Introduction

Vaccines are the greatest counter action to prevalent diseases.  However, the flu vaccine isn’t as effective as the public believes it to be. People are suffering from the flu after being administered their annual vaccine. More study on the flu vaccine should take place to ultimately decide if its dependency by the public is necessary. With more study, we will discover that people should not only rely on the flu vaccine itself, but that there are more preventive methods such as healthy lifestyle that aid in flu resistance.

 

Background

In contemporary America, we have conquered several diseases such as HPV virus, Measles, or Rubella. Vaccines are the means of preventing people from getting diseases and creating an epidemic. Some are administered at birth, while some are to be received annually. However, people generally assume vaccines are good for them, on the sole basis that it is what they are told to do. Skepticism hasn’t risen until the recent years, when people who had been administered the flu shot were still found coming down with strands of the flu. The flu shot does not prevent the flu, it instead strengthens your immune system to combat the flu. In addition to this phenomenon, Experts found that elderly people who were administered the flu vaccine have seen increased death tolls compared to those who hasn’t been administered the flu shot since 1989. Experts have also found that when vaccine production slows down, death rates do not fluctuate. This leaves the public wondering why they should be taking a flu vaccine in the first place. On one hand, pro-vaccine doctors advocate for using the flu shot as your first defense toward the flu. On the contrary, anti-vaccine advocators urge the public to lead healthier lifestyles to prevent the flu instead. The purpose of the research is to decide what the general consumer should do when flu season comes—should they rely on the controversial flu shot, or should they focus on other preventive measures?

Methods:

Brownlee, Shannon, and Jeanne Lenzer. “There Is Little Evidence That Flu Vaccines Are Effective.” Vaccines, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010672242/OVIC?u=cuny_centraloff&sid=OVIC&xid=7f5bccde. Accessed 16 Nov. 2019. Originally published as “Does the Vaccine Matter? (Shots in the Dark),” The Atlantic Monthly, Nov. 2009.

This scholarly article reveals history about the flu virus, and how a vaccine to prevent the disease is inefficient. It is a hoax in terms of functionality. While it does help prevent, it doesn’t prevent the flu. This article provides a possible study to test the true efficiency of the flu virus and if people should trust it or not amidst skepticism of it not working. The source also debunks myths about the flu vaccine, such as how it decreases death tolls by 50% without considering other factors that contribute to one’s likelihood of suffering from the flu. In 1989, 15% of the elderly were immunized. These days, 65% of the elderly are immunized and more elderly die per 1000 people now than they did 30 years ago.

Newman, Alex. “There Is Evidence That Vaccines Promote, Rather than Eradicate, Disease.” Vaccines, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010672240/OVIC?u=cuny_centraloff&sid=OVIC&xid=7cdd0148. Accessed 16 Nov. 2019. Originally published as “Swine Flu: The Risks and Efficacy of Vaccines,” New American, 14 Oct. 2009.

This scholarly article focuses on how the flu vaccine is counterintuitive. It aims to decrease the abundancy of the flu vaccine, but by doing so people come down with the flu instead. It raises the question of why people blindly take their annual flu shots without questioning their efficiency. This phenomenon extends further than the flu, as in other countries those who take a certain shot were more likely to obtain the disease it was meant to prevent. In regards to the flu, “far more people have died from the vaccine than the virus”

Outcomes

Through studying the flu vaccine and its effectiveness, we will know whether the flu vaccine is as functional as the public believes it is, or if it does more harm than good. Additionally, we can find more ways that people can prevent the flu without having to take the shot. More study needs to take place to ultimately keep the public safe, and alleviate skepticisms with a sure answer of whether to get the vaccine or not.

Sources

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/effectiveness-studies.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/2018-2019.html

Newman, Alex. “There Is Evidence That Vaccines Promote, Rather than Eradicate, Disease.” Vaccines, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010672240/OVIC?u=cuny_centraloff&sid=OVIC&xid=7cdd0148. Accessed 16 Nov. 2019. Originally published as “Swine Flu: The Risks and Efficacy of Vaccines,” New American, 14 Oct. 2009.

Brownlee, Shannon, and Jeanne Lenzer. “There Is Little Evidence That Flu Vaccines Are Effective.” Vaccines, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010672242/OVIC?u=cuny_centraloff&sid=OVIC&xid=7f5bccde. Accessed 16 Nov. 2019. Originally published as “Does the Vaccine Matter? (Shots in the Dark),” The Atlantic Monthly, Nov. 2009.