Swine Flu fever (no pun intended) is sweeping across Canada. The first immunization clinics have been dogged by huge line ups…yet over half of Canadians say they’re not going to get the vaccine.
As for me, it’s a simple choice: I’m getting the H1N1 vaccine.
It’s not a choice I need to re-consider. It doesn’t require any hand-wringing on my part.
The facts are simple. I work in a high school - the ultimate disease and germ factory.
My sister is pregnant (and received the shot today). When the baby comes in November, I have no intention of exposing my beautiful new niece to nature’s latest firebomb. Throw in a mother who’s immune system is a little preoccupied at the moment, and the end result isn’t a worried me, hedging my bets. It’s me going to the vaccine clinic and getting the shot, without any second thought.
There are people out there spreading conspiracy theories and worries about immunizations. The first set doesn’t even deserve to be discussed, but I will say that they rival the 9/11 crowd in terms of baseless, lunatic fearmongering. As for the anti-immunization crowd, well…I had all my shots as a child, and I haven’t mutated into a monster. In fact, because of immunization, diseases such as the chicken pox, the mumps and the measles have been virtually eradicated. How is this a BAD thing?
Oh…don’t give me any sanctimonious crap about a sterible-bubble-environments and compromised immune systems. I played in dirt like all the other kids, and so did my sister, and so will my niece. We were - and shall be — exposed to plenty of germs. We cleaned ourselves up, and we took the appropriate meds, vaccines, and precautions. We didn’t end up autistic, we didn’t have developmental problems, and we weren’t brain damaged or mercury poisoned. Oh, and I DIDN’T acquire Gulf War syndrome from the LAST vaccination I received, for a meningitis outbreak. The causes of autism and other terrible afflictions go far, FAR beyond simple vaccines…and anyone who tells you otherwise deserves a guest star credit beside Jenny McCarthy on an un-made X-Files episode.
I want to be healthy, and I want to live a long life. I wish the same for my family, my friends, and my students. I’m getting the jab…no questions asked.
I’m also getting the Hepatitis vaccine to boot. Nothing wrong with covering all the bases… ;-)
