A vaccination is an injection of a weakened strain of an infectious microbe or pathogen that causes the body to undergo artificial active immunity (vaccines.gov). The Influenza vaccine is “taken from an influenza virus that has been grown in embryonic hens’ eggs, highly purified and then killed.” Once the antigen enters the body, through an injection or by mouth, a macrophage recognises it as foreign. It engulfs the pathogen and displays the viral antigen on its surface. This actives helper T cells which recognise the antigen on the macrophage. Helper T cells then activates cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which kill infected cells and produce memory T-cells. B-lymphocytes are also activated; some of which are divided into memory B-cells that remember
To get the flu vaccine or not to get the flu vaccine? This is a huge controversial question millions of Americans today ask themselves every year. There are many myths that come along with the topic of the flu vaccine that lead to people questioning the effectiveness of the medication. Safety for our families and loved ones is what we aim to achieve, but what are the pros and cons of this vaccine? What are the consequences and what are myths, but most importantly: what are the reasons we should get it in the first place? In this paper you will learn the many reasons for the flu vaccination and how it affects different populations beginning with children all the way to the elderly population. First of all, what is the flu
Each year in the United States, 3000–49,000 influenza associated deaths occur, with over 90% reported among older adults aged 65 years or older. Influenza also results in an estimated 226,000 hospitalizations, with hospitalization rates among older adults increasing over the past 2 decades (Nace et al., 2015). Influenza is a highly transmissible viral illness that may lead to severe complications from underlying diseases, primary viral or secondary bacterial pneumonia and death (NCBI, 2015). Immunization is one of the most powerful and cost effective interventions against
The most dangerous diseases of our nation have been streaked out by widespread protection or immunity. This widespread protection has been the effect of an immense vaccination which is also called an immunization that introduces vaccines into the body. In this textbook, it mentions that a vaccine is “a preparation of killed, inactivated, or attenuated microorganisms or toxoids to induce artificially acquired active immunity.” (Tortora 487). Like anything else, there are many individuals who disagree with the common immunity or vaccination in general. These people base themselves off weak and false studies, which they then take and go further to spread their bias misled beliefs. These individuals do all of this without looking at the history,
Seasonal influenza is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the industrialized world. The United States alone averages more than 23,000 influenza-associated deaths annually (Cortes-Penfield, 2014). Everyone is given the option to receive the flu vaccination each year. The vaccine is offered in health care facilities, clinics, and pharmacies around
Among the easiest ways to protect yourself from influenza every year is to get a flu vaccine regularly. So many programs exist to make it convenient and inexpensive, and more come out every year, and the consequences can be life-threatening.
Every fall season we hear the question; did you get your flu shot yet? It is supposed to protect you from that nasty flu virus that circulates our communities during the fall and winter months. But, did you know that in 2011 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Adverse Event Reporting Systems Website (AERS) reported 51 deaths caused by the flu vaccine in the United States (U.S.) (CDC,2012). According to National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), as of July 2012 there have been more than 84,000 reports of adverse reactions, 1000 vaccine related deaths and over 1600 cases of Guillain- Barre syndrome, a acute form of paralysis, triggered by the vaccine (NVIC.ORG).
Background & Audience Relevance: Influenza is an infection that can affect anyone around the world. Am quite sure almost everyone, if not all of us, have been infected with influenza at some point in our lives.
There are advertisements for flu vaccines everywhere, but what the public doesn’t know is what exactly they’re injection into their bodies. Aluminum which is just one of the ingredients of the flu shot has been noted to cause several long-term side effects, one being a disease called Alzheimer’s. Aluminum is everywhere in our life and although it is abundant we as humans do not need it to survive. Aluminum is widely recognized as a neurotoxin and can be in some way controlled naturally when taking it orally by your digestive system, but once injected through the blood stream your body can not determine what too much or too little. It then lingers in the body for a while and affects neurons in the brain leading to neurodegenerative diseases. (Kawahara, D. 2011). The FDA has a maximum requirement for drugs administered via vaccine or antibiotics. The FDA’s maximus requirements for aluminum in an IV is 25 mcg per day, anything over that will by require a label saying that it contains aluminum and that is can be toxic if taken pass the recommended amounts. There aren’t any requirements for vaccines to have that label.
To answer my research question I will first review literature on flu vaccines from conventional sources such as the Center for Disease Control and National Institute for Health. I will then review other material available on the Internet written by doctors that do not agree with the conventional
Each year 6-20% of U.S. residents are infected by influenza and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized due to complications (Klepser, Corn, Schmidt, Dering-Anderson, & Klepser, 2015). Influenza has a huge impact on not only the health of our nation, but economically, as well. Studies show that the single most effective way to prevent the spread of influenza is to vaccinate. The CDC recommends that all children over 6 months old to be vaccinated against influenza yearly (CDC, n.d.). Seldom have there been medical advancements that have impacted the health of billions of people. One such important medical advancement is the invention of vaccines. At the end of the 20th century, the CDC published its list of
For the past ten years, we at Virginia Mason Medical Center have been implementing mandatory influenza vaccination. This is due to the flu vaccination being able to reduce flu illnesses and prevent flu-related hospitalizations. According to the Center for Control and Disease (CDC, 2014) during 2012-2013, an estimated 45% of the U.S population got vaccinated, helping to prevent an estimated 6.6 million flu-related illness, with 3.2 million flu-related medical visits, almost 80,000 hospitalizations and roughly $87 billion dollars in total economic burden. Influenza is extremely contagious and each year on an average 5%-20% of the U.S population get the flu with tens of thousands die from a flu-related illness. Therefore, many health cares setting along with Virginia Mason Medical Center is mandating all their healthcare workers to get the influenza vaccination. Consequently, making annual influenza vaccination requirement for healthcare workers a continuing and debatable health topic. The potential of getting the vaccination have great benefits to healthcare professionals, their patients, and their families by
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “It's estimated that 90 percent of seasonal flu-related deaths and more than 60 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations in the United States each year occur in people 65 years and older “ (2011).The CDC advises that the best way to prevent and control the spread of influenza each year is by the use of vaccinnations. In effort to control and prevent influenza epidemics, the CDC uses the epidemiological process to predict the strain of the virus that will be most relevant to the population and this data is used to formulate influenza vaccinations (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).
The influenza vaccination in not only beneficial to recipients but also those that come in contact with the individuals exposed to or at risk for contracting influenza. Health care workers are at a constant risk of exposure to various diseases and illness including influenza. An emergency such as a vaccination shortage for influenza will not only affect at risk individuals but spread rapidly to all those exposed without knowledge or a-symptomatic at time of encounter. Health care workers will be exposed in physician offices, hospitals, emergency care or urgent care centers with heightened possibility of spreading the illness (CDC, 2015). Health care workers are not limited to the obvious: physicians or nurses but also, therapists, EMS,
Influenza viruses are divided into three classes. These are A, B, and C. Influenza A and B are blamed for the increases in hospitalization and deaths each year. The aim of receiving an annual vaccine is to prevent spreading infections. Since flu outbreaks vary, it is recommended that individuals receive a vaccination for the flu