<p>For some years the HiB vaccine was not approved for children under the age of 15 months, and every pediatrician and family practice doctor will remember those little patients who died or who were severely damaged from the illness. It was a huge relief when the vaccine schedule was changed.</p>
<p>The oral polio vaccine contains live, attenuated poliovirus. In areas where polio has been successfully eradicated, such as North America and Europe, the Salk vaccine, which contains killed, inactivated virus, is used. The oral vaccine is used because it is the best way to treat large numbers in an unvaccinated population.</p>
<p>Re. the polio vaccine-
I have clear memories of the little plastic cup of clear liquid and having the concept of vaccines explained to me as a very young child. I think it made an impression on me because it seemed so important to my mother.</p>
<p>To all those who said my link didn’t support my post: It wasn’t supposed to. </p>
<p>I found it and posted it. Simple as that. Many posters in here are sharing how their state has had multiple outbreaks. I then wondered how my state was fairing since their wasn’t a big hoopla locally. Turns out Florida is “low”.</p>
<p>Additionally, it’s clear that an article claiming the flu vaccine doesn’t prevent the flu is unnecessary since many posters in here have demonstrated that getting the vaccine doesn’t prevent you from getting the flu.</p>
<p>My grandpa actually had polio when he was a child, so that is an issue that hits home with my family. He walks with a limp because of the complications.</p>
<p>I’ve now been exposed to the flu pretty much non-stop for a week between my fiance, a coworker, and my mom and so far I am still good. I did feel a little funny for a couple days in the beginning but I never really got sick. Partial immunity is better than no immunity. I am so relieved I didn’t get sick, I wouldn’t have been able to take care of my fiance and my asthma would have sent me straight to the hospital if I’d had what he had.</p>
<p>People around me are dropping like flies right now. Another coworker just left because her son is at daycare and has a fever, and I have several sick friends. The man my fiance was working with on Thursday (the day he got sick) wasn’t at work on Friday either and was still out sick on Monday-- he was diagnosed with influenza, too.</p>
<p>Sigh. It’s been discussed before, but when you take into account vaccination rates, virulence factors, infection rates and population statistics, you’ll often find that the absolute numbers of cases may be larger in vaccinated persons (in highly vaccinated popultations) than nonvaccinated persons, but that the rate of infection is larger in unvaccinated than in the vaccinated (ie, being vaccinated protected you). Which shows that vaccinations do in fact protect you from infection. Which is the point.</p>
<p>The flu vaccine protects from the flu. However, when people do get the flu after receiving the shot, the vaccine did not prevent the flu. Protect and prevent are to different words.</p>
<p>Niqu1177-
I think the point would be that if it prevented you from getting the flu you wouldn’t know it. It does not prevent the flu in all cases but it certainly does prevent it in many.</p>
<p>Maybe we’re getting into semantics. Not sure. It does prevent the flu in a given percentage of people. It just doesn’t prevent it in everyone who gets the vaccine. For some it prevents infection in the face of direct exposure; in others it does not result in the person developing immunity (for a variety of factors), and in others it results in a milder infection than had they not received it.</p>
<p>Speaking only for myself, this is how I’m using the word prevent:</p>
<p>pre·vent verb \pri-ˈvent : to stop (something) from happening or existing</p>
<p>: to make (someone or something) not do something : to stop (someone or something) from doing something</p>
<p>Full Definition of PREVENT</p>
<p>transitive verb
1
archaic
a : to be in readiness for (as an occasion)
b : to meet or satisfy in advance
c : to act ahead of
d : to go or arrive before
2
: to deprive of power or hope of acting or succeeding
3
: to keep from happening or existing <steps to=“” prevent=“” war=“”>
4
: to hold or keep back : hinder, stop —often used with from
intransitive verb
: to interpose an obstac</steps></p>
<p>FWIW, speaking for myself, I appreciate those of you offering info about flu and other vaccines. Vaccinating my own kids was never an issue (never even thought about not doing it and they stay up on them due to international travel and college, etc). </p>
<p>Getting the flu vaccine was never part of our protocol until they went to college as none of us has ever gotten the flu even with repeated exposure (public school virus exchanges!). This year we did get it back in Dec due to recommendations from some of you and our situation this year. I always figured it would be a one time deal.</p>
<p>But now… I think y’all have convinced me that it’s probably worth it annually, but probably still in Dec due to wondering about the immunity wearing off by getting it too early (I know that happens with many equine vaccines - reduced immunity after 3 or 4 months, so seeing it with this one isn’t too much of a surprise).</p>
<p>So your thoughts - and sharing experiences - aren’t totally in vain.</p>
<p>Of course, you might want to post a reminder of some sort next fall. ;)</p>
<p>I went out today and got the flu vaccine after reading this thread. Hope I didn’t get it too late to make a difference. So many of my coworkers and friends are sick right now and I’m really not wanting to get the flu (had it several years ago and was MISERABLE for a full week).</p>
<p>My D is required by her pulmonologist to get a flu shot every year because of her lung issues. And, she has to get the shot, not the mist. S, as a healthy teen, is given the choice between the shot and the mist. The pulmonologist says that August/early September is way too early, October is optimal and that any time is better than none.</p>
<p>My mother had polio as a kid, in her face. She was in a room in the hospital with another kid with a similar case. There was an iron lung between them, just in case one or the other ceased to be able to breathe. </p>
<p>Believe me, she is all for vaccinations.</p>
<p>Just the other day we were talking about this, because of the news about polio in India. She was reminiscing about childhood diseases then, and how the entire household would be put under quarantine. Someone from the Board of Health would come out and nail a quarantine sign on the front door.</p>
<p>You’re right, of course, but in today’s public health world, “prevent” usually means “reduce the risk of.” </p>
<p>Most of the “preventive” health things that people are asked to do are not 100% effective. These include things like exercise, not smoking, eating a good diet, taking medicine if you have high blood pressure, getting colonoscopies and other screening tests, and being vaccinated. All of these things reduce the risk of various bad health outcomes, but they don’t completely eliminate it.</p>
<p>I suspect that the term “preventive medicine” is used because “risk reduction medicine” sounds too awkward, and “protective medicine” might have other meanings that could cause confusion.</p>
<p>Seems to me we can talk about preventing pregnancy, and say birth control pills for example prevent pregnancy, even if they are not perfect. Some women who use birth controls and have sex won’t get pregnant, even though absent the pills the women would have gotten pregnant. And a few women will get pregnant despite the pill, for whatever reason. But it’s still prevention.</p>
<p>That’s how the situation is talked about on many birth control sites: birth control prevents pregnancy.</p>