TODAY Mom, BuckeyMama:
My son had the first dose of H1N1 vaccine and was confirmed with the illness last week. Should he still be vaccinated with the second dose?

Dr. Tanya Remer Altmann, MD:
Great question. If your son truly had the H1N1 flu, confirmed by a special laboratory test called RT-PCR, he should have immunity against the H1N1 flu and you do not need to vaccinate him, at least this year. However, if you are not positive that he had H1N1 flu, giving him the second dose of this vaccine will not cause any harm and should protect him from catching H1N1 flu later this flu season.

The symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to those caused by many other viruses. Most people do not know for sure if they had the H1N1 flu or another similar illness. Therefore, even if you think you may have had H1N1 flu, it is still recommended that you get the vaccine.

Some doctor’s offices have a rapid flu test to detect seasonal flu type A and B. Since H1N1 is a flu type A virus, the rapid test will sometimes detect it. However, this test is not very reliable and the CDC reports false readings both positive and negative.

For more information on the H1N1 flu and vaccine go to: www.flu.gov

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