FDA Commissioner's letter to health care professionals about H1N1 vaccine

The FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. recently wrote a letter to health care professionals about the H1N1 vaccine. It's actually a very descriptive letter of how the H1N1 vaccine was developed. She concludes by focusing on vaccine safety and the reporting of adverse events. Here's a snippet:

I encourage you to report any adverse effects that you believe are linked to any vaccine, including the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (http://vaers.hhs.gov/index). Other resources for 2009 H1N1 influenza, including a detailed description of vaccine safety efforts, are online at www.flu.gov

I agree with Dr. Hamburg that most U.S. families will be touched (directly or indirectly) by H1N1. You probably know many families by now. Maybe you've been affected by H1N1. It's only November and it's hard to predict what to expect for the rest of the winter, but make sure to protect yourself and your family by washing your hands.