Every major Canadian media outlet this week is filled with headlines and articles about the H1N1 flu virus, with articles about vaccination clinics and who’s eligible for this or that round of shots.

Several times a day, we get the latest figures on the number of confirmed cases and deaths, both across the country and provincially. At times the media “noise” almost seems to scream, “What are you doing to protect yourself?”

Given all the variables — age and medical circumstances of each member of your family, the availability of vaccination clinics in your area, the risks associated with getting the shot or not, and even the availability of seasonal flu vaccine — it’s almost impossible to know how to answer to that question.

Part of the problem, of course, is the term “pandemic,” which the World Health Organization (WHO) invoked in July to describe H1N1, otherwise known as swine flu. All by itself, mention of the word elicits thoughts of the bubonic plague or “Black Death” of centuries past. We’re fortunate, of course, that both the science and organization of public health globally has come a long way since that time. So, for good or ill, has the amount of information to which we’re exposed — and in such circumstances, it can be difficult to know which information to take to heart and which to discard.

Surveys over the past couple of months have shown that between 30 and 50 per cent of North Americans don’t plan to get themselves vaccinated against H1N1, in spite of all the “noise.” Most likely, that’s at least partly because of questions that recent studies have raised about the potential long-term health effects of repeated immunizations and/or vaccinations and the feeling among a growing segment of society that if the illness is likely to be mild, it’s better in the long run to let your body’s immune system fight it off.

This, of course, is a double-edged sword. While it reduces the level of hysteria at times such as what we’re experiencing now, it also could have tragic results for some families and individuals who probably should get the vaccine. In an article published Tuesday (Oct. 27) in the Montreal Gazette, a physician who is clinical director of infectious diseases at one of the city’s hospitals was asked, “What’s the point of getting vaccinated if most people will be fine after a few days sick in bed?”

Answered the doctor, “Good question. The fear is that many people will get sick around the same time… Imagine if all at once there weren’t enough nurses or bus drivers, for example.”

It’s interesting that patients in larger cities such as Vancouver have vaccination clinics available to them some nine days before those of us in the hinterlands. But under the circumstances — a limited number of doses available to health-care professionals distributing the vaccine — it’s not surprising, and reinforces the need for all involved to approach the situation in an orderly (read: not hysterical) fashion.

We, of course, are not qualified to dispense medical advice, but we strongly urge readers to do their best to sift through all the information that’s available and follow the advice of health care professionals with expertise in the field. At this point most seem to be urging people to get the shot as soon as it’s available to them.

If you’re still in doubt, seek out the advice of your family doctor before weighing your decision. And above all, don’t give in to the media-driven temptation to condense the word “pandemic” and panic.