Seasonal flu vaccine still important

(WWLP) - Even with concerns over swine flu, seasonal influenza remains a very serious concern this season.

Across the U.S., seasonal flu put hundreds of thousands of people in the hospital, and kills thousands every year. But still, not everyone chooses to be vaccinated against it.

As the first shipments of H1N1 vaccines come trickling into clinics across the country, the American Lung Association warns that seasonal influenza, or the regular flu, is still a serious concern as we approach winter.

Scott Craig of Wilbraham hasn't decided if he'll get a flu shot.

"I've heard good things and bad things. You don't quite know what to believe. So I've put it off. I don't know if I'll actually go through with it or not," he said.

With the swirl of concern around the swine flu, the American Lung Association wants to remind residents that seasonal flu hospitalizes more than a quarter of a million people each year, and is responsible for an average of 36,000 deaths nationwide.

Some of the people 22News spoke with were waiting anxiously for the swine flu vaccine to be released so they could get in line to get it, while others still were not convinced that it's safe.