The biggest vaccination campaign in Canadians history is on its way against the H1N1 flu. Much media coverage makes it clear the disease is deadly and the vaccine is safe.
Yet many Canadians are not sure whether or not they want to be vaccinated. They argue the flu is not as bad as the publicity suggests, the Prime Minister said he was in no hurry to be vaccinated, and Health Canada does not seem to be in any rush to get the vaccine out. Britain is dealing with the same problem. Up to one half of general practioners and one-third of British nurses say they don’t plan to be vaccinated at all. Many of them say the flu vaccine has no been adequately tested.
So what do you think?
Do you plan to be vaccinated?
Should all Canadians be vaccinated?
I get the regular flu vaccine every year (it’s free at the government-run health and social service centres), so I think it is a good idea to get vaccinated against H1N1. Even if, due to my medical history, I have a measure of immunity, I don’t want to take the chance of being a carrier that infects someone else. My freedom stops where other people’s safety is concerned.
All that assumes that the Canadian authorities will have the vaccine ready before the H1N1 arrives. I suspect they won’t.
I have no intention of being “vaccinated.” Everyone else may do as he wishes.
But…if you are one of those who gets regular vaccinations, and this year you intend to get both, do it in the correct order: H1N1 first and then the regular flu shot. The reason for this is that the regular flu shot tends to lower your immunity temporarily, and the H1N1 virus is extremely opportunistic. If you get the regular shot first, you run a definite risk of getting the H1N1 flu before you get the vaccination against it.
Canada does not have H1N1 shots ready because “we” decided to go with a local supplier of the vaccine (who had to start production from scratch), rather than contract with a foreign supplier who already had one cooking. Thank your jingoistic “Buy Local” and union activists for that.
If you live close to the USA border, American cities have fully stocked clinics; they are ready and willing to receive Canadian patients; and the charge for the shot is an low administration fee only — about ten dollars or so.
And here in BC, we’re in the middle of the second wave of H1N1.
Thank you for that information, Janus. In Quebec, the regular flu shots will not be administered until the new year, probably for the reason you gave.
I get the vaccination my doctor advises. I also have a good cuban cigar along with 4 fingers of 10 year old Port once in a while. It does me till the spring. ” So far so good. At any rate at my age who cares.
from a spiritual point of view, if you really want to live you have to let go of your life (don’t worry). If you try to save your life (To much security) you are already dead.