade. These secondary infections to the flu are bronchitis, sinusitis, ear infections, and frequently pneumonia.
9. A flu shot will make me immune. – Unfortunately, there is no known all in one flu antivirus. Although scientists have been working continuously for years, it is a daunting task. Because flu strains mutate yearly, it makes it harder to catch up. In fact, a vaccination only decreases your chances of getting the flu; it does not make you totally immune to it. Never the less, we should be getting vaccinated to not only offer ourselves some protection but reduce spreading the virus to others.
10. It’s too late if you haven’t gotten the vaccine by November. – Previously, supplies of the vaccine used to run out by November, but that just not occurring anymore. Currently, there should be an adequate amount available to anyone who wants it. It should even by accessible as late as December or January. Get the shot, the flu often hits it highs in February and even into late March.
So no matter what you’ve heard or what month it is, get yourself vaccinated if you haven’t already. By doing this you are helping yourself, your family, and the community.
