Vaccines are safe, economical

Last week I took the H1N1 vaccine and I have never been happier.

As a British expat living and working in Beijing, my stereotypical response to being offered the vaccine should include undertaking a disproportionate amount of research, asking everyone I knew about notorious horror stories, and finally deciding I would be safer without it.

But I have lived in China for six years now and much of my British decision-making process - to be slow, clever and economical - has been replaced with the grabby moves of a child at Christmas, snapping up whatever I can for free without too much concern for my livelihood.