So far this year about 1,000 have died in the USA from the swine flue. Thankfully an effective safe vaccine exists to prevent the condition.
Wait, what? People don't want the vaccine? They fear it's part of a global government scheme to practice population control? That pharmaceutical companies are inserting additives to ensure people get sick again, thereby ensuring their future revenue? The Chicago Tribune ran an article detailing two mothers' choices in vaccinating or not, treating both as viable options. Conspiracy theories abound.
All the reliable research I have seen indicates vaccines, including this one, are safe. Thus, it has been surprising to me that such an uproar is being made in our country. I wonder if medicine has become too effective and our lives too comfortable if we take for granted the saving power medicine has in our lives. We live at the point in recorded human history at which life expectancy is the longest. And yet people question the very medical advances that have made this possible? It doesn't make sense to me. I wonder how many mothers will be glad they didn't get the vaccine when their child gets sick?
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So is it your opinion that the vaccine should be mandatory, or just an available option for people to choose should they decide to do so?
Way to reduce parents who disagree with your opinion to a bunch of whack jobs who probably wear tin foil beanies! Plenty of well-informed, smart, educated people have done the research and have decided against this vaccine.
Those against the vaccine are more the anti-science crowd than the anti-government crowd, unless you're only talking about mandating taking the vaccine.
This is a very interesting issue.
Here's a few links from a blog called "Bad Astronomy". He has been very vocal about the dangers of the anti-vaccine movement.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/04/26/the-australian-antivax-movement-takes-its-toll/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/04/antivax-kills/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/19/australias-abc-promotes-health-threats/
Jon, I am fine with it not being mandatory, but I don't really see a reason not to get it.
Anonymous, sorry you felt you had to be anonymous. Feel free to disagree with me, I don't mind! I guess I would be curious what research people are able to find that would cause them to see this vaccination as dangerous?
Robby, in this case we have a strange overlap of anti-government and anti-science folks. Libertarian sort of folks. Do you think Libertarians tend to be anti-science, or is this an anomoly? I tend to agree with the blogger at Bad Astronomy.
Ironically enough, there are plenty of issues where my own stances would likely be called anti-science. But we won't get into that for now.
Despite the vaccine shortage, I was able to get the 2 older kids vaccinated with the swine flu. They are alive and well.
More analysis.
I believe the only overlap in anti-science and anti-government in this issue is the mandating of this vaccine and that it's generally handled by the government. Those distrusting of the government are naturally distrusting of the government to handle a vaccine.
But the most vocal people against the vaccine are distinctly anti-science. They repeatedly ignore any and all legitimate research focusing mostly on some single event that happened to them personally. Despite a clear lack of evidence in the correlation of autism/vaccine they refuse to admit that a personal experience was just being unlucky and want to blame someone.
This might be unrelated but it reminds me of those who spout the dangers of MSG and aspartame even though I've never seen any scientific evidence that the worries around these products are legitimate. Most of the people I hear talk of the dangers of these products are some of the healthiest eaters in all other aspects... I really haven't done much research into either of these products, just thought I'd mention it.
Hi Ryan, I noticed all of your research came from mainstream media sources, Chicago Tribune, NYTimes, and Newsweek- left-leaning ones to boot. Here's a medical establishment that is more considered an alternative to the medical mainstream, and they have many good points against the vaccine that overlap science, history, and government issues.
Just thought you might be interested in another perspective on the flu shot "debate," that doesn't include fears about population control.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/21/Special-Swine-Flu-Update.aspx
Dear Anaonymous,
Much like you, I am also rooting for fewer people using vaccines. I figure that the fewer people around to compete with me for resources, the better. Especially, if we can get rid of more old people and kids.
In fact, the withholding of many vaccines will probably be added to my platform for when I run for the Oval Office in a few years.
Hmm, interesting, I'm a scientist, I'm not anti-science at all, and I believe there is more than enough research to show that most vaccines are dangerous. Robby, pointing at people whom you disagree with and calling them stupid doesn't make your argument stronger.
Classifying them as anti-science was more a way of countering the original post declaring anti-government, not meant as saying they were stupid.
There are a large variety of vaccines, some of which are clearly necessary and beneficial to society and some for which the answer is not quite as clear. But I'm really not sure what information is out there that would allow me to agree with the statement "most vaccines are dangerous".
a Wired Magazine feature on the topic:
An Epidemic of Fear
Westy. Dude. Not cool. You're insulting my future voter base.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1
Good article questioning the efficacy of vaccines.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/02/lancet.retraction.autism/index.html?hpt=T1
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