WKBT La Crosse, WI-NewsChannel 8-Some Parents Concerned about the H1N1 Vaccine for their Children

Reported by:Cynthia Schweigert

Some Parents Concerned about the H1N1 Vaccine for their Children

The government and health officials continue to push the H1N1 vaccination, saying it's the best way to ensure you don't get sick.

With La Crosse county expecting to get the H1N1 vaccine in early November, parents are deciding whether their child will get vaccinated.

Children are considered "high risk" for getting the H1N1 virus, so they're also one of the first on the list to get vaccinated. While some parents are excited for the vaccine and hope it'll keep their children from getting sick, others say there are better options to keep their kids healthy.

Young people are being hit especially hard by H1N1, and that's making parents concerned about their children.

"I have three kids ages seven and under, and I'm afraid they're going to get it," said Kim Blum, a mother who wants to get her children vaccinated.

Just days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shipped more than 200,000 H1N1 vaccines to Wisconsin. That means parents may have to soon decide if their child will get vaccinated. Some are relying on the vaccine.

"The United States has a pretty good track record of vaccinations working for lots of other diseases, dating well back into history, so I just trust they got it right this time."

Others are worried about the vaccine's chemicles, and say it's natural for people to get sick.

"The flu makes you sick, you miss school, you miss work. A strain of the flu has changed, but other than that, it's the same old deal," said Jason Bishop who says he won't get his child vaccinated.

"It's just a lot of garbage that doesn't need to be in our bodies," he adds.

Kim Blum says she just hopes there are enough vaccines for her family.

According to the State's Health and Human Services department, H1N1 is spiking in Western Wisconsin, and the department does recommend everyone to get that vaccination as well as the seasonal flu.