Saying No to Vaccinations

I can see why a lot of people are for it, and it is a wonderful invention, for the people it works for.
But my family, me, my mother, her grandmother. Any time any of us got a flu shot. We got the flu. And when we didn't? We didn't get as sick. We still got the flu, but we weren't down-and-out like we were after the flu-shots. And the flu never lasted as long, generally a day or two with fever, and done. After flu shots, the flu would last about a week before breaking.

Now, please don't get me wrong, Vaccines are amazing things, but again, they don't work for everyone.

You're right, they don't work for everyone. You can blame the reason your family got the flu on other folks you were around that DIDN'T get vaccinated. This is why it's so important that EVERYONE get vaccinated.

That brings up an interesting discussion.

Do we, as individuals, have a social responsibility to protect our fellow citizens from sickness by preventing sickness within ourselves?

I feel that we do. We're all individuals, but we're also all connected in some way. We have things like laws and etiquette in place so we can live together in relative peace and harmony. I don't think helping to keep others safe from illness is too much of a step further from those things. Vaccines are a dual benefit--you have less of a chance of getting an illness when you get one and you offer that reduced risk to the people around you who couldn't get vaccinated. It's a nice thing. (:

Get your people shots, folks. Not just for yourself, but for your community. If you get sick with something that you could have easily been immunized for and you end up getting someone else sick because they couldn't afford or obtain the vaccine themselves then that person could be seriously affected by it. If you're worried about possible issues that come with vaccines, read up on them. Don't rely on back alley whispers of autism and mercury.

That brings up an interesting discussion.

Do we, as individuals, have a social responsibility to protect our fellow citizens from sickness by preventing sickness within ourselves?

I believe we do.

I believe we do as well. I have never gotten the flu IN MY LIFE, but it took some education and being forced to get the flu shot while in the military for me to realize why we get vaccinated. Nobody in the military contracts these horrible illnesses because we have ALL received the shots, so together we are protecting all of us.

I believe we do as well.

I've had the flu twice, once being the H1N1. I had my vaccine and was warned that I was susceptible for 8-10 days before it took effect. Went to school, and a few days later I found out that my desk-mate had gotten "sick" ... the next day I was bed-ridden, and then in the hospital with H1N1.

The next year, I picked up another flu, which felt the same as the H1N1. Felt like I was going to die (I can be a little dramatic at times lol) .. that year I forgot to get the flu shot.

My daughter is fully vaccinated, but took a reaction at 6 months to her flu shot. I have a hard time finding anyone that will give her one so she hasn't had one since she was 6 months. She's 4 now. I'm still conflicted.

This year there is the largest number of cases of the measles since the 90's primarily due to the "Anti-Vaccine" movement.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/health/worst-measles-year/index.html

We had a woman that refused to get the flu shot (it's mandatory where i work) and stated that it was because she was pregnant. Her baby died in the hospital because of the respiratory flu virus. If she would have gotten vaccinated, she could have passed her immunity onto her baby. It's preventable.

If you look at past generations, it was common for families to bury 1 or more of their children because they had died from an illness that we are now able to vaccinate against. That doesn't happen often anymore because people take the precautions, but the more and more people refuse to immunize their kids, the more likely those diseases will because more frequented.

Get your people shots, folks. Not just for yourself, but for your community. If you get sick with something that you could have easily been immunized for and you end up getting someone else sick because they couldn't afford or obtain the vaccine themselves then that person could be seriously affected by it. If you're worried about possible issues that come with vaccines, read up on them. Don't rely on back alley whispers of autism and mercury.

That brings up an interesting discussion.

Do we, as individuals, have a social responsibility to protect our fellow citizens from sickness by preventing sickness within ourselves?

I believe we do.

I believe we do as well. I have never gotten the flu IN MY LIFE, but it took some education and being forced to get the flu shot while in the military for me to realize why we get vaccinated. Nobody in the military contracts these horrible illnesses because we have ALL received the shots, so together we are protecting all of us.

There were a couple people a few pages back that didn't think so. One person was concerned only about looking out for #1 and the other believed that it was sort of a "cleansing" of the population to let the ones who could not have shots (old,newborn,pregs,immune compromised) just deal with it and die, I guess. Survival of the fittest and all that.

Yeah, the whole "overpopulation" discussion is a separate one that merits its own thread. That one will get nasty quickly.

As I said earlier in the thread, I am really smart and read a lot.

Plus I've discussed vaccines ad nauseum so pretty much everything that has been said in this thread I've gone through a half dozen times already.

Too bad most of the anti-vaccine people have left the discussion. Not that they were willing to change their mind.

Wouldn't they base their prediction by what's circulating the previous year? Regardless of how the virus's are selected, I don't get it for the reason that I get flu symptoms from them and ain't nobody got time for that.

I barely get sick anyways.

Er, no.

1. They predict what strain they think will be predominant over the coming months and create the vaccine based on that. It's not 100% perfect but it usually contains vaccine against more than one type that has been predicted (based on evidence earlier in the year, trends and mapping flu in other countries. For example, flu strains in Australia are often seen six months later in Britain during winter). This is one of the many reasons why the vaccine does not always work for everyone - you may have the bad luck of getting a strain that is not in the vaccine.

2. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. Some people do react to it but it is usually no more than a raised temperature and feeling a little achy for 24 hours. Nothing that some ibuprofen and a good night's sleep won't sort out. Anyone who has had flu can confirm that it is a bit more serious than feeling under the weather for 24 hours.

3. If you barely get sick, then you may well not need to consider getting the jab. However, anyone with a long-term condition, pregnant women and people who care for others should seriously consider getting the jab.

I worked in public health for many years with a vaccination team. I used to attend the daily meetings during flu season to discuss how many deaths we had had in each of our hospitals and in the community due to flu. Deaths that, in many instances, could have been avoided.

As for me, I am currently ill with a cold, which has set my asthma off. I had an attack last night which was really distressing. I've had flu twice and, without hesitation, I always now get my flu jab (got it booked for Monday). The risk of getting a flu and triggering serious lung problems is just too big a risk to take.

I can see why a lot of people are for it, and it is a wonderful invention, for the people it works for.
But my family, me, my mother, her grandmother. Any time any of us got a flu shot. We got the flu. And when we didn't? We didn't get as sick. We still got the flu, but we weren't down-and-out like we were after the flu-shots. And the flu never lasted as long, generally a day or two with fever, and done. After flu shots, the flu would last about a week before breaking.

Now, please don't get me wrong, Vaccines are amazing things, but again, they don't work for everyone.

You're right, they don't work for everyone. You can blame the reason your family got the flu on other folks you were around that DIDN'T get vaccinated. This is why it's so important that EVERYONE get vaccinated.

Guess what; if all 580 million people in north america got a predicted flu cocktail, people would still get sick BECAUSE THE COCKTAIL IS A GUESS.

Last year they had 135 million doses available, at a cheap rate of $15 each, that's over $2 billion for big pharma - just on flu shots. Wonder how much of that the Drs got for pushing it on the weak? Makes me sick thinking about it; maybe there's a shot for that too.

I really think you're missing the point. No one is arguing that pharmaceutical companies don't make money off of it.

Speaking strictly flu vaccinations, I say they are pointless. They vaccinate you only using last years viruses, not the current ones. I got flu-like symptoms from my flu shot, which is pretty common. Just not worth it for me.

If you're talking about childhood immunization, that's a different story and I'm all for it.

No, they vaccinate you with what they project this years virus will look like based on predicted mutation patterns.

When I got my only flu shot the nurse told me it's last years virus's.

Your nurse likely doesn't read up on the literature for the vaccine she is using, though I'm not saying that it couldn't be last years virus. However, most vaccines contain at least 3 or 4 different predicted strains.

Wouldn't they base their prediction by what's circulating the previous year? Regardless of how the virus's are selected, I don't get it for the reason that I get flu symptoms from them and ain't nobody got time for that.

I barely get sick anyways.

They are, yes. The virus is tracked throughout the year and monitored so that any changes are noted and the new vaccine created based on the direction they believe it is heading in.

How do you know all this stuff?! :-D

As I said earlier in the thread, I am really smart and read a lot.

Plus I've discussed vaccines ad nauseum so pretty much everything that has been said in this thread I've gone through a half dozen times already.

Too bad most of the anti-vaccine people have left the discussion. Not that they were willing to change their mind.

It's fine. They are only fun to point and laugh at anyway.

That's funny - that's also what I think about all the sheep that follow what everyone tells them to do. It's probably those same people that own iPhones.

As I said earlier in the thread, I am really smart and read a lot.

Plus I've discussed vaccines ad nauseum so pretty much everything that has been said in this thread I've gone through a half dozen times already.

Too bad most of the anti-vaccine people have left the discussion. Not that they were willing to change their mind.

It's fine. They are only fun to point and laugh at anyway.

That's funny - that's also what I think about all the sheep that follow what everyone tells them to do. It's probably those same people that own iPhones.

I have an Android.

*snicker*

What a hate-filled thread this is.

If people don't want to get vaccinated then why should you care? If your vaccines work so well then their medical condition shouldn't affect you.

In other words live and let live. Stop being so hateful and calling people names just because their choices are not your choices.

Everyone who insulted those who chose to not vaccinate is completely guilty of bigoted hate. Go examine your hearts, folks. You're the worst kind of people out there for thinking that you should be able to force others to get medical treatment that they don't agree with. Whatever happened to 'getting along'?

I think the anger comes from people putting your health and the health of a child at risk. You may only feel slightly ill, but if you pick up a baby or touch an elderly person you have just put their lives at risk. How would you feel if your child was dying because someone didnt prevent a disease that is preventable?

What a hate-filled thread this is.

If people don't want to get vaccinated then why should you care? If your vaccines work so well then their medical condition shouldn't affect you.

In other words live and let live. Stop being so hateful and calling people names just because their choices are not your choices.

Everyone who insulted those who chose to not vaccinate is completely guilty of bigoted hate. Go examine your hearts, folks. You're the worst kind of people out there for thinking that you should be able to force others to get medical treatment that they don't agree with. Whatever happened to 'getting along'?

If hating stupid people makes me a bigot, then by golly I am a bigot!!!