Is it possible to get our legislators to ban the flu?

[CrazyPhuD]

18 children have already died this season where is our call to action?

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

How many of those children's deaths could have been prevented if we made it a felony to not get a flu shot? And that doesn't even begin to cover the economic benefit compelled vaccination would provide in fewer lost sick days and lower health care costs.

So what do you think, make it a felony to not get a flu shot?

(yes this is meant to be satirical, but I hope it makes you think too. There are many lives that we could save if only we were willing to compel action of our citizen through threat of imprisonment. But will still value our freedom to choose for ourselves our fate..well for now....)

[La literatura]

There is an important difference, though. If a person does not get a flu shot, they are harmed. But they had a choice in the matter. If a deranged person gets an assault rifle, goes to a school, and shoots 10 kids, the person not harmed made a choice for someone who was harmed.

[CrazyPhuD]

Originally Posted by Literature

There is an important difference, though. If a person does not get a flu shot, they are harmed. But they had a choice in the matter. If a deranged person gets an assault rifle, goes to a school, and shoots 10 kids, the person not harmed made a choice for someone who was harmed.

So yes and no. There's also the issue of Herd Immunity. If I get the flu and then give it to someone else, have I not hurt them too? The advantage of immunization in general is that if enough people get them it stops the viruses from even getting close to those that might be immunocompromised..

While it is someone's individual choice, it has group consequences. It's like the articles they were running a few years ago about minor epidemics of kids getting sick from diseases that were supposed to be wiped out in the US. The problem was they happened in communities where parents had been more likely to not get the kid immunized due to fears of vaccines causing autism, resulting a disease that might have stopped after 1-2 infections, finding hosts in 10s to 100s of kids who weren't vaccinated.

Even being vaccinated doesn't prevent you from getting sick, but if enough people are vaccinated around you that it doesn't spread when someone gets sick, it's not likely you'll even get exposed. What may be a minor sickness for some will be a deadly one for others.

Like I said this isn't meant to be really serious but I hope makes people think a little about what is important.

[A Salt Weapon]

You guys don't remember the flu shot killing all the kids last year? If memory serves me correct, more people died from the vaccine than the flu itself.
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[CrazyPhuD]

Originally Posted by A Salt Weapon

You guys don't remember the flu shot killing all the kids last year? If memory serves me correct, more people died from the vaccine than the flu itself.
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Hush now! We don't want to talk about all the potential harm our solution might cause, just all the children it'll save by banning the flu!