Vaccines - Harmful or Helpful?
Happy Halloween, readers! What are you doing to celebrate this exciting annual event? Around here, our family doesn't actually do much Halloween celebrating, but I did decide to mark the occasion today by getting a flu shot! I know, I know. Really living it up here with a great party idea.
But seriously, let's talk for a minute about flu shots. Flu shots, like other vaccines, are designed to prevent serious illness by tricking your body into thinking it is fighting the infection when it really isn't, so that it develops all necessary antibodies against the disease. Then, if you are actually exposed to the disease, you already have the fighting mechanisms in place to effectively combat the disease and prevent you from getting sick.
Years ago, people died from all kinds of illnesses that we don't hear about much anymore, including polio, measles, mumps, and rubella, and yes, the flu as well. Scientists and physicians have now made many childhood vaccines routine, so that illnesses that used to kill children are now very uncommon.
They do still exist, though, and in fact have seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years due to the increased numbers of anti-vaxxers who have decided that vaccines are not good for their children. Let's be abundantly clear on this blog: Vaccines are important, necessary, and prevent serious (including life-threatening) illnesses. They are not 100% effective 100% of the time, but they are infinitely more effective than not getting vaccinated at all.
Vaccines do not, and never have caused autism. There is an increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in recent years, and researchers are trying to figure out why that is, but vaccines have been unequivocally disproven as the cause of that.
So....what are you waiting for? The flu can kill people. There is a shot that will provide serious protection without serious side effects. Go get your flu shots today!
