Swine Flu, Vaccines, and a Culture of Fear

What sounds scarier, the flu or … INFLUENZA? The flu is what goes around every year and sometimes you get it and it sucks for a few days. Maybe you'll get a flu shot and maybe you won't. But … isn't influenza what killed millions of people back in the day? Oh yeah, that will sell more vaccines. I see the word on billboards everywhere now. Fear.

Fear is what is driving people to inject more and more toxins into their bodies and the bodies of their developing children. This fear is fanned by the media, and bankrolled by the pharmaceutical companies that make billions of dollars when they convince the public that we need a mandatory vaccination program of ever-increasing innoculations. Have you noticed that in years when the flu vaccine is in short supply, the media tells you that it's not really that big of a deal, and only the elderly should get it? But when there is plenty of inventory, suddenly flu stories are newsworthy, and there is a push to make the vaccine mandatory in every school. That's not putting public health first. That's just business - driven by fear.

Fear is behind the panic over unvaccinated children. One mother I know wondered if there was some sort of public registry of unvaccinated children so other parents would know who they were. For what purpose? Children are only going to transmit diseases that they actually have, whether they are vaccinated against them or not. Vaccination status says nothing about a child's current state of health. And if parents believe that the vaccinations their children receive are going to protect them from those diseases, then there would be no need for this kind of concern. But still, the fear exists.

Fear is fanned by incomplete information. There is a ton of research on both sides of this issue, regardless of what makes it into mainstream media. I'm simply suggesting that we do our due diligence and check out more than one side of the discussion. To narrow it down for you, I've provided links to two sites that sit on opposite ends of the debate: on one side is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On the other side is The National Vaccine Information Center. I encourage you to browse both sites with an open mind, ask questions, and educate yourself.

In the end, it comes down to a matter of personal choice, (at least so far we have this right)holding our breath and hoping we've made the right decision. No one wants to feel they've made the wrong choice in something this important, and that's why this debate gets so heated. It's defensiveness of a choice we aren't completely, 100% certain is the right one. I still have my doubts and fears about this, to be sure. It is very challenging to hold fast to what I believe to be the best choice for Lucas in the face of a giant wave of societal pressure wherever I turn. We're all doing the best we can.