The Pros And Cons Of Influenza Vaccines

The choice to vaccinate a child holds much debate in society today. As a person that lives in America, you may feel it is your right to be able to choose what medical needs and necessities you would want for your child or yourself. “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting 29 doses of 9 vaccines (plus a yearly flu shot after six months old) for kids aged 0 to six. No US federal laws mandate vaccination, but all 50 states require certain vaccinations for children entering public schools. Even though vaccines are considered extremely safe there are cases where in some people have a type of allergic reaction. Most states offer medical and religious exemptions; and some states allow philosophical exemptions” (Wadman, 2017). This point calls for a lot of debate, both in the scholarly world and among average citizens. Some people claim that such medical conditions, such as autism are the result of over vaccinating or dosing at early ages of development. Reasons on the topic vary, and concerns can end up in long legal disputes. Such disputes have raised the question of vaccine safety, prevention, and government intervention.

Vaccines have allowed humans to avoid contracting terrible diseases for over 200 years now, but are these same vaccines that are meant to help actually hurting us? Influenza kills more people in the United States than any other vaccine-preventable disease (Immunization Partnership), 1.5 million children die from vaccine-preventable diseases every year (Children’s Hospital) and 3,000 to 6,000 people develop Guillain Barre Syndrome each year on average (CDC). There are billions of people in this world who need to be protected from everyday viruses. Scientists have come up with a way to avoid contracting many diseases, but many of these vaccines lead to more problems that threaten our health. Scientists and doctors need to ensure that enough is being done to prevent vaccinations from causing unintended health issues.

Thesis Statement: We will look at how and why the influenza vaccine might work less some years.

Illnesses have long haunted the human race. As long as these illnesses have existed, humans have developed ways to cure themselves, beginning with simple herbs and proceeding as far as vaccines and complex medicines. One cure that long eluded scientists was that of the influenza virus. Now, the influenza vaccine, or flu shot, saves thousands of lives a year and helps prevent serious complications resulting from influenza infection.

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

With influenza vaccination rates remaining low in the HCP population, there has recently been an increased emphasis on improving vaccination rates among HCPs. Low influenza vaccination rates have caused many healthcare facilities to initiate and mandate employees to receive the influenza vaccine. Research has proven to reduce morbidity and mortality among patients in healthcare facilities as well as decrease illness and absenteeism among HCPs (Sickbert & Weber, 2013). For these reasons multiple professional organizations are recommending an annual influenza vaccine for all HCPs, if medically suitable for this vaccination. Requiring a physician waiver for non-suitable HCP, all non-suitable HCP are expected or required to wear a mask in direct patient care areas.

Great ideas on finding a solution that can increase the rate of vaccination for the older population. Having a strong community that offers different programs to help different ethnicity is a good solution for them to have a good quality health care. With the community, there can be an outreach that can collaborate with the community partners and health care providers to educate, motive, and promote seasonal influenza vaccination (AHIP, 2011). With many minority populations (Hispanic, Asian, etc) believed that vaccination can cause more serious illness, there should be an agency that can address those misconceptions and educate them risk and safety of vaccination (AHIP, 2011). The local pharmacies and supermarkets are also a good way

In 2012, British Colombia became the first jurisdiction in Canada to institute a mandatory policy, that requires health-care workers (HCW) in the province to either get the flu vaccine each year, or wear masks; while caring for patients during the flu season, and it lasted approximately four months [1]. Under this policy, anyone who does not abide by it will face discipline actions or even possible termination. Since then, there have been intensive debates around this policy. The supporting argument lies in the issues of HCW protection and the public’s expectation that acts on the best interests of patients. The purpose is to promote employee productivity by preventing employees from getting flu and passing virus to patients when providing care. The Canadian Nurses Association declares that “It is CNA’s position that all

Annually there are a number of children who contract the influenza during the influenza season that results in an increase in costs in pediatric office visits and antibiotic and other medications consumption and also in a significant increase in absences from school and work. Thus influenza vaccination of children can help reduce the number of visit to pediatric office,  hospitalizations, and help prevent the spread of influenza in the wider community. Moreover vaccinating children is cost effective when considering all the cost of treatment for influenza and its complications. Therefore yearly vaccination of children with the inactivated influenza vaccine save  parent money and time away from the pediatric clinic. Influenza vaccine does not

Everywhere you look you see ads on the tv, at the store, on the highway, even in school you will sometimes see some sort of advertising one ad you will see more frequently during flu season are ads put out by the center for disease control but what makes an add effective to a certain audience? In America alone an average of between 5 and 20 percent of americans will be infected with the influenza virus per year. The CDC has been effectively running their flu vaccination for many years now but the question is what makes these adds effective or ineffective? The three adds benefits of vaccination, quiz add, and travel ad each have a certain techniques they use to promote vaccination.

The article “Don’t Believe Flu Myths” relates to this week’s topic of public health laws and protecting people from themselves. In summary, the article discusses this year’s grim flu season and the need to have a larger proportion of the population vaccinated. Due to its positive stance for immunization and protecting individuals from each other, the article supports the lecture for this week. In particular, implementing vaccinations for children in public schools is an extremely large concern of public health. Flu vaccines for children are especially important this year, as the predominant flu subtype seems to notably affect children. According to the article, “since the beginning of the flu season in October, 53 children have died from the

Influenza is responsible for hospitalizations and deaths in the United States. Prevention through vaccination is one way to circumvent illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. Those persons who were more susceptible fall into the categories of 6 months to 4 years of age and 65 years and older. According to CDC (2013), the 2012-13 influenza season was characterized as a moderately severe season based on the surveillance data. Regardless of suggestions and encouragements of schools and places of employment for individuals to be vaccinated against the flu, fewer than half the persons in the United States each year are inoculated against this disease. Influenza vaccines are now widely used to reduce the burden of annual epidemics of influenza virus infections (Cowling, et al., 2016).

It is known that for every dollar you spend per vaccine, saves you up to six dollars and thirty cents in medical costs. (Center for Disease) With the average immunization shot costing up to $20 copay, that would easily be $126, saved just for one vaccine. For someone without insurance, the typical vaccination can cost anywhere from $120 to $180 resulting in $600 of medical bills in the long run. (Center for Disease Control) Influenza is likely to drag out anywhere from seven to fourteen days, missing work can severely wreck a family with bills, for example, rent, water, and electricity. In more serious illness like hepatitis, the patient care is going to have to go to a new, much more serious extent. Hepatitis often leads to terminal illnesses like liver cancer and can prevent the liver from doing its job all together. Most insurance providers would rather pay for the vaccines as opposed to the entire medical bill if you were to be diagnosed with the illness, so most insurance companies offer a $10-$20 copay. Vaccines save lives and protect against the spread of disease. If you decide not to immunize your child, you put them at risk. Your child could catch a disease that is dangerous or oftentimes deadly. Vaccines have kept children healthy and have saved millions of lives for more than 50 years. Most childhood vaccines are 90% to 99% effective in preventing disease. In the United States each year, millions of adults get sick

Relating to the Audience: As college students, we cross paths with hundreds of people every day. With winter coming up, and illnesses running rampant, we are all highly susceptible to catching diseases such as the flu. With vaccinations, we can prevent getting these illnesses.

In contrast, a positive aspect of many people having vaccinations is herd immunity. Herd immunity is the occurrence where a large proportion of a specific population is vaccinated to provide them immunity, and as a result, it also gives some protection to the people of the population who have and yet developed immunity. This happens as the a large group of vaccinated individuals are protected from a virus and creates difficulty for the it to spread because there is only a small percentage of the population left that could be infected by the disease. It is a very crucial aspect of immunity for the community as the people who cannot receive vaccinations (i.e. people with weak immune systems, very young children and patients who are too ill)