In order for acceptable effectiveness you don't need 99/100% of the population to get inoculated, but it wouldn't hurt. it's a lot less. Depending on population dynamics, it can be 40-50%. I believe we exceeded that rate in our last vaccination campaign against the swine or avian flu.
Flu Vaccine Time
- Thread starter Petzel
- Start date
Can't remember the last time i paid for a standard flu vaccination. considering all the other vaccines and boosters i've had for various reasons and never had even an itch, I have other more important things to worry about.
Okay, but the crux of my post is that it is in any given individual's self-interest to be a vaccine free rider. Do you agree with this assertion?
Your logic is only correct if you can determine that the individual in question is the unique one who will actually pay some cost that outweighs the benefit. Your logic is also only correct if you can get the overwhelming majority of the population vaccinated. Your logic is also only correct if the people who are vaccinated can no longer be carriers in any way.
In the real world, your logic fails.
Since you can't control who actually is getting vaccinated, the virility of the strain being protectected against and the geographical pockets of worst exposure this point is somewhat moot is it not. In other words you haven't got the foggiest idea on what the actual probabilities are for any particular desease or strain of a desease. One is only fooling oneself claiming cleverer thought process for letting those that may not think it through get the vaccination while one sits back and does nothing.
Many people did die of polio and smallpox, some died of swine flu. Regular flu ? you are probably right at your age, but you do realize that you don't actually build up long lasting immunities to flu don't you? The flu bug mutates just a little bit every year.
I am glad you are making that choice and it is working out for you.
However, on any rational basis, avoiding vaccines is a bad bet. It is a bet you can choose to make, but rationally the odds are against you.
It appears that you are wrong on both axis of your analysis. Both the average lifespan is going up, and the maximum recorded age is going up:
And since vaccines only became widespread in the 60's or later, the people who took them have not hit 100 yet, so the data does not exist to support your argument. ie you are making this up.
I guess you are not happy that vaccinations in some cases have the ability to entirely eliminate illnesses.
And you are correct that pharmaceuticals companies are worth billions. Do you know why they got that way? Because most of their stuff works.
There are car companies worth billions too, and they got that way because their cars move...
Easy, you basically made the same mistake. Antibiotics help fight 'bacterial' infections. Anti viral drugs help fight 'viral' infections.
Outcome
The point is though,...the system either was not aware of this, or, simply screw up.
FAST
Looks like I used the incorrect term regarding antibiotics, never professed to being a know it all,...bacteria, not viruses mutated/became resistant when the full coarse of antibiotics was not taken.
The point is though,...the system either was not aware of this, or, simply screw up.
FAST
The system has always been aware of this, and the standard written instructions in Canada for taking anti-biotics has been to take the entire course.
Is it possible some doctors did not give those verbal instructions to every patient every time? Sure.
Is there any evidence around that the evolution of bacteria and viruses is because of some sort of mass failing in doctor's verbal instructions? Not that I have read.
And not to be a nit-picker but I do not understand that antibiotics cause bacteria to mutate. They can cause the evolution of bacteria through natural selection, but they do not cause mutations per se. I do recall reading that some viruses do mutate fairly quickly because of the nature of their genetic material, but said mutations are not caused by drugs.
Well then consider yourself very lucky that you don't have any of your friend's health probs, cuz they sure wouldn't be cured by just eating healthy!
One problem here is that there a great number of flu viruses, not just one, and the flu shot available is not effective on all of them.
In effect, all they can do is guess as to which has the greatest chance of affecting us and then hope they guessed right.
Depends on which definition of the word "guess" you are using.
If you mean postulate based on insufficient information, than you are wrong.
If you mean to estimate or postulate correctly you are right.
