No one likes getting a shot, especially one once a year. Is the influenza vaccine worth it or are your odds of getting the flu the same either way? According to the CDC, “Traditional flu vaccines (called “trivalent” vaccines) are made to protect against three flu viruses; an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus” (CDC, n.d.). The flu vaccine causes your body to produce antibodies, this usually takes about 2 weeks. If you are then exposed to one of the three or four viruses the flu shot is made to protect against you will already have the antibodies ready to fight the virus.
When thinking about getting the vaccine there should also be a consideration for others. The NCBI states that, “Implementing the herd effect of the seasonal influenza vaccination, universal immunization will potentially further protect vulnerable population under risk of influenza” (Kim, T. H. 2014). Most healthy middle-aged people will not die from influenza but newborn children, people with compromised immune systems, and the elderly have a much higher chance of dying from the flu. The CDC has data showing that the influenza vaccine has been helpful in the past, for example, during 2016-2017, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 5.3 million influenza illnesses, 2.6 million influenza-associated medical visits, and 85,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations (CDC, n.d.). For people worried about getting the flu from the vaccine itself that is not possible. The shot is made in two ways with either, “viruses that have been killed (inactivated) and are therefore not infectious, or with proteins from a flu vaccine virus instead of flu vaccine viruses which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine” (CDC, n.d.). If you have still got sick after getting a flu shot, there are a couple of important things to keep in mind. The vaccine does take about 2 weeks to build up immunity in your body so if you get the flu before then or try to get the vaccine as you are starting to get sick it will not work. Also, it does only protect against three or four viruses that are determined to be the most likely strains for the year, so it is not a guarantee by any means. I think although the flu may not be devastating for college students it is also important to consider the community when you are deciding if you should get a flu shot.
Citations:
Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm#benefits.
Kim, T. H. (2014, July). Seasonal influenza and vaccine herd effect. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4083064/.
The annual flu vaccine is a wonderful opportunity for all members of society to investigate how ethical values should be applied when considering receiving the flu shot. As Spencer points out above, one should think of others before opting out of receiving the annual flu vaccine. This idea plays into the values of beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Not all members of society are able to receive a flu vaccine. So, when all eligible individuals receive their flu vaccines, they act to benefit others by helping to reduce the likelihood that they will contract and pass the virus on to another individual. Not only will others benefit, but the individual receiving the vaccine will be working to not harm another person should they contract the flu. Continuing to look at the broader benefits of receiving a flu vaccine, taking every step possible to prevent the spread of infection is a fair contribution to society. Even though all individuals should ultimately have the autonomy to make a personal choice whether or not to receive the flu vaccine, the greater benefit to society should also be taken into consideration. It is important for all members of society to apply ethical values and help others understand how their actions may benefit others in society.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty as charged. The last time I remember getting a flu shot was when my mom dragged me to get one in middle school. Ever since I started my freshman year at high school, I have never received a flu vaccine because the flu never "got" me. And because the flu has never effected me, I have been oblivious to the idea that by getting the flu vaccine I could prevent others from getting the flu as well. I have always been under the notion that if I am asymptomatic, then an active virus has not infected me, and that I could not transmit the virus. After reading this post, I was inspired to read up on some studies and learned that an individual's immune response to the influenza virus varies. According one study, an individual can have an active and transmittable flu virus without showing any symptoms (Huang, 2011). As trivial as this might sounds for some others, it has never crossed my mind that I could be harming others by not getting the flu vaccine.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this post. It has challenged me to think about the ethical values of beneficence and non-maleficence. I came to an understanding that ignorance can hinder one's ability to "do no harm". From here on out, I will be getting the flu vaccine not only with my personal health in mind, but more importantly the health of others in mind.
Huang Y, Zaas, A.K., Rao A, Dobigeon N, ...Hero A. (2011). Temporal dynamics of host molecular responses differentiate symptomatic and asymptomatic influenza a infection. PLoS Genetics, 7(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1002234
I too can't even remember the last time I got a flu shot. It was always something unnecessary to me, and it didn't even guarantee that I wouldn't get the flu since they make predictions on what virus strands will be popular for that year. I didn't even consider the fact that I would be reducing the chance of those around me until this year when my job required me to get flu shots since I work at a hospital. Many patient's that come into the hospital are prone to the flu so that made sense to me. I didn't even realize that I would also help create a healthier environment for everyone at Regis, my family, etc. I think many people in their youth (including myself) feel that they are indestructible, and we often forget that our bodies too can be affect be things like the flu.
ReplyDeleteI was curious what other Americans thought of the seasonal flu shot, and found that only 45% of adults get the seasonal flu shot (McNeil, 2019). The New York Times also stated that half of the adults who did not get the flu shot, did so because they did not believe that it worked (2019). I believe it is important to increase education to the public on the benefits of the flu shot.
McNeil, D. G. Australia Just Had a Bad Flu Season. That May Be a Warning for the U.S. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com
I think most of us were forced to get the flu vaccines because it was mandated by schools, but now, it has become optional due to the rise of the anti-vaccination movement. I was watching Jubilee’s video, “Pro-Vaccine vs Anti-Vaccine: Should Your Kids Get Vaccinated?” and surprisingly, a pediatrician was on the side of the anti-vaccinators. He claimed that he was “pro-choice” for vaccinations and advocates for looser vaccination requirement laws in the public-school system (“Pro-Vaccine vs Anti-Vaccine: Should Your Kids Get Vaccinated? - YouTube,” 2019). He is under investigation for medical negligence and writing medical exemptions for vaccines (Haelle, 2018.). It is one thing for parents to be anti-vaccine, but for doctors to promote this movement is highly unethical. It really is up to the general population to protect those who are immunocompromised, and we should, if we are able to, get annual flu shots and be more informed about vaccines in general. As a side note, if you do not like getting shots like I do, researchers are developing vaccine formulations in the form of sprays for different forms of delivery methods (i.e., pulmonary, intranasal, buccal, sublingual, skin, and oral) (Kanojia et al., 2017). Hopefully the non-invasive forms will encourage everyone to get their vaccines!
ReplyDeleteHaelle, T. (n.d.). Pediatrician Bob Sears Punished For Questionable Vaccine Exemption. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from Forbes website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2018/07/01/pediatrician-bob-sears-license-temporarily-revoked-after-questionable-vaccine-exemption/
Kanojia, G., Have, R. ten, Soema, P. C., Frijlink, H., Amorij, J.-P., & Kersten, G. (2017). Developments in the formulation and delivery of spray dried vaccines. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 13(10), 2364–2378. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1356952
Pro-Vaccine vs Anti-Vaccine: Should Your Kids Get Vaccinated? - YouTube. (2019). Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQptarOLSBU
I too used to never get the flu vaccine once my parents stopped "forcing" me to get one. Even in the clinical setting I was in, I was not required to. Apparently flu shots are not mandated across the board in healthcare facilities with only ~75% of workers getting the vaccines because that would be a violation of autonomy (Dubov & Phung, 2015). I had the mindset that if I got the flu, I was young and healthy enough to be able to fight it off and I could always take time off work. It wasn't until I really started to think about herd immunity and acknowledge that I was essentially being selfish to not get the vaccine, that I started getting it. As some of the previous comments have mentioned, you can carry the virus and be asymptomatic for it and infect more vulnerable immunocompromised populations that are unable to be vaccinated. I think herd immunity needs to be communicated to our population more so that it's no longer just the notion of "I got the vaccine because I don't want to get sick," but make it more so that "I got the vaccine so that my baby or my great grandpa doesn't get sick."
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. It has helped make up my mind that I will do my best under the ethical principal of non-malfeasance to get a flu shot as long as I am able so I can help prevent the spread of some of the flu viruses and help keep the integrity of herd immunity.
Dubov, A., & Phung, C. (2015). Nudges or mandates? The ethics of mandatory flu vaccination. Vaccine, 33(22), 2530–2535. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.03.048