There have been a lot of kooky misinformation and wild conspiracy theories going around in the American Indian community about H1N1 and the public health response. This is not a manufactured health crisis created by the feds to control Indian people. C’mon, folks, let’s take off the tin-foil hats. There are plenty of reasons to distrust the federal government, lord knows. But this isn’t one of them. Don’t gamble with your life or the lives of your loved ones. As Wes Studi says in the videos above: Get your shot. Wash your hands. And if you get sick, take medicine – and protect the circle of life.

From BuffaloPost.net:

Last week, the federal Centers for Disease Control released a report that detailed what everybody already knew. In the dozen states studied, Native people made up 9 percent of the deaths from H1N1, even though they only constitute 3.3 percent of the population.

Now the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has releaesed a video, urging Native people to get vaccinated against H1N1.

Wes Studi, the Cherokee actor from “Avatar,” “The Only Good Indian,” and “Dances With Wolves,” urges people to “take three” to protect themselves.

Get your shot. Wash your hands. And if you get sick, take medicine – and protect the circle of life.

Tell it, Wes. We must protect our health.

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