Flu season is just around the corner, and you know what that means. Coughing people lurking around every corner, just waiting to infect you. If you’re unlucky and unprepared, you’ll get a week of cold sweats, aches, a stuffy nose, and up to a month of coughing, providing there are no complications. If you’re thinking that’s as bad as it gets, you’re dead wrong. According to the Canadian government, influenza kills 3,500 people and hospitalizes 12,200 every year in Canada. That’s horrible, but what can we do?
Fever – Courtesy of Flood G. of flickr
According to Health Canada, “Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza and its complications”. So why aren’t more people getting a flu shot? Some people are lazy and just feel like rolling the dice. Think of the time I’ll save by skipping the vaccine every year! If that describes your attitude, take a second to think about the amount of time you’ll lose by getting the flu just once. You could get over a hundred flu shots in that time, AND you wouldn’t feel terrible. You can get a free flu vaccine at most pharmacies, and many employers offer a free vaccine. It really only takes upward of an hour every year. The alternative is a week feeling miserable. I’d say that’s a no-brainer. So why else are people avoiding the needle?
It turns out some prominent researchers argue that the vaccine isn’t really that effective. Among them is epidemiologist named Tom Jefferson. Jefferson, in a critique of influenza vaccine studies, said “Rubbish is not a scientific term, but I think it’s the term that applies”. His main gripe is that researchers often don’t know the cause of death of study participants who die, so it’s impossible to say whether or not the vaccine is responsible for the difference in mortality observed between groups. His peers, however, point to the simple fact that, year after year, vaccinated people account for a smaller proportion of infected individuals. Every year, the CDC funds a study to determine the efficacy of that year’s vaccine and publishes the results for the public to see. As we can plainly see, the vaccines are doing what they advertise.
Flu Vaccine Efficacy by Year – Data Courtesy of the CDC
The last thing that you should consider is that some people are allergic to flu vaccines, or are unable to receive a vaccine for other reasons. These vulnerable people rely on herd immunity, which is a form of immunity afforded by a population that has high immunity. If most of the population has an immunity, vulnerable individuals have a reduced chance of coming in to contact with an infectious individual.
Vaccination is your patriotic duty. It’s your selfish duty. It just makes sense.
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