Around this time of the year, public health services are consistently advising the general public to get the flu shot. Over the last few years, I’ve always opted not to get the flu shot. It’s not out of a fear of needles, I just have a laissez-faire attitude towards it. However, I actually got around to getting the shot this time around. Through an email from the Dr. Peter Centre, all volunteers, nurses, and administration staff were required to be immunized for the seasonal flu by December. For those that aren’t vaccinated, they would have to wear a mask before entering the risk areas. This BC policy was supposed to be in effect in December 2012, but is now finally being upheld one year later. Luckily for me, there was an immunization clinic at the Kenny building, so I didn’t have to go out of my way to get the shot.
Getting the flu shot isn’t so much about protecting ourselves (although it is important- contradicting, I know), it’s meant to protect the vulnerable population from falling ill. With a weakened immune system, the residents at the Dr. Peter Centre suffer greater consequences if they contract the flu. Like everyone else, they are also immunized.
A breakdown of how vaccinations work: there are two lines of defines within the human immune system. The innate immune system acts as the first line of defence, while the adaptive immune system attacks foreign cells (Pinel, 2011). One highlight of the adaptive immune system is that it has a “memory” of sorts, as it recognizes previously destroyed pathogens. This memory provides protection against almost all infections (Wraith, Goldman & Lambert, 2003). If specific pathogens are to cross paths again, they are immediately destroyed upon invasion (Pinel, 2011). The logic behind vaccinations is that the body is tricked into believing that it is battling a real illness. However, the immune system is fighting a small, weakened amount of the pathogen (“What is Immunization”, n.d.). This proves to be beneficial, as the individual gains immunity without the unpleasant consequences that accompanies being sick.
During my September orientation with the Trek Program, one of the first things that I was told is to never show up for a shift at the Centre if we are feeling unwell. When people typically develop a runny nose or a mild cough, they will just continue with their daily activities at work and school. Personally speaking, I developed a cough that lingered for a couple of months due to allergies I contracted while in Toronto. As unpleasant as it was, I was constantly drowning myself with various teas and eating Ricola like there was no tomorrow. Luckily, my cough subsided before I started to volunteer at the Centre; otherwise, who knows when I would have been able to start? Even though I wasn’t technically “sick”, it becomes a moot point when it comes to the wellbeing of the residents. In short, it’s always to be better safe than sorry.
Having gone into the Centre in December and thus far in January, I have seen how much of a toll the flu takes on people living with HIV/AIDS. One of the residents that I socialize with on a weekly basis happened to come down with the flu in early December. I was surprised to find that he was bedridden and was isolated from other residents, volunteers, and administration staff. With the exception of the nurses, he was forbidden to have any visitors or residents in his room. As an outgoing man that enjoys walking in the neighbourhood and garden work, I was quite startled to see how tired and frail he appeared. After having a couple of quick words with him, I promptly left the room, proceeding to ask the nursing staff about his condition. One of the nurses explained to me that any residents that fall ill must remain in their rooms at all time, since they risk passing it on to other residents. It is to also ensure that they don’t develop pneumonia, which is a serious inflammation of the lungs (“Influenza and Pneumonia”, n.d.). Developing pneumonia would be an automatic admission to St. Paul’s Hospital across the street. It can take weeks for people to recover, and it could potentially have fatal consequences.
Furthermore, the nurse noted that residents could also contract the flu from the vaccination itself. Despite safety precautions, there is even a chance that this at-risk population can still contact the flu virus. In a study of 120 HIV infected individuals by Tebas and colleagues (2010), it was concluded that up to 40% of participants don’t receive the complete protection of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. Other contributing factors, such as poor nutrition, irreversible damage to the immune systems, drug/medication use, and other underlying medication conditions also impact the effectiveness of the vaccine (Tebas et al., 2010). It is important to bear in mind that the residents come from diverse backgrounds that may include low socioeconomic status, family problems, abuse, and substance addictions. Keeping that into consideration, a good portion of residents remains vulnerable to the flu.
Although January is coming to a close, the risk of infection remains high. Within St. Paul’s, signs are plastered throughout the hospital reminding visitors that they need to wear a mask in certain wards if they have aren’t immunized. With the recent death of a young Albertan woman in an isolated case of H5N1, this has only increased precautions within the general public. As reported by CBC, this year’s supply of the seasonal flu vaccine is in rapid decline, as some Albertans have travelled out west to pay for shots resulting from shortages in their home province.
Having this bit of second hand experience reminded me of how lucky I am to be healthy. It has also reminded me of how I sometimes take my good health for granted. It’s not until you become debilitated that you come to realize how valuable good health is.
References
American Lung Association (n.d.). Influenza and Pneumonia.. Retrieved from http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/pneumonia/pneumonia-influenza/
Immunize Canada (n.d.). What is Immunization? Retrieved from http://www.immunize.cpha.ca/en/learn/what-is-immunization.aspx
Tebas, P., Maffei, K., Sullivan, K., Frank, I., Lewis, M., Quinn, J., Centre for AIDS Research and Clinical Trials Unit of the University of Pennsylvania. (2010). Poor Immunogenicity of the H1N1 2009 Vaccine in Well Controlled HIV-Infected Individuals. AIDS, 24(14), 2187-2192. doi:10.1097/QAD.0b013e32833c6d5c
Pinel, J. (2011). Biopsychology: Eighth Edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Wraith, C., Goldman, M., Lambert, P-H. (2003). Vaccination and Autoimmune Disease: What is the Evidence?. The Lancet. Retrieved from http://image.thelancet.com/extras/02art9340web.pdf
