Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center

Swine Flu Cases Rise; CDC Urges Vaccination

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Of the H1N1 vaccine, ''I would say there is moderate concern about the safety of it," says Wally Ghurabi, DO, chief of emergency services at Santa Monica-UCLA and Orthopaedic Hospital in California and a member of the H1N1 Steering Committee for the University of California Los Angeles.

He hears about patients going on the Internet, hearing rumors and reports that may not be true. ''Someone always brings up Guillain-Barre," he says.

Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological condition, was linked with the previous swine flu vaccine, manufactured in 1976. But the link was not clear, and experts point out that vaccine production has improved greatly since then, as has testing for contaminants, which may have explained the link.

Ghurabi's advice is to weigh the pros and cons, taking your risk into account. "If you are caring for a two-month old baby or are pregnant, you are in a high risk group," for instance.