Flu shots, should they be required?

[snerd]

My sister's married to a doctor and I've taken photographs of them......

Hopefully not through the peephole!!

 

[snerd]

Take my wife. Please!!!

 

[limr]

My sister's married to a doctor and I've taken photographs of them......

Hopefully not through the peephole!!

GAH!

Take my wife. Please!!!

You're so silly

 

[snowbear]

I've seen a doctor photographing.

So you're overqualified. There was a "real" doctor involved. Unless it was a doctor of divinity, or a Dortor of the performing arts.

He was a full-time convenience store clerk and part-time doctor. I'm not really sure how that fits in.

 

[BillM]

If you get sick just let the bad blood out, you'll be fine in no time

 

[tirediron]

If you get sick just let the bad blood out, you'll be fine in no time

Leeches anyone?

 

[snerd]

Blood-letting LOL!!

 

[Forkie]

Vaccinations are preventative. You have to have them in your system BEFORE you come into contact with the pathogen. Getting a rabies shot after the fact is pointless because if you survive, you're immune...

wrong. that is how it works in animals but they do NOT vaccinate humans for rabies unless they (may) have come into contact with rabies.

Vaccinations ARE preventative. There's no point getting a vaccination after infection because the infection will either kill you or or will immunise you against that disease next time. I'd rather not take the gamble.

The common cold is not treatable because there are so many strains of it. Each time you get a cold your body becomes immune to that strain by itself. Any other colds you get will be a different strain. Medicinal science cannot keep up with the ever-evolving common cold virus, which is why you can only get medicines to relieve the symptoms, not cure the cold.

Also, I just want to point out that in the UK; a country where rabies is extinct, if I am going on vacation to a country where rabies exists I get a course of rabies jabs before I go. I have had rabies vaccines before visiting South Africa and the Dominican Republic. I would also routinely get (depending on the country) Hepatitis A and B (often combined into one jab), Typhoid, Yellow Fever, TB. I also take anti-Malarial medication throughout my stay if appropriate to that country.

If you don't get the post-infection rabies vaccination quick enough after infection, you will die. The mortality rate of rabies patients is pretty much 100%. Getting the vaccination before any possible infection stops you getting infected in the first place.

 

[paigew]

Vaccinations ARE preventative. There's no point getting a vaccination after infection because the infection will either kill you or or will immunise you against that disease next time. I'd rather not take the gamble.

The common cold is not treatable because there are so many strains of it. Each time you get a cold your body becomes immune to that strain by itself. Any other colds you get will be a different strain. Medicinal science cannot keep up with the ever-evolving common cold virus, which is why you can only get medicines to relieve the symptoms, not cure the cold.

Also, I just want to point out that in the UK; a country where rabies is extinct, if I am going on vacation to a country where rabies exists I get a course of rabies jabs before I go. I have had rabies vaccines before visiting South Africa and the Dominican Republic. I would also routinely get (depending on the country) Hepatitis A and B (often combined into one jab), Typhoid, Yellow Fever, TB. I also take anti-Malarial medication throughout my stay if appropriate to that country.

If you don't get the post-infection rabies vaccination quick enough after infection, you will die. The mortality rate of rabies patients is pretty much 100%. Getting the vaccination before any possible infection stops you getting infected in the first place.

I am not claiming to be a rabies expert. But I have had a career with animals for over 12 years and have had many calls with animal control and know people who got the rabies vaccine AFTER possible exposure. I also live in Austin, where we have one of the worlds largest bat colonies (hello rabies anyone?). Rabies is something that is common in my area and we have several cases reported a year. Still they do not routinely vaccinate for rabies. Obviously I only know how things work here, in the US. But even the animal control officers are NOT vaccinated for rabies as a preventative measure. You will not see "rabies vaccine" on any required vaccine list.

 

[Braineack]

all animals should be required to get the rabies vaccine.

rabies IS 100% fatal if untreated. but treatment is also 100% effective post-exposure.*



* please take this with a grain of salt until photoguy99 can let you guys know if I'm pulling sh1t out of my hat or not.

 

[Stradawhovious]

Technically its not just a personal problem.
It's a social one since by not having the jab you allow the disease to remain alive within the community (as a sufferer or carrier). As such it remains a social problem.

In theory since a disease is a living organism if you can immunise the population it ends up with no-where to live. With no-where to live it dies - in theory we want to work toward repeating what we did with smallpox - immunise and drive it out.

That's a good theory.

In theory.

Smallpox and the flu are two different animals. As I understand, smallpox was largely a "human only" disease, with no animal resivoir. Remove it from the human population, and it disappears. The flu on the other hand lives in many different kinds of animals including, but not limited to birds and pigs. Birds do not carry human specific strains (although they can transmit to humans), but pigs do. Unless you rid the world of birds and pigs, there is no way to stop the flu the same way we stopped smallpox.

And... if you take my bacon away, I will be mighty angry.

The flu is a small price to pay for bacon.

 

[runnah]

I am not claiming to be a rabies expert. But I have had a career with animals for over 12 years and have had many calls with animal control and know people who got the rabies vaccine AFTER possible exposure. I also live in Austin, where we have one of the worlds largest bat colonies (hello rabies anyone?). Rabies is something that is common in my area and we have several cases reported a year. Still they do not routinely vaccinate for rabies. Obviously I only know how things work here, in the US. But even the animal control officers are NOT vaccinated for rabies as a preventative measure. You will not see "rabies vaccine" on any required vaccine list.

So there are two types of shots associated with the rabies vaccine. There is the vaccine itself and then there are the immuoglobulin shots. The vaccine is given to help your body identify any possible rabies cells and eliminate them. The immunoglobulin shots are basically a syringe full of antibodies to help hunt down and kill any of the weakened cells. They also hurt like a bastard.

 

[Braineack]

i think the fact that flu vaccines only carry 3-4 strains a year is a bit /r/conspiracy.

 

[qleak]

I am not claiming to be a rabies expert. But I have had a career with animals for over 12 years and have had many calls with animal control and know people who got the rabies vaccine AFTER possible exposure. I also live in Austin, where we have one of the worlds largest bat colonies (hello rabies anyone?). Rabies is something that is common in my area and we have several cases reported a year. Still they do not routinely vaccinate for rabies. Obviously I only know how things work here, in the US. But even the animal control officers are NOT vaccinated for rabies as a preventative measure. You will not see "rabies vaccine" on any required vaccine list.

Hmm well the CDC recommends it for people at high risk.

I'd never heard of the human preventative vaccine either, but I'm not an animal control officer, veterinarian or bat guano researcher.

I have previously worked for the humane society but I primarily worked with animals that were in the shelter already and had been through a quarantine period and vaccinated.

 

[waday]

<snip>I'm not an animal control officer, veterinarian or bat guano researcher.

The only thing I can think of now is Ace Ventura.