Happy Halloween!
On this holiday, I thought I'd write a short blog about things that scare me. Nope, I'm not afraid of ghosts or anything like that... but infectious diseases freak me out. I've been thinking a lot about influenza lately. It's flu season, and there has been a lot of coverage of the flu vaccine in the news. The Skeptic's Guide and NPR's Science Friday have both put out podcasts on it recently. Scientists say it's only a matter of time before we have another flu pandemic like the one that happened in 1918-1919. And, 30,000 people die a year from the flu on an average year anyway! The more I learn about the flu vaccine, the more I think that it's really important for just about everyone to get it. It strengthens your immune system and makes it more likely that you will survive if another major flu pandemic breaks out. It also reduces the mutations of the flu virus because it doesn't kill the flu directly. You're already injected with killed flu. It's really kind of interesting to hear about. I'm trying to convince Jake to go with me to get a flu shot this year. I don't think I've ever had a flu shot, but there should be plenty to go around this year and now I think it's important for just about everyone to get the shot. I might have to really harp on Jake to go with me because he's a bit squeamish about needles. He admitted that I have a point when I went on and on about how getting the flu vaccine is important to protect public health.
Another thing that freaks me out is the "superbug" MRSA. People think they are being clean by using antibacterial soaps, etc. when really they are contributing to the mutations of super-bacteria. It also seems to me that it's just another reason to avoid factory farmed meat (as if all the environmental reasons weren't enough...) because of how it's necessary to pump the animals full of antibiotics in those conditions. The idea of dying from super-bacteria is freaky to me.
Creepy:
More amusing than creepy, really:
1 comment:
That's interesting... I listen to Science Friday and I heard an episode about how anyone who wants a flu shot can get one this year and I really didn't buy it. But I usually run a week behind, so maybe I haven't listened to a newer one yet.
I don't really want to get a flu shot just because it seems like they make each flu shot annually for the strains that they think will be the most infectious for that year, but there are tons of strains out there that we aren't protected against. I figure that any pandemic is going to be a bit of a surprise and that there's a really good chance that it will be a strain that isn't included in the flu shot (or, not to creep you out more, but it could be one of the strains that the flue shot protects against, but then it could just morph into something resistant anyway).
Where was the comment that shots protect you against future bugs?!?! I swore that isn't true because each annual shot is developed for certain strains and that it's pretty useless the next year around. If our immunity slowly built up, then why couldn't they develop a longer-lasting vaccine.
I still think the vaccine is important for older people, people with impaired immune systems, etc. And it's probably very important for substitute teachers who are around a lot of people, so you should probably get it regardless.
I'm not going to. I'm of the opinion that I'm apparently young and healthy enough to recover from a general flu bug, and I don't really think that the science is there to predict what the pandemic bug would be and get a vaccine out in time. It's probably a safer bet to get an advance prescription of Tamiflu for just-in-case.
Which reminds me that I think I heard that Tamiflu is used a ton in some countries and may contribute to the creation of superbugs.
What are the dates for the podcasts you heard?
I think super-bacteria are a lot more creepy.
Post a Comment