As we all know, ‘tis the season. I’m not talking about Christmas season, but that is fast-approaching. Are you ready? I know I’m not. Anyway, I digress. It is certainly election season, and fewer than 48 hours after this is published, we will know who will be our president for the next four years. That is equally cool as it is terrifying. Good luck, America. Again, I kid. I am talking about flu season.
Just what we all need, right? Fortunately, we have a very helpful way to make flu season a lot less scary. Unfortunately, a great many people do not utilize it. Some people are afraid because they don’t know what it actually does. Some people are just lazy. Some people don’t believe in this method of disease control.
Vaccinations. I don’t really remember when this became such a polarizing topic, but it absolutely is. I’ve noticed people tend to not take a middle ground on this issue. You are either extremely pro-vaccination and do things like write columns to try to convince people to agree with you, or you think vaccinations are a terrible idea, are dangerous and are something only irresponsible parents engage in. Well, dear reader, I’d like to use my allotted space in this fine publication to show you why I am one of the former.
First, vaccinations, as a general rule, do not give a person the disease they are trying to prevent. The vaccine contains the antigens for that disease, meaning it’s basically giving you the tools to fight it as opposed to you having to start from scratch upon exposure. I have overheard several people discussing their reasoning for not wanting a flu shot, and the No. 1 reason was that they didn’t want to get the flu. The injection is not a live virus. You will not get the flu from a flu shot.
Second, vaccines do work. Not every vaccination is mind-blowingly effective, especially flu vaccines — as each year the strain is not the same as the previous. The vast majority of vaccines are between 85- to 95-percent effective. I promise your immune system by itself is not this effective, no matter how healthy you are.
Third, vaccines do not cause autism. Some contain an ingredient called thimerosal, which is a preservative used to prevent contamination of multi-dose vials of vaccines. This was studied extensively, and all studies concluded there is not a link between autism spectrum disorders and vaccinations. Other ingredients have raised concerns as well, but to date, there have been no links found between vaccines or their ingredients and autism spectrum disorders.
Fourth, vaccines do not overwhelm a young immune system. Take a moment and think of all the diseases a child could get instead. Polio, mumps, measles, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and hepatitis make up just a fraction of the list. Each and every one of these diseases has killed people, and they could kill a child who is left unprotected, too. They may seem obsolete at this point, but outbreaks still happen. Also, it is safe to give children many vaccines at once or close together. The immune system has an immense capacity to respond safely to vaccinations.
We have spent decades upon decades researching. Scientists have made incredible breakthroughs, and diseases that once could very easily kill people hardly affect the population anymore. Refusing to vaccinate not only means you or your family could be at risk. Not everyone is able to receive vaccinations due to illness or medical treatment. Electing to not be vaccinated puts these people at risk, who are not as lucky as we are. We have this amazing technology that can quite literally save our lives, but some of us choose not to, and much of the reasoning behind this decision is flawed. Please, I beg of you, educate yourself. Test your objections against the facts. Protect yourself, and help protect the rest of us.
Taylor Cavaliere is a UF psychology and journalism sophomore. Her column appears on Mondays.
