[lit-ideas] Re: flu vaccine
- From: Judy Evans <judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 18:46:43 +0100
Wednesday, October 27, 2004, 4:32:47 PM, Paul Stone wrote:
PS> As I have said before, of COURSE the elderly, the very young and anyone
PS> with compromised immune systems as well as people who are liable to be in
PS> contact with flu SHOULD definitely get a flu shot -- that's prudent.
and
PS> The sense of entitlement for a flu shot is just weird.
Here, I learn, doctors can decide who gets a free 'flu shot -- except
of course for the groups they must vaccinate: "people with chronic
conditions such as asthma and diabetes, and all those aged over 65".
(They can't charge other people, obviously!)
But I found this
>The Royal College of General Practitioners is calling on the
>Government to expand routine flu vaccination to include young
>children, pregnant women and people aged over 50. Research predicts
>that flu transmission rates in families could drop by a third if
>children were vaccinated.
PS> One of the only things about Michael Moore that I agree with is his
PS> assertion that the media continues to whip people into a frenzy about
PS> increasingly questionable "emergencies". There's a wind-chill factor, a
PS> humidex reading, a smog alert, an air advisory, tornado watches, hallowe'en
PS> warnings [WHAT?] -- all intended to give us information, all the while,
PS> actually raising alarm.
Smog can kill people, Paul. A smog alert shouldn't alarm anyone
healthy but is needed for people with respiratory problems.
PS> Someone mentioned that 'the experts' were talking of 30 year cycles or some
PS> nonsense like that for these epidemics.
For pandemics. There isn't a thirty year cycle according to my
calculations (1918, 1957, 1968).
PS> Please! There are no cycles to
PS> this. When a number of things come together, a strong strain of flu, a huge
PS> number of malnourished, overworked, highly-stressed, closely contacted,
PS> unbathed people get together, OF COURSE you are going to get an outbreak.
The 1957 and 1968 strains were both unusually virulent and mutant;
they were not simply "strong". I watched my grammar school (selective
intake high school) class of middle-class, very well washed, not
overworked, not highly stressed, not pushed together in inadequate
housing, not malnourished) dwindle to the size of one: then one day,
sitting in class, I slumped/crumpled.
PS> But WHERE is that happening? Every year the 'experts' say "this year's flu
PS> is a particularly STRONG form".
Ours don't.
PS> a young curmudgeon,
hey you can say that again :-)
Judy
--
Judy Evans, Cardiff, UK
mailto:judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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