The article in question was published by the BBC, the 14th of December. The article titled "Numbers Drop for Flu Vaccination Uptake" can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/humberside/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9287000/9287515.stm for those interested.
In this report, the author calls attention to a percentage drop of people this flu season opting to be vaccinated in various areas in the UK. This is attributed to people who believe they have a low chance of catching the disease among other reasons such as just plain not wanting to undergo the trouble of driving down to get the vaccination. "Flu's a nasty illness. I think people sometimes think it's a bad cold but it's actually very serious," says one doctor. Unfortunately, the article also calls to attention a large percentage of people not being vaccinated to have various health disorders that make them more vulnerable, such as asthma, heart disease, etc. Because of this, a flu pandemic could be possible in the area within the new year.
While reading this article I thought one thing. How could people be so careless? The fact that less and less people are getting vaccinated calls to attention how much we are taking for granted these days. We are even willing to risk our own lives in order to avoid a simple vaccination that takes no more than a drive down to your local pediatrician. What is more concerning is that a significant demographic of these people not being vaccinated are at-risk groups who are more vulnerable to the disease. While I certainly don't enjoy needles, I still choose to be vaccinated because I have a past history of asthma. The concerns of the doctors are certainly not unfounded. Their strategy to avoid a pandemic is certainly thoughtful as well, urging those who are at risk to be vaccinated in order to prevent a rapid spread of the flu through these at-risk groups. This reminded me of the video in class about circle vaccinations where only those who were infected were given priority vaccinations in order to prevent them from spreading the disease to others in the area. While not the same in execution, it is the same in concept.
The spread of disease has always been exacerbated by those who believe they are above catching the illness. Tasks such as simply washing your hands have been ignored and have led to various ailments. Venereal diseases are still around because of people who refuse to take the necessary precautions. Sometimes you cannot predict when or how a disease will strike, or perhaps another condition prevents you from being vaccinated, but when a cure is in front of you, it seems plain negligent to look over it.
Although a very interesting article, I sort of disagree with you. It's true that it seems silly that people won't take 2 minutes out of their day to get the vaccine, but just because it's a vaccine doesn't mean it necessarily works. There are many cases where people who get the flu shot end up actually getting the flu itself. Also, much like we learned during Smallpox, it doesn't always work even when it is applied. I don't think people are being careless, we can't really speak for the UK population, but who is to say there will be a pandemic? Plenty of places around the world don't even get vaccinated for the flu; I think the UK is clean enough and smart enough to stop a pandemic of the flu from occuring.
ReplyDeleteI agree with sarah. I remember when there was a big uproar about the swine flu last year and you would see many stories on the news of people getting the vacination but something happening to them. It can be scary for people to decide to get a vacination especially if they have had a bad experience with one in the past. I also believe that many people are not getting the flu shot because they don't know a lot about the flu and how bad it really is. I don't even know all of the symptoms and how dangerous it is, it had always been talked about like it is no more deadly than a cold. I know my dad gets one every year because like you Sean, he has asthma. However, for someone like me who has had a cold once and a while but never any other medical conditions might not really think about getting one. Educating the public would be a good first step to alerting everyone on how deadly it can be.
ReplyDeleteWhile all of what is stated is true, had everyone thought this way, no one would get vaccinated. I do agree with what is said, but personally I would prefer to have some sort of insurance much rather than find myself in that small yet significant statistic that catches the flu, especially when there is little effort involved in getting vaccinated.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lindsay and Sarah. The flu vaccination is not 100% effective and can even lead to the flu. The flu vaccination should be given to people who are more at risk and to anyone who wants it but if people choose to not get vaccinated, I do not believe that there would be a pandemic any time soon. People should be aware of their own medical conditions and most people know their body well. Also no one is above the flu, but on the other hand getting the vaccination does not ensure immunity, it can even lead to the flu so people need to pick what is best for them. Also, based off of what Lindsay said, I believe Swine Flu affected people’s opinions of the vaccination. There were stories in the news about bad outcomes of the Swine Flu vaccine like only being able to walk backwards but we have larger problems with the vaccination. The Swine Flu vaccination contains Squalene, which is used to amplify the effects of the vaccine being given. Squalene has not been approved by the FDA to be added to vaccines. Squalene was also in the Anthrax vaccine given to the military personnel in the Gulf War. The result was that many of them developed autoimmune diseases from the vaccine. This was also shown in rats that were given the Swine Flu vaccine. This has to do with the flu vaccine because while last year the two were separate, this year they are combined and I don’t know about you but for me, I would rather risk the flu.
ReplyDeleteAlthough vaccination may seem at times useless or harmful, it is necessary. The reason that we sometimes get sick from a vaccine is if we are given a shot that contains the live virus, you can get a weaker form of the virus, which builds immunities. However, if you take a shot with the dead vaccine, you shouldn't get sick. This is the difference from the common flu mist and the flu shot. Although we may feel invincible because our immune systems are strong, i agree that we still need to get vaccinated to protect ourselves. Because when we start to feel invincible is when we will start to learn the hard way that we are not.
ReplyDeleteI think that while vaccines can sometimes seem unimportant because they are so simple, they really are something that all people should take advantage of having. That’s not to say that if people everywhere all of a sudden decided to not get it then it would be the end of world. There would just be a lot of people getting a little bit sick. People should do what they want, but you would think that getting something that’s so easily available and beneficial is a given, wouldn’t you?
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