You Pick: Swine Flu H1N1 Vaccine or a Punch in the Face. OR “Vaccine Makers Refuse to Take it Themselves?”

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Last week, over a cup of tea, my friend told me that he’d rather get punched in the face than take the H1N1 vaccine.  Now, he’s an anxiety prone guy (and a little dramatic) so it’s hard to say if his attitude is representative of public opinion, but it made me wonder how many people feel the same way. 

For many, my friend included, the idea of the vaccine is just as frightening as the flu itself.  Is it a wolf in a sheep suit, or a sheep in a wolf suit?  Is it a sheep or a wolf at all?  Some think of the vaccine more along the lines of a vulture in any kind of suit – an eerie indication that whether it’s good or bad we are all in trouble anyway. Blogs and Youtubes are even proclaiming that the makers of the swine flu vaccine are refusing to take it.

Makers of Swine Flu Vaccine Refuse to Take it

At this point the dissenting voices are fading, quickly dismissed as either panicky reactions of the uninformed public or irresponsible, fringe physicians.  At any rate, should we get to make the choice at all?  In the face of a pandemic, should we even have the right to refuse to participate in the prevention of such a large scale threat?  The answer to that question, of course, is a matter of opinion.

Faux Pax (Pronounced “Fox Packs”) Leads to Major Swine Flu Vaccine Shortage

“Studies show that young, healthy people mount a glorious immune response to seasonal flu vaccine, and their response reduces their chances of getting the flu and may lessen the severity of symptoms if they do get it. But they aren’t the people who die from seasonal flu. By contrast, the elderly, particularly those over age 70, don’t have a good immune response to vaccine—and they’re the ones who account for most flu deaths.”
  – “Does the Vaccine Matter?” Shannon Brownlee & Jeanne Lenzer, http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1

Now, the article from which the above quote was taken is the subject of much criticism.  One complaint (among many) was the authors’ failure to distinguish between H1N1 and the seasonal flu.   Underlying many of the objections is the fear that people have been dangerously over-immunized.  One blogger writes:

“While it is arguably true that in many areas we are overtreated and it isn’t hard to find examples, vaccination is arguably not one of those areas. Among medical interventions, vaccines arguably have saved more lives and prevented more suffering than every other medical intervention combined. Moreover, choosing the flu vaccine as an example in the middle of a pandemic borders on–hell, is–the height of irresponsibility.”
– “Vaccination for H1N1 ‘swine’ flu: Do The Atlantic, Shannon Brownlee, and Jeanne Lenzer matter?” Orac, http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/10/when_methodolatry_strikes_over_h1n1_influenza.php

Shortage of Hospital Beds — A Real Possibility

If you’re interested in this topic there are many relevant blog posts out there including the two mentioned above and an excellent post by Mark Crislip analyzing Brownlee and Lenzer’s article entitled “Yes, But.  The Annotated Atlantic” http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2495 .  Educate yourself about the benefits and risks of the H1N1 and other vaccines, and decide for yourself.  Whatever conclusion you come to on this issue, on one point there is no debate:  the healthier your body is, the better you will fare in defending against viruses or recovering from either the flu or the vaccine that prevents it.

I know several people (myself included) who likely had and recovered from H1N1, and two people who’ve been vaccinated against it.  Those of us who were sick had similar experiences:  headache, fever, and a general discomfort for a few days.  The two who were vaccinated were health care workers.  One got the injection and did not appear to have been affected by it.  The other received the vaccination in the form of a nasal mist and suffered a reaction with symptoms not unlike the common cold.  He had a red, sniffly nose and teary eyes… it kind of looked like he’d been punched in the face.

Still, even though my flu experience was so mild as to be nothing more than an inconvenience, given the choice now I’d choose the vaccination over a punch.  I didn’t mind the flu itself, but I wouldn’t want to be responsible for giving it to other people who may not have as strong of an immune system as I do.  And now I pose the questions to you, readers:  How has the H1N1 virus affected your life?  How did you react to the virus or the vaccination?  When was the last time you were punched in the face, and how did it feel? Comment. And tell others what they should do with their lives =)

This Blog is Produced By http://JBNI.us — The makers of 100% Natural and Herbal Millenium CF for Extraordinary Immune System Resilience and 32 other Naturaceuticals — FCC DISCLOSURE

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