do we vaccinate our children? should we?
growing up in a very western-medicine innundated society i've always followed the heard (no pun intended on heard immunity) and gone along with what doctors suggested in immunization guidelines. this stopped two years ago when i stopped getting the flu shot for personal reasons following a very eye-opening set of virology lectures at the university.
i mean there's the obvious reasons (to me) why this would be a bad idea:
-failing to infect those overly susceptible to flu, are we not supporting the creation of a 'super strain' by immunizing those amongst our population that are young, healthy, and very much able to recover from flu thus not only satisfying the nature of the virus, but also allowing the natural production of longer lasting natural antibodies?
-with a quickly-mutating virus such as influenza, do we not realize that by preventing the infection of those able to handle it, we're imposing selection upon the virus to mutate in such a way as to overcome immunization & hit us harder than ever before (especially when we're overdue for a mass epidemic)?
-even when it comes to immunizing the immunosuppressed & elderly, how do we justify cost and adverse reactions when efficacy of the vaccine in these groups is around 30%.
-when it comes to life-threatening childhood illnesses (ie polio, mumps, rubella) i've always been in support of vaccination. however, new studies are surfacing over a potential correlation between sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) & the toxicity of the preservatives/vehicle of such vaccines.
-some now wait until children are older (seeing as breastfeeding alone protects newborns from illness for the first 6 months) & then choose to selectively vaccinate kids based on a case-by-case informed decision on risk vs. benefit.
what's anyone to believe? obviously having the best interests of our children at the forefront of healthcare, why is this issue such a hot topic of debate?
i can strongly say that i can make an educated decision concerning the flu shot. but in the meantime i'd be hard-pressed to have children of my own until i can figure this one out comfortably. it's hard to stand against public opinion and turn away from popular belief & hype, however it's surprisingly refreshing to think for yourself (especially in the interest of those you love most).
in short, i over-analyze everything. i guess this is just another one of those topics. at least i've come up with a weakness to address in my interview. following this recent frustration, i'm off for a run. nothing like physical exhaustion to clear your head...
