Flu shot confusion clarified

(NBC) - The first swine flu vaccine was given to health care workers on Monday and there are more coming later this week.

While that vaccine protects against H1N1, you still need the regular flu shot too. There is a lot of confusion about who needs what, when.

It is especially confusing for parents, because some kids will need just one shot while other need two.

Some can get the nasal spray and some cannot. Some could need up to four doses of these two vaccines.

Health care workers in Indiana and Tennessee got the first does of the new swine flu vaccine on Monday. The seasonal vaccine for the regular flu is already out there. Two different flu vaccines are getting some people confused.

"I'm confused about, you know, how many shots they need and whether it's two or three," said Nancy Gigantiello, a mother.

Here's the deal. If you are a healthy adult over 25, get your regular flu shot, but do not rush to get the swine flu vaccine. High-risk adults and children need both.

"There are two different viruses that could be circulating together throughout the community," said Dr. Anthony Fauci with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "So, if you're protected against one, you would not be protected against the other."

If you are a health care worker, if you are under 25 years old, or if your child is under 6 months old, you are at risk. Get both vaccines right away. Pregnant woman and chronically ill adults are at risk too, but they cannot get the spray. They have to get the shot.

For kids, it is more complicated. Babies under 6 months old cannot get any vaccine at all. Children under 10 need two doses of the swine flu vaccine. Do not forget: they also need the regular flu shot. One dose if they've had it before and two doses if they have not and two doses if they missed the second dose last year. All that is in addition to the two swine flu vaccines.

If you need two doses of a vaccine, they have to be 21 days apart. So, parents may need to pull out a calendar to keep it all straight.

Want the spray instead of the shot? You have be over two and under 50 with no chronic illness and you cannot get the seasonal and swine flu spray on the same day.

Who gets what vaccines?

Both vaccines

• Health care workers
• People under 25 years old
• Parents of children under 6 months old

Both vaccines (shots only)

• Pregnant women
• Chronically ill adults

No vaccine at all

• Babies under 6 months old

Child vaccines
Older than 10 years old

• 1 H1N1 dose
• 1 regular dose

Younger than 10 years old

• 2 H1N1 doses
• 1 regular dose

REMEMBER: Those receiving two doses must wait 21 days between the vaccinations.