Many see H1N1 as waning
But US officials warn swine flu remains a risk
By Elizabeth Cooney and Stephen Smith, Globe Correspondent | Globe Staff | February 6, 2010
Almost half of Americans believe the global swine flu epidemic is over, according to a Harvard survey released yesterday that found children were more likely to be inoculated than adults. But federal health officials cautioned that the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu is still circulating.
The Harvard School of Public Health poll, which reached 1,419 US adults by telephone from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24, discovered that nearly three-fourths of those surveyed now believe there is enough vaccine available, after earlier shortages.
About 40 percent of parents said their children had been vaccinated, while 13 percent said they intended to have their youngsters immunized against the H1N1 virus by the end of February. Only 21 percent of adults surveyed said they had gotten the swine flu shot or nasal vaccine, although 16 percent said they hope to be vaccinated by the end of this month.
“Many parents heeded the public health message to vaccinate their children against this virus, which hit young people unexpectedly hard,’’ Robert J. Blendon, director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, said in a statement released with the survey. “But there remains a steady core of adults who, regardless of messaging and other efforts, has chosen not to get the H1N1 vaccine. This group’s set of attitudes has proven very difficult for public health officials to change.’’
Federal health authorities reported yesterday that swine flu continues to circulate, albeit at a lower level than last fall’s peak levels.
