IT IS GOOD TO SEE THAT THE CENTERS FOR Disease Control are seeking ethical guidance about the rationing of flu shots this year (“Ethicists to guide rationing of flu vaccine,” J. Couzin, News of the Week, 5 Nov., p. 960). They should also be seeking ways to reduce the scientific uncertainties that make this ethical question difficult. For example, how effective is the influenza vaccine in differ...

Have you ever found yourself busily attending to a patient’s acute problem when all of a sudden a nagging voice inside your head reminds you that you haven’t yet asked the patient about that needed flu shot, Pap smear, tetanus shot or other preventive service? Although health plans and government agencies are often quick to remind us of our preventive failures, many physicians shy away from pre...

BACKGROUND Vaccination against pandemic influenza A/H1N1 is an effective strategy to mitigate the spread of the disease. While the vaccine is now available, social acceptance remains relatively uncertain in many societies. The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs, attitudes and practices associated with the intention to get vaccinated against the A/H1N1 virus among the general popul...