The flu.
Today, I am going to use my LJ as a soapbox.
I got my flu shot today. The Quebec government is letting people between the ages of 20 and 65 with chronic diseases (asthma, in my case) get their flu shots for H1N1 now. So I went and it was surprisingly painless and I hardly waited around.
That's not soapboxy.
What drives me crazy, and I don't know if it's just because my dad's a doctor or what, are those people who don't like vaccinations.
And by "don't like", I mean don't vaccinate their kids or themselves against actual dangerous diseases, not the people who don't like needles or what have you.
It continually astounds me to hear about people who do not want to vaccinate their children for fear of autism, cerebral palsy or risks to do with mercury and aluminum. Drives me nuts. If vaccines actually, without a doubt, caused things like autism and cerebral palsy, would they still be used? Seriously. I'm guessing not. All I've read is that there are tenuous, POTENTIAL links between these illnesses and vaccines in a small PERCENTAGE of populations.
As to mercury, yes, thimerosal (a form of mercury) is used as a preservative in some vaccines, particularly the H1N1 vaccine that I got today. Know what? You get more mercury in a can of tuna fish than you do in this particular vaccine. And do not get me started on aluminum causing Alzheimer's, because again, there isn't a direct, proven correlation. My dad worked in the aluminum industry for 20 years, doing his part for occupational health and safety of the workers. If my dad tells me there's no direct link between exposure to aluminum and Alzheimer's, I'll believe him, because he's a doctor who has had a job in which he had to do research that covered that possibility.
Is everyone going to have an easy time with a vaccine? No. Everyone's body is different, everyone's immune system reacts differently. People are unique individuals and there will be more severe reactions to vaccines than others.
I got the shot about two and a half hours ago.
In the first fifteen minutes or so (where they ask you to stay in a waiting area to ensure you don't have a severe reaction), I felt a little bit light-headed and dizzy, but it soon faded. And I am TOTALLY jinxing myself here, but my arm isn't even sore. I'm sure it will be, since that's a side effect in 50%+ of the population, but right now, I'm feeling pretty good. I am not concerned that I will develop autism, cerebral palsy or Alzheimer's. I am not concerned that I will have a severe reaction to the vaccine. And what's more, I'm not concerned about getting H1N1, now. I wasn't terribly worried before, but the reason I got the vaccine was that I got the regular flu last year and felt like death. So I wanted to avoid that again, and will also get the seasonal flu vaccine when it becomes available.
In so doing, by making myself as close to immune as possible (as it bolsters, but does not guarantee full immunity), not only am I saving myself the trouble of being very ill, but more importantly, people are probably not going to get sick because of me. I take public transportation, I hang out in public places, and if I'm contagious just before I'm symptomatic, then guess what? I've just potentially infected the 50 or so people I was sitting near, handed money to or held the door for. That's how a pandemic works, people. That's why governments are setting up vaccine centers, are giving out information. It's not necessarily because they care SO much that you, personally, are going to be sick. But one sick person can get any number of other people sick. That's why there are vaccines -- to immunize and prevent the spread of disease. That's why there's a schedule for people who are eligible for vaccination. Health-care professionals first, because they're the ones in contact with the sick people. Then people at risk of serious cases of the illness. Then people at risk of moderate cases or side effects of the illness (chronic illnesses, like asthma). Then people who are basically healthy. And finally, people who have probably already been exposed.
And speaking of that, H1N1 isn't new, people. My dad had it in 1968. He was miserable, but he lived to tell the tale. And, just in case, he STILL got his flu shot, too.
What really drives me crazy about all this is that there's very little middle-of-the-road thought about this. I saw a man today who lied about his age to try to get a vaccine. They're currently vaccinating people 20-65 with chronic illnesses, right? Dude was born in 1938 and was busted. He said he was 64 and then had to hand over his medicare card (province-run health insurance card) and they're like "uh... you're 71."
So you have all these people PANICKING about the flu and trying to lie their way in to get a vaccine, and then you've got the other loonies who are so adamantly against vaccinations that they look at you as if you have three heads when you tell them that yes, you got the flu shot.
Obviously, I feel strongly about this myself, but I didn't panic about getting the flu and I even debated getting my shot, but ultimately, I got it because I didn't want to be as sick as I was last year and I didn't want to spread it.
Anyways, rant is done for now, but oooooh, some people being so misinformed makes me nuts. It's like that xkcd comic: http://xkcd.com/386/
I try to tell myself to breathe, but it doesn't always work. :P
I got my flu shot today. The Quebec government is letting people between the ages of 20 and 65 with chronic diseases (asthma, in my case) get their flu shots for H1N1 now. So I went and it was surprisingly painless and I hardly waited around.
That's not soapboxy.
What drives me crazy, and I don't know if it's just because my dad's a doctor or what, are those people who don't like vaccinations.
And by "don't like", I mean don't vaccinate their kids or themselves against actual dangerous diseases, not the people who don't like needles or what have you.
It continually astounds me to hear about people who do not want to vaccinate their children for fear of autism, cerebral palsy or risks to do with mercury and aluminum. Drives me nuts. If vaccines actually, without a doubt, caused things like autism and cerebral palsy, would they still be used? Seriously. I'm guessing not. All I've read is that there are tenuous, POTENTIAL links between these illnesses and vaccines in a small PERCENTAGE of populations.
As to mercury, yes, thimerosal (a form of mercury) is used as a preservative in some vaccines, particularly the H1N1 vaccine that I got today. Know what? You get more mercury in a can of tuna fish than you do in this particular vaccine. And do not get me started on aluminum causing Alzheimer's, because again, there isn't a direct, proven correlation. My dad worked in the aluminum industry for 20 years, doing his part for occupational health and safety of the workers. If my dad tells me there's no direct link between exposure to aluminum and Alzheimer's, I'll believe him, because he's a doctor who has had a job in which he had to do research that covered that possibility.
Is everyone going to have an easy time with a vaccine? No. Everyone's body is different, everyone's immune system reacts differently. People are unique individuals and there will be more severe reactions to vaccines than others.
I got the shot about two and a half hours ago.
In the first fifteen minutes or so (where they ask you to stay in a waiting area to ensure you don't have a severe reaction), I felt a little bit light-headed and dizzy, but it soon faded. And I am TOTALLY jinxing myself here, but my arm isn't even sore. I'm sure it will be, since that's a side effect in 50%+ of the population, but right now, I'm feeling pretty good. I am not concerned that I will develop autism, cerebral palsy or Alzheimer's. I am not concerned that I will have a severe reaction to the vaccine. And what's more, I'm not concerned about getting H1N1, now. I wasn't terribly worried before, but the reason I got the vaccine was that I got the regular flu last year and felt like death. So I wanted to avoid that again, and will also get the seasonal flu vaccine when it becomes available.
In so doing, by making myself as close to immune as possible (as it bolsters, but does not guarantee full immunity), not only am I saving myself the trouble of being very ill, but more importantly, people are probably not going to get sick because of me. I take public transportation, I hang out in public places, and if I'm contagious just before I'm symptomatic, then guess what? I've just potentially infected the 50 or so people I was sitting near, handed money to or held the door for. That's how a pandemic works, people. That's why governments are setting up vaccine centers, are giving out information. It's not necessarily because they care SO much that you, personally, are going to be sick. But one sick person can get any number of other people sick. That's why there are vaccines -- to immunize and prevent the spread of disease. That's why there's a schedule for people who are eligible for vaccination. Health-care professionals first, because they're the ones in contact with the sick people. Then people at risk of serious cases of the illness. Then people at risk of moderate cases or side effects of the illness (chronic illnesses, like asthma). Then people who are basically healthy. And finally, people who have probably already been exposed.
And speaking of that, H1N1 isn't new, people. My dad had it in 1968. He was miserable, but he lived to tell the tale. And, just in case, he STILL got his flu shot, too.
What really drives me crazy about all this is that there's very little middle-of-the-road thought about this. I saw a man today who lied about his age to try to get a vaccine. They're currently vaccinating people 20-65 with chronic illnesses, right? Dude was born in 1938 and was busted. He said he was 64 and then had to hand over his medicare card (province-run health insurance card) and they're like "uh... you're 71."
So you have all these people PANICKING about the flu and trying to lie their way in to get a vaccine, and then you've got the other loonies who are so adamantly against vaccinations that they look at you as if you have three heads when you tell them that yes, you got the flu shot.
Obviously, I feel strongly about this myself, but I didn't panic about getting the flu and I even debated getting my shot, but ultimately, I got it because I didn't want to be as sick as I was last year and I didn't want to spread it.
Anyways, rant is done for now, but oooooh, some people being so misinformed makes me nuts. It's like that xkcd comic: http://xkcd.com/386/
I try to tell myself to breathe, but it doesn't always work. :P