Published: November 27, 2009 11:56 am      

Doctors cautious about H1N1 vaccine

By Justin Lofton

Staff Writer

Area doctors have expressed mixed opinions since the release of the H1N1 vaccine. Although Dr. Charles Mettry is an advocate of vaccines, he said he is not quite certain the H1N1 vaccine is the best course for his patients.

“My concern is that it’s a new vaccine and it has not been proven safe,” Dr. Charles Mettry said. “My strongly held feeling is that it’s going to be safe and effective but I do not know that. I want to have more proof that it will be.”

Mettry said he is not against vaccines, he just wants to be certain to steer his patients to the safest option.

“In general I am very much in favor of vaccines,” Mettry said. “Vaccines are like anything else. There are side-effects to them and we need to acknowledge them and be prepared for them.”

He said there have been cases of what may be side-effects from the new vaccine.

“I was very hopeful that there would not be any significant side-effects and then there was the report of the 14 year old in Virginia with Guillain-Barre Syndrome,” Mettry said. Guillain-Barre Syndome was reportedly a side-effect of swine flu immunizations in the 1970’s. GBS allegedly killed 25 people, although the role of the vaccinations in these cases has been questioned.

Mettry said he just wants to be cautious.

“There have been four cases of Guillain-Barre with this vaccine. This does not prove that the vaccine caused it but because that is what took the 1976 swine flu vaccine off the market, there is concern that this could be a side-effect of the vaccine,” Mettry said. “In 1998, a vaccine called Rotashield—which protects against rotavirus—came out in August. It was removed from the market in October of 1999 because of a serious side-effect. We have had, in recent history, at least two vaccines that were put on the market, touted as safe and effective and removed from the market because they were found not to be safe.”

Mettry also said the H1N1 flu has been a very mild flu outside of the high-risk groups and although he is not opposed to recommending the vaccine to patients, he is cautious about it.

“I think we need to address it seriously and not take a complex issue and give simplistic answers to it,” Mettry said. He said he definitely recommends, however, that patients in high-risk groups get the vaccine.

Dr. Gary Paddack is optimistic about the vaccine.

“I think that we don’t know how bad the H1N1 may be, yet. The vaccine is being made the same as the seasonal flu vaccine and should be as safe as the seasonal flu vaccine,” Paddack said. He said the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said the vaccine is safe and he is satisfied with their assessment.

“I’m encouraging my patients, if they have the ability, to take the vaccine. If they’re a risk-group, they should take it,” Paddack said.

Michael Echelle, administrative director of Pittsburg, Atoka, Coal and Pontotoc County Health Departments, said the vaccine is safe.

“From all indications, CDC has determined that the vaccine is safe,” Echelle said. “Through the springing and evaluation period, there is nothing to indicate that the vaccine is not safe.”