Why is the H1N1 shot important?

Answer 1

Infectious viruses that humans get require the cells of a human host to replicate themselves. The viruses make the cells stop doing their normal function for the host and turn them into virus-making factories by manipulating the DNA/RNA in the human cells. When the body recognizes foreign organisms, it causes an immune response. The immune response includes some of the symptoms you feel with the infectious disease, such as fever (an attempt to make the cells too hot for the germs to "reproduce").

With influenza viruses like H1N1, the virus uses the cells of the respiratory system. This is why you have respiratory symptoms like cough, runny nose, etc. If the virus is one that attaches to the cells of another body system, then the symptoms will be different because the cells that are being destroyed in the process of viral reproduction cause different symptoms when they are not functioning correctly. For example, viral gastroenteritis (also known incorrectly as "stomach flu") causes diarrhea and vomiting because the virus is affecting the cell function of the cells in the gastrointestinal system.

The illness you feel with the flu virus infections is due to the damage that the virus does to your cells while it infects them. The body cells are eventually killed when they split open to release the new virions (virus particles). While your cells are diverted from their usual function, and once they are dead, they also can cause symptoms due to your body not having them do what they should be doing until you build new cells to replace the dead and damaged ones.

See more information about how the immune system works and flu symptoms in the related questions below.

Answer 2

As a nurse, I think they should. Flu vaccinations have been proven safe and effective over decades of use. There are very few problems with taking them, and when there is a problem it is usually due to an allergy to one of the ingredients. To get rid of flu viruses once and for all, if everyone got the vaccination, then we would all be immune and that virus would eventually be made inactive because it will no longer have a suitable host once we all are immunized against it. However, in the US, the government does not require that everyone get one, they just encourage it like I do. Some states (e.g., New York) wrote laws to require that certain people in specific jobs get vaccinated to continue that work. Most were nurses or other medical professionals who worked with very sick people in the hospitals or who took care of infants (those under 6 months can not be vaccinated and protected because their immune systems are not fully developed then). When you work with the ill, especially those who have immune system disorders (HIV, auto-immune disease, cancer treatment, etc.) or infants, you have an obligation to not make them sicker. It is my opinion that requiring those specific employees to be immunized so they will not infect their vulnerable patients is an important part of providing their care. However, if required, the employees should have processes in place to reassign, away from the ill, those staff members who can not take vaccinations, due to Allergies or other medical problems of their own until the risk and flu season has passed. See the related question below.

Answer 3

People are concerned because not much is known about H1N1. It can be deadly, and as of yet we have no reliable vaccine to protect the public from it.

Answer 4

So that the epidemic is being spread by less people.

Answer 5

the h1n1 shot is important becaues it will prevent you for getting it or cure it