H1N1 Flu Vaccine—Why the Delay?

Flu vaccine is the single best way to protect against influenza illness. Watch this short video to understand how flu vaccines are made, why manufacturing and shipping vaccine take so long, and how you can find flu vaccines near you.

A flu vaccine is the single best way to protect against influenza illness. This fall, there is a seasonal flu vaccine to protect against seasonal flu viruses and a 2009 H1N1 vaccine to protect against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (sometimes called "swine flu").

Watch this short video to understand how flu vaccines are made, why manufacturing and shipping vaccine take so long, and how you can find flu vaccines near you.

Learn more about flu vaccines at www.cdc.gov/h1n1 or www.cdc.gov/flu.

Remember that until the vaccine is widely distributed, specific groups of people have been prioritized to receive H1N1 vaccine; these include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people ages of 25 through 64 years of age who are at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

To learn more about who should receive vaccine, see Questions & Answers, H1N1 Influenza Vaccine.

To find out where you can get vaccinated near you, visit the Flu Shot Locator (seasonal and H1N1).

The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines are expected to be very similar to seasonal flu vaccines, which have very good safety track records. Over the years, hundreds of millions of Americans have received seasonal flu vaccines.

More Information

To learn more about vaccine safety, see:

• Frequently Asked Questions about the Safety of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine
• H1N1 Flu Vaccine Safety

For other flu-related videos, see:

• H1N1 Vaccine Questions? … Ask Dr. Anne (9:15 mins)
• Why Flu Vaccination Matters (1:00 min)