A top U.S. health official says the risks from not getting the swine flu vaccine are greater than any potential risks associated with the vaccine.
Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says she's surprised by all the misinformation going around about the new vaccine. She says a good safety record from past vaccines bodes well for the swine flu vaccine now becoming available.
Schuchat says there's no problem associated with getting shots for both the swine flu and seasonal flu on the same day. But health officials recommend a three-week period between receiving the nasal versions of the vaccines.
Schuchat says vaccines remain the best way to protect children and adults from both strains of flu.
She appeared Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
Separately, on Monday, the World Health Organization says it plans to begin shipping the swine flu vaccines to poor countries in November.
Vaccine chief Marie-Paule Kieny says WHO wants to provide 60 million doses of the shots in the coming four to five months. This would be enough to cover health workers and some additional at-risk groups in developing countries.
The vaccines for the H1N1 strain of flu are being donated by pharmaceutical companies and rich countries that have already secured sufficient doses for their populations.
Kieny said Monday that WHO continues to appeal to manufacturers and governments to donate more vaccine for the estimated 3 billion people worldwide who cannot afford it themselves.
