Yes, I realize there is no H1N1 vaccine for our pets. It was more a commentary on our often contradictory perceptions of risk. A person might perceive little risk from coming down with H1N1 or see a lot of risk from the vaccine based on Internet postings, and say "No thank you" to the vaccine for themselves. But if their pet is suddenly perceived to be at risk, I could see many of these very same people suddenly turn around and clamor for development, as fast as possible, of a vaccine to protect their pets.

Dealing with this pandemic is such a lose-lose situation on many fronts. One of the more recent controversies is over intravenous peramivir, which wasn't yet approved for use in the US. It was recently given an emergency use authorization. Before that, I would see meetings on TV where people go to the mike almost tearfully asking why the FDA wasn't making peramivir more readily available during a crisis situation like a pandemic. But after the EUA, I see posts on various websites slamming (the same ones that slam H1N1 vaccine) the approval of "untested" peramivir and how it's just another case of Big Pharma sneaking one more money-making product on the market without proper testing, yada-yada. You just can't please everyone.