CHAMPAIGN – When Nancy Hoetker's children ask her why they have to get seasonal flu shots every year, she always tells them influenza is a nasty illness they don't want to get.

Unfortunately, her 13-year-old son, Andrew, just suffered through his first nasty case of the flu this past week, she said. It started with a bad cough last Sunday, then quickly progressed to a sore throat, nausea, fever, chills, chest and head congestion, extreme fatigue and aches and pains all over.

While her son likely has the novel H1N1 flu that's been sweeping through the community, Hoetker said she's still planning to get her kids vaccinated for H1N1 as soon as the vaccine is available at local schools.

But not all parents are planning to do likewise.

H1N1 vaccinations will be offered at all Champaign County public schools as soon as enough vaccine arrives. But as children begin carrying their vaccination permission slips home, some parents are torn about signing them. Do they want their kids getting this new vaccine at school when they're not present? Do they want them getting it at all?

Tece Hendrickson, a Champaign mother of three, said she won't be signing those permission slips for her kids – though she does still plan to get them vaccinated against seasonal flu.

Her reason for shunning the H1N1 vaccine: Mostly a gut feeling because it's new, she said.

If her kids wind up getting sick, she said, "we'd probably just treat it like any other flu."

Fellow Champaign mom Jennifer Clarke said she's also decided against H1N1 vaccinations for her three children in grade school, middle school and high school.

"Personally, for me, I'm not going to do it, but that's because I've done research on what's right for my children," she said. "I highly advocate getting vaccinated, but in this case, I think we don't really need it."

For one thing, Clarke said, her middle school-aged son has just had the flu recently and her daughter in high school had a milder form of it the week before.

Plus, she said, her family is basically healthy and she's been especially careful lately to make sure her kids are eating and sleeping well and getting extra Vitamin C.

Clarke said she's talked to her pediatrician about it, and she believes her kids could fight off the flu if they get it, but, "if I had a child that had asthma or any respiratory issues, I probably would not be making that choice."

Is it really safe?

Hoetker said everything she's heard and read about the H1N1 vaccine is that it's being made the same way seasonal flu vaccine is, so she figures if she doesn't have concerns about the seasonal flu vaccine there's nothing to be concerned about with the H1N1 vaccine.

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde said people ask her if the H1N1 vaccine is safe about everywhere she goes, and her response is always the same.

"If it weren't a safe vaccine, I wouldn't be putting it in my children and advocating other people to take it," she said. "The fact of the matter is, my children get a seasonal flu vaccine every year and they're getting the H1N1 vaccine when it arrives."

And that's despite the fact that both her children have been out sick this past week with H1N1 flu, she said. Her son came down with it this past Sunday, and by Monday, her daughter had it.

"We're keeping them isolated, or as I like to say, we're keeping them medicated, hydrated, loved and entertained," she said.

The other concern Pryde hears from parents everywhere: That this is a "new" vaccine.

The H1N1 vaccine has been made the same way seasonal flu vaccines have been made for decades, with the same ingredients and by the same manufacturers, she said. The only difference is the virus being added to provide the immune response.

In fact, Carle Clinic pediatrician Dr. Kathleen Buetow said that this year's seasonal flu vaccine has an H1N1 strain in it – just not the novel one making people sick right now.

Had the novel strain surfaced earlier, it would have been included in the seasonal vaccine, she said.

Pediatricians urge vaccinating

Buetow is advising parents to get their children vaccinated for H1N1, and here's why:

Right now, it's a relatively mild virus making people miserable for a few days. Most people who have it get better, she said.

But it's the unknown that concerns her. Will people be laughing a year from now about all the H1N1 fuss, or concluding it was much worse than they ever imagined?

"What we don't know is whether this virus will peter out, as many of them do, or if it will become a monster," Buetow said.

The other argument in favor of vaccination, Buetow said, is that the H1N1 vaccine doesn't do any harm.

"We're not introducing new things. We haven't introduced any adjuvants (components added to some vaccines to boost antibody protection) or anything into this new vaccine," she said. "We know it's safe. It's now been given in trials to a large number of people and there have been no unusual side effects."

Provena pediatrician Dr. Norbert Yoe is also encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated.

It's appropriate for parents to be concerned about a new product, he said, but he encourages them to do their homework about this vaccine.

Those concerned about the vaccinations being given in a school setting might want to ask whether it's being administered by a medical professional and whether their children will be observed afterward for about 15 minutes for side effects, Yoe said.

Still skeptical?

Buetow points out that Uncle Sam is standing behind this particular vaccine, and has a vested interest in making sure it's safe because people will sue if it's not. "They're really looking at it," she said. "Nobody wants there to be any problem with the vaccine."

Another thing to consider: Influenza is now widespread in Illinois. Since April, 76 children across the nation have died from confirmed cases of H1N1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yoe said he's heard the total H1N1 death toll in the U.S. (the unofficial one reported recently by the CDC) stands at about 600.

"How many deaths from vaccine have we had?" he points out.

Yoe and Buetow also urge parents to consider the health of the community at large.

Children who aren't vaccinated can carry H1N1 germs with them and infect others, they said. And some of the people most vulnerable to serious complications from the flu – pregnant women, infants, people who are obese and those with chronic health conditions – may be their own family members.

People are typically exposed to flu germs two to seven days before their first symptom occurs, Buetow said, but "people often spread this the day before they come down with symptoms."

Buetow said she can't argue the importance of keeping kids healthy to help them fight off sickness, but she said she doubts that's going to be enough to protect a child who picks up a heavy virus load from a doorknob.

Put all the facts in perspective, Yoe urges. The spread of flu is very difficult to prevent or control and the best defense is vaccination.

"For me, it's sort of a no-brainer," he said.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Following are some of the most commonly asked questions doctors and public health officials are getting about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine, and some answers from Provena pediatrician Dr. Norbert Yoe, Carle Clinic pediatrician Dr. Kathleen Buetow and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde:

1. How much time should lapse between getting the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine?

Buetow: As long as both are injectable vaccine, or one is given as a nasal vaccine and the other is a given as a shot, you can get them both at once. But wait three weeks in between two nasal vaccines, because there would be too much competition between the weakened live viruses in the nose.

2. Is the mercury-based preservative thimerosal in the H1N1 vaccine?

Pryde: The vaccine comes in nasal spray and injectable forms, and both the nasal and single-dose injectable forms are thimerosal-free. Some injectable vaccine will also come from multidose vials that do contain thimerosal, but "you absolutely don't want an open vial without preservatives in there. It's one of the things that make the U.S. vaccine safe."

3. What kind of vaccine will be used in public schools?

Pryde: Both kinds have been ordered, but most of the order is for single-dose shots. At this time, the local health department, which will be distributing the vaccine to the schools, doesn't know what manufacturers will send.

4. Is the nasal vaccine safe for kids?

Buetow: Most school-age children are candidates for the nasal vaccine, unless they have a chronic health condition. (Some questions being asked on parent consent forms address conditions that might pose a problem for receiving certain forms of the vaccine.) Even if your child has seasonal allergies, it's OK to administer the nasal form of the vaccine, though a child who is suffering from nasal congestion at the time should either delay receiving it or request an injectable form.

5. For kids and others who have already been sick with flu this year, how do you know if it was H1N1 or seasonal flu?

Pryde: It doesn't matter, because both are treated the same way, but nearly 100 percent of the flu circulating right now across the country is H1N1. It's still too early in the year for seasonal flu.

6. Should children who have already had the flu this year get the H1N1 vaccine?

Buetow: Yes. While the current form of flu is mild, the second pass of illness could be much more severe and the vaccine will offer some protection, even if the virus mutates.

7. Why must children 9 and younger be vaccinated for H1N1 twice, three weeks apart?

Buetow: Because their immune systems are so immature.

8. Have there been serious side effects from the H1N1 vaccine?

Yoe and Buetow: No.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "CDC expects that any side effects following vaccination with the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine would be rare. If side effects occur, they will likely be similar to those experienced following seasonal influenza vaccine. Mild problems that may be experienced include soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given, fainting (mainly adolescents), headache, muscle aches, fever, and nausea. If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last 1-2 days. Life-threatening allergic reactions to vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it is usually within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot is given."

9. Which of the two flu shots, seasonal or H1N1, is it most important for kids to get this year if they're only going to get one?

Yoe, Buetow, and Pryde: Neither will protect you from the other. Get both.

10. Couldn't schools be closed to protect kids and the community at large if H1N1 grows more severe?

Buetow: No. Give kids a day off from school, and they're going to go to the mall.

More questions? Visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_safety_qa.htm

COUNTY SNAPSHOTS

Some children in Piatt and DeWitt counties may be among the first kids in the area to receive H1N1 vaccinations at their schools.

The DeWitt-Piatt Bi-County Health Department has received some of its vaccine order, and plans to start administering it at two of the largest school districts, in Monticello and Clinton, possibly in the week ahead, Administrator Dave Remmert said.

The health department plans to offer vaccinations to all kids during school hours, but may be consolidating vaccination locations due to limited staff. Remmert said he is waiting on parents to return consent forms to make final plans for vaccination dates and locations, but wants to get the vaccine out that's already arrived.

Following are plans for vaccinating children in other area counties:

Champaign

Vaccinations are being offered to children at all Champaign County schools. Dates will be announced when enough vaccine arrives.

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District started vaccinating health care workers late this past week with its first limited vaccine shipment to arrive.

Vermilion

No vaccinations in schools. The Vermilion County Health Department received its first vaccine shipment Friday, and will hold public walk-in clinics in Danville, Hoopeston and Georgetown starting the first week of November. Dates and addresses will be announced Monday, Administrator Steve Laker said.

Douglas

The Douglas County Health Department will administer vaccinations in schools, but hasn't finalized dates or locations yet. The department hopes to get permission slips to the schools in the upcoming week.

The first vaccine doses to arrive are going to health care workers.

Ford and Iroquois

No vaccinations in schools. The Ford-Iroquois Public Health Department plans to hold walk-in clinics for the public a couple of times a week in Watseka and Paxton, once enough vaccine arrives to hold clinics in both locations.