Our government this past year actively immunized those in the population they considered to have a high risk of getting the flu. 
Children and elderly were immunized for the HiN1 virus and the regular flu virus. The flu season isn’t quite over, but the worst according to the CDC is over. The H1N1 pandemic thankfully did not occur, and government scientists highlight the fact that we inoculated children first this year. Inoculating children first most likely protected the adults in the general population according to the CDC. Each year we are placed on high alert for that next pandemic. Ever fearful of the next one that hits the world, in the manner of the pandemic in 1918 did. I recently had my yearly physical and discussed flu shots with my doctor. He asked me why I did not get one this year, and that question led to an interesting philosophical one. I personally do not feel that I am in a high-risk category, and have had the privilege of being exposed to flu virus’s some fifty years. My feeling is that the body’s defenses need to be able to combat what’s out there. Plus I heard enough stories of people who get the flu shot and still get sick. So I take my chances. His response to my comments was not what I expected to hear from one in the medical community. Doctors, including this one, are beginning to argue that our efforts to immunize people from viruses are weakening humanity. Things like the mumps, German measles, chicken pox, flu, etc. are becoming less prevalent in our society due to inoculations. In a sense we are reducing humanities ability to fend off future pandemics. Imagine if the mumps mutated into a new virus form. Only those who had it previously may have the antibodies built into their systems to fend it off. Inoculations are poor relations in fending off mutated virus according to medicine. The most sobering note he put forward is that there will be another pandemic (media hypes this yearly as well), and it will be worse then the last one. The difference is that the numbers will be higher due to the fact that there are more people in the world now, then compared to 1918. Our current health infrastructure can only handle 5% of the population for respiratory illnesses. It will be overwhelmed by a pandemic. Doctors and scientists feel that pandemics, and virus’ like the flu, are part of nature’s way to make humanity stronger. Killing off the weak so that the strong may survive. Something to consider next time the government seeks to scare us into getting next year’s flu shot.
Photo Courtesy: LSU
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