The Swine Flu Shot a Waste of Time!

[Eden]

I'm not talking "minor" as in the discomfort being minimal. Flu is obviously extremely debilitating when you have it. Like I said, I'm ordinarily in bed for two weeks, and I think that's pretty much much normal for flu.

I'm not talking about minor as in symptoms either. I'm talking about not being minor as in killing people... For you getting sick is inconvenient. For many people getting flu kills them. As far as nobody suffering if you get sick... you are carrying the virus and are probably contagious before you get symptoms that put you to bed. You get plenty of opportunity to pass the virus who may not be as healthy as you are. By protecting yourself you are protecting the all of the vulnerable people. (and btw, just being vaccinated for anything is not 100% assurance that you are not still able to get sick, which is another reason that it is *very* important for everyone to be vaccinated. If just the vulnerable people get vaccinated, that isn't assurance that they are safe. Prevent the outbreaks in the first place) Read the Wired article.

A recent study estimated that in the United States, annual influenza epidemics result in approximately 600,000 life-years lost, 3 million hospitalized days, and 30 million outpatient visits, resulting in medical costs of $10 billion annually. According to this study, lost earnings due to illness and loss of life amounted to over $15 billion annually and the total economic burden of annual influenza epidemics amounts to over $80 billion.

And flu virus doesn't just cause flu. Before flu vaccines 15,000 children were infected with Hib meningitis every year, which can easily kill or cause permanent brain damage.

I'm in a bit of a special circumstance - working with sick kids, but even if I knew that my being vaccinated only protected one kid, I'd still feel obligated to do it. It's too much of a risk, even if I know I won't get very sick and it wouldn't impact my personal life too much, to not get vaccinated. Of course in reality my getting vaccinated could protect many, many people. If I get sick and I make two people sick and they make two people sick......