When asked how these findings may impact the situation here in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated, “What happened is, in the development of the vaccine, as we grow it in eggs, the virus itself mutated a bit, so that there was almost an accidental mismatch purely on the basis of the virus trying to adapt itself to growing in eggs. That’s what happened in Australia and it is likely that that’s what we’re going to see here.” He advised that the current vaccine was found to have a particularly low rate of success in the prevention of influenza A.

With a growing number of people raising red flags about the potential risks and side effects of the vaccine, it raises the question of how safe it is for use in the general public. Risks brought to light by researchers and medical experts include possible links to narcolepsy, asthma, Guillain-Barre syndrome, febrile convulsions, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Further research is required to better understand these risks. At the same time, however, with a number of experts currently questioning the effectiveness of the vaccine, we have to ask ourselves if the benefits outweigh the risks. It is vital that this information, both for and against the use of vaccines, are made available to Americans to provide them with the information necessary to make an informed decision.