Monstrous Vaccinations?

           

            When I pictured vaccines, the image of Dracula had never come to mind, that is until I started reading “On Immunity.”  In a particularly memorable section of text, Biss painted a striking comparison between the vampire count and immunization.  She brought to the forefront both the invasiveness of a shot and the widespread public fear.  Biss poses the question, “Do we believe vaccination to be more monstrous than disease?” (Biss, p. 29).   I find that vaccinations are much more helpful than they are hurtful.  Although there are sometimes negative outcomes from vaccinations, I would still argue in support of them. 

For all their controversy, I continue to see the value in vaccines.  For clinical, I completed a series of vaccinations in order to work in the hospital. These vaccinations were required to keep nursing students and their patients safe from spreading diseases.  Although I support taking precautions against the spread of diseases in a sensitive medical environment, I do feel that some of the vaccines required are either outdated or unnecessary. For instance, there are many people who struggle with getting the flu shot due to a naturally weak immune system resulting in unwanted sickness.  Aside from this issue, the flu shot is still the most recommended form of precaution during the flu season.  “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported that flu vaccination last season prevented an estimated 7.2 million flu-associated illnesses and 90,000 flu hospitalizations,” (CDC).  However, only 40% of the public receive an annual flu shot.

When I was in grade school, the swine flu epidemic made millions of people panic about the severity of the disease.  As a result, my school required students to receive the vaccination unless exempted by a doctor’s note.  Students also had to choose whether to get a shot or a nasal spray vaccine.  There was controversy surrounding which form of the vaccine to get because there were reports of people getting swine flu from these vaccinations.  People were also skeptical of the nasal spray because the active virus was in it, but others believed that would be the better choice.  In the end, almost the entire school, even the families against vaccinations chose immunity over swine flu.

As discussed in “On Immunity," people are constantly making the decision whether or not to vaccinate themselves and their children. The narrator contemplated vaccinating because of the varying reports and theories surrounding them.  One theory claimed that vaccinations were thought to be reserved for “poor and low-income people.”  As a result of this stereotype, some wealthier families don’t believe that they need to vaccinate.  This stereotype is simply invalid. We know that diseases can be spread in a variety of ways, among all social classes.  However, it’s an example of why people are skeptical of vaccinating if they are well-off.  Due to how easily diseases can spread and the severity of infectious diseases, I believe that avoiding vaccinations and running the risk of acquiring a disease is much more dangerous than a simple injection designed to keep people healthy.

Biss, E. (2015). On immunity: An inoculation. Minneapolis, MN: Graywolf.

Influenza (Flu). (2016, March 14). Retrieved February 18, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/news/nivw-fewer-vaccinated.htm