Flu vaccinations are a hot topic today. Vaccinations help prevent the spread of the Flu and keep people healthy, yet others claim that vaccinations have harmful side effects, and that most vaccinations . Even with these concerns, Flu vaccinations are a helpful invention.
The Flu vaccination is one of the most effective vaccinations used today. Up until recently, the vaccinations had a probable chance of preventing the Flu. Now, Flu vaccination success rates have begun to drop. The CDC recommends using proper cleansing methods in order to prevent the Flu along with the vaccination. A person should wash their hands before and after eating, cover their mouth when sneezing or coughing, and to avoid physical contact with those infected with the virus. The CDC also recommends all persons, regardless of age, get vaccinated.
The Flu vaccine is actually composed of an inactive Flu virus. The idea is that the vaccine gives the body a small strain of the Flu virus; not enough to actually get the body sick, but enough to trigger a response from the Immune system. The body should be able to handle the small strain, and the immune system remembers how to deal with the threat. That way when the person does get the full Flu virus strain, the body can destroy it before it infects the host.
The vaccination currently protects the body against two strains, and decreases the amount of patients in hospitals. Studies have show that 92% of pregnant women who take the vaccination reduce the chance of their baby needing hospitalization. In 2012, there was a 74% decrease of children in need of pediatric intensive care admission.
There are however some cons when it comes to the Flu vaccination. Because of how the vaccine is engineered, it is not uncommon to feel ill after getting the vaccine for a couple of days. A person can have mild illness from using either a nasal spray or getting a shot. For example, a person of any age that gets the Flu vaccination can come down with redness, swelling, or soreness where the shot is given. It can also cause low grade fevers and aches. With the nasal spray, children can get a runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomit, muscle aches, and a fever. Adults that uses the nasal spray runny nose, headaches, sore throat, and coughs. The vaccine also requires time to work, as the body first has to recognize the threat, deal with the strain, and then remember how to deal with the Flu in the future. If someone is infected with the Flu before the body can deal with the small strain, then the vaccine is useless. While the vaccine protects against two strains viruses mutate very rapidly, and there is a chance that the strain from the vaccine will be too different from the actual virus strain. This means that the body will be remembering how to deal with a different threat, and the body then fails to prevent the host getting sick when they are infected with the actual Flu virus. Also, the the vaccination usually takes two weeks to be affective.
Overall however, the pros of flu vaccinations outweigh the cons. Flu vaccinations are free, helpful, and harmless. If the vaccination doesn’t work, you won’t die, you’ll just get the flu. All parents should make sure their child is vaccinated every year to protect them from the Flu. It’ll help them and help others make sure the Flu virus isn’t being spread.
Interview Questions
Brandon: How do you think the Flu spreads?
Interviewee Mrs. Rosen: Viruses spread in many ways but flu viruses spread through contact usually from direct sneezes that has mucus contaminated with the flu.
Brandon: Do you think a nasal spray is more effective than a shot for the Flu vaccination? Why?
Interviewee Mrs.Rosen: The shot is more effective than the spray because the spray isn’t as aggressive while the shot is.
Brandon: Do you think it is better to know about the status of the Flu.
Interviewee Mrs.Rosen: It is better to know about the status of the Flu virus, so people can prepare and get a shot to prevent from getting the flu.
Brandon: How do you think the government monitors the status of the Flu.
Interviewee Mrs.Rosen: The government tries to track the viruses’ path but they mutate so the CDC has to try to predict where and when the virus will attack people.
Brandon: Do you think Flu Vaccinations should be mandatory? Why doesn’t the law make it mandatory.
Interviewee Mrs.Rosen: Yes, it should be mandatory because people who are sick should be able to defend themselves from the virus and prevent spread. Also, it is a person’s rights to get the shot or not.
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- HealthDay, W. (n.d.). Seasonal Flu Vaccine May Protect Against Deadly Bird Flu – WebMD. Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20150217/seasonal-flu-vaccine-may-protect-against-deadly-bird-flu
- Preventing Seasonal Flu With Vaccination. (2014, October 17). Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/
- Sepkowitz, K. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/08/97-of-flu-shots-in-the-u-k-don-t-work.html
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