Unlike the flu shot for children, scientists have developed two flu shots for the geriatric population. There are two options for the elderly to receive: “the regular dose flu shot and the higher-dose flu shot designed specifically for people 65 and older” (U.S. Department of Health &Human Services, 2014). Though dramatically affected by the flu, the elderly have more than one shot to help prevent potential death by the influenza. Of the two dose, the higher dose of the flu vaccine is usually for people who have extremely weakened immune systems. In an article written by James Steckelberg M.D., it says that the higher dose “contains four times as much flu antigen—the part of the vaccine that stimulates the immune system…” (Steckelberg, 2014). The high dose of the flu shot otherwise known as the “Fluzone High-Dose,” appears to help elderly people …show more content…
Therefore, people likely to die due to declining health, may choose not to get the flu shot. This could skew the statistics of elderly people dying of the flu each year. Melissa Moyer writes in Scientific American, “…influenza only causes about 5 percent of all excess winter deaths among the elderly” (Moyer, 2012). This is a significantly lower percentage than the ninety percent of elderly people who die each year as noted previously. She continues with, “...vaccinated seniors were 44 percent less likely to die during flu season than unvaccinated seniors were, the vaccinated ones were also 61 percent less likely to die before flu season even started” (Moyer, 2012). Essentially, those of the people vaccinated had higher survivability during the flu season, but also had better chances of surviving before the flu season
The Influenza virus is a unique respiratory viral disease that can have serious economic and social disruption to society. The virus is airborne transmitted through droplets release by coughing or sneezing from an infected person or by touching infected surfaces. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may even result in death. People with the virus usually experience fever, headache, shivering, muscle pain and cough, which can lead to more severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia. People most susceptible to the flu virus are elderly individuals and young children as well as anyone whose health or immune system has been compromise. The most effective way to counteract the influenza virus is to get the flu vaccine which is available by shots or nasal spray before the flu season as well as practicing safe hygiene. (CDC, 2013)
The effectiveness of vaccinations continues to be proven (Malone and Hinaman n.d.). For example, after development of the measles vaccine and the implementation of the vaccination program, the number of reported measles cases declined from 57,345 in 1977 to 2587 in 1984( CDC 2010 ). However, even though vaccinations have been proven safe and effective; there are still risks as well as the implication that not every person who is vaccinated will obtain immunity. That being said, serious damage from vaccination is a rare occurrence (Malone and Hinaman). A Glanz study (2013) from the Vaccin...
Although people should have the freedom to choose to be vaccinated, the public needs to be educated about the personal, economical, and social benefits of receiving the influenza vaccine. In addition, people who are at a high risk of contracting influenza as well as health care providers should be encouraged to receive an influenza vaccine in order to decrease the major health burden associated with the disease. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a viral infection of the respiratory system and it is characterized by abrupt onset of fever, sore throat, and nonproductive cough. Influenza is spread from person to person by inhalation of the droplets produced when a person infected with influenza coughs or sneezes. In addition, it can also be spread by contact with infected objects such as utensils.
The use of vaccinations has been a major topic in the news lately. The decision to or not to vaccinate your child is a decision that parents face each day. For some the decision is an easy one, a no-brainer. For others, it’s a very difficult one to make. People that are pro-vaccine believe that they are protecting their children and the future generations by vaccinating them against diseases that they could potentially get. People that are ant-vaccine believe that by choosing not to vaccinate, they are protecting their children and future generations from the serious side effects that they could potentially get from the vaccination.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016, May 2) states that, “vaccines work with the body 's natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease and lower your chances of getting certain diseases and suffering from their complications.” Individuals who choose to get themselves and their household vaccinated are at a lower risk of catching diseases in which there is a vaccine for. Certain vaccines can also help prevent other diseases, for example: the hepatitis B vaccination can help lower the chances of liver cancer, HPV vaccine lowers the chances of getting cervical cancer, and the flu vaccine lowers the risk of influenza-related heart attacks and other diseases related to the flu (CDC, 2016, May 2). There are certain vaccines that adults should get as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016, August 4) recommends that all adults should get a flu shot each year. They also recommend that adults ages nineteen to twenty-six should get the HVP vaccine, and adults sixty and older should get the pneumococcal vaccines and the zoster vaccines (CDC, 2016, August 4). As people get older their immune system depreciate. This requires extra help from vaccinations to prevent certain disease from taking over the
Influenza is a major public health problem which outbreaks all over the world. Resulting in considerable sickness and death rates. Furthermore, it is a highly infectious airborne disease and is caused by the influenza virus. Influenza is transmitted easily from one person to another person which has a great impact on society. When a member of society becomes sick, it is more prone to spread to other people. In the United States, every year between 5 to 20 percent of the population is affected by influenza. As a result of this, between 3,000 and 49,000 deaths have occurred per year (Biggerstaff et al., 2014). Therefore, the influenza vaccine is the most effective strategy to prevent influenza. This essay will examine two significant reasons for influenza vaccination which are the loss of workforce and economic burden as well as one effect regarding herd immunity.
Ng, Sophia, et al. "The Effect Of Age And Recent Influenza Vaccination History On The Immunogenicity And Efficacy Of 2009-10 Seasonal Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccination In Children." Plos One 8.3 (2013): e59077. MEDLINE. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
“Seasonal Flu Shot.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA.gov, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Jan. 2012
Vaccines save us from being infected with viruses. They save approximately 2.5 million people from death every year. However, while they help save lives, vaccines still have both minor and severe side effects. This can result in nausea, severe sickness, and in rare cases, death. Every year, 3,000 to 4,500 people in the United States are hospitalized due to vaccine side effects. It is extremely important for all communities to be informed about the side effects of vaccines and what causes them. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the influenza vaccine is only 48% effective, due to constant mutation of the virus (Scutti, 2017). This means, the influenza vaccine does not work on all
...e flu are very similar to those of the regular flu. However concern arises, because the possibility of the virus creating greater complications is likely. To prevent one from contracting the swine flu, he or she should get vaccinated. The main difference between the regular flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu vaccine is the components of which these vaccines are composed of. One should make the decision to get the swine flu vaccine based on one’s age and current medical condition. It is highly recommended that children and people to the age of twenty-four years-old receive the swine flu vaccine, because they have weaker immunity levels. It is best to ask a doctor which decision is preferred. The goal of health professionals is to eliminate the H1N1 virus as a global health threat, and to allow it to become a mere virus that can be prevented by proper vaccinations.
There is a vaccination against the H1N1 virus that is available by shot or nasal spray. It is recommended that those who are the highest level of risk get the vaccination before it is too late. The vaccine is the best protection against the virus. Side effects of the shot may include soreness, redness, and swelling at injection site, fainting, headaches, fever and nausea. Side effects from the nasal spray include a runny nose, headache, vomiting, aches and a fever. Serious side effects may include difficulty breathing, hives, paleness, weakness, dizziness and a high fever. The vaccines are usually given at the beginning of the flu season to those who aren’t at much risk. But those who are at high risk should get the vaccine yearly.
Anyone at any age can have serious complications with the flu but those at high risk are people over 50 years old, children between 6 months and 2 years, women more than 3 months pregnant the flu season, anyone living in a long-term care facility, and anyone with chronic heart, lung or kidney conditions, diabetes, or weakened immune system.
In recent years, the correlation between vaccines and autism has become the subject of much debate. On one side, there are the anti-vaccinators, or anti-vaccers. On the other, there’s pretty much everyone else. Despite the fact that the anti-vaccination movement has little base in scientific fact, their campaign to end early infanthood vaccinations rages on. While doctors and scientists try desperately to make parents look at the research studies, vaccination rates continue to fall. But, even in these dark times, there is still hope that scientific fact will prevail and defeat the anti-vaccination fear mongers who have caused many children to fall ill and even die because their parents did not properly vaccinate them. This is one of the most saddening scientific failures of the twenty-first century. A failure to educate the public properly has resulted in child, even infant, fatalities. The anti-vaccination movement was started based on falsified data and continues only because of a lack of knowledge and proper education of the general public.
By delaying vaccinations it can increase the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. Getting a vaccine-preventable disease could be fatal. Vaccines should be received as a general caution, so that vaccine-preventable diseases do not become fatal, just to be safe. The vaccinations that are most commonly given prevent humans from disease that are not as common now, but not getting the vaccination could still be dangerous because an outbreak can happen at any time. Doctors do recommend that getting vaccines is the smart idea. If a person gets a vaccine-preventable disease, and did not receive the vaccine earlier in life, it could be too late to use the vaccine to make the patient
This enables a significant percentage of individuals who oppose vaccines to reconcile with those who do not, as this eliminates the concern regarding adverse reactions. According to an article titled “Vaccine herd effect,” herd immunity has pervaded many communities to help minimize the spread of disease. For example, in the 1990s, a vaccine was introduced that targeted a strain of disease known as streptococcus pneumoniae, which can potentially cause pneumonia. The CDC discovered a fifty percent reduction in pneumonia cases among the elderly despite the vaccine being offered primarily to children (Kim, T. H., Johnstone, J., & Loeb, M., 2011).