The 2009 H1N1 swine flu epidemic deaths in children were more related to MRSA than the virus itself. Simultaneous infection of MRSA and H1N1 increased mortality by 8 fold! Only 30% of children in ICU with swine flu did not have a co-existing serious disease. Of those, only 9% died. The potential value of the swine flu vaccine would not save many lives. Most of the 70% who need it the most have suppressed immunity and would be unlikely to respond to the vaccine. There is also question about what percentage of healthy children who had the H1N1 vaccine would benefit from the vaccine. To top it off we don't really know how many side effects occur from the vaccine.
A novel consideration would be to use nasal probiotics in effort to decrease or eliminate MRSA from the upper respiratory tract. This has the potential to reduce the number of children sick enough to be admitted to the ICU who are carriers of MRSA and therefore at risk for developing serious MRSA pneumonias.
