Hey guys! Have all of you received your flu vaccinations yet? If not, it is super important that you get it as soon as possible! Not only are we currently in a global pandemic with the novel coronavirus, but we have also entered the Flu season. And as the meme states above, it is a preventable disease. With all skepticism aside in regards to vaccination myths, thousands of innocent lives can be saved just by having a 3 second shot administered to you. Something to also keep in mind in regards to the Flu is that many of the common symptoms overlaps with those of the novel coronavirus. Those symptoms may include a cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, headaches, body aches, chills and fevers. By getting your flu shot, you are essentially preventing a virus that can mimic many of the same symptoms as COVID-19. Although it doesn’t eliminate the possibility of contracting the novel coronavirus, it can definitely eliminate the stress, anxiety and confusion when taking on symptoms related to the seasonal flu. You can literally save a life! Still not convinced vaccines are totally on your side and working in your favor? Do you still believe that the government is conspiring a new world order in the form of a 0.5 mL dose of partial, inactive form of a virus? How will getting a vaccine help others around you? Let me spit some science.
First of all, vaccines do not contain live viruses at all. This is 100% false. Vaccines contain parts of an inactive virus. These are also known as antigens and when they enter the blood stream, your immune system signals specific cells to present these foreign invaders to be phagocytized, where an immune cell known as a plasma B cell allows for attachment of antibodies on the surface of these antigens. Killer T cells look for these markers on the antigen and will kill cells infected by these antigens. Another cell called, Memory B Cells play a vital role in detecting future viral infections. You can think of this vaccination process as a priming phase for the actual Flu. Though the Flu vaccine doesn’t totally prevent you from getting the Flu, it helps your body prepare for a similar viral infection by priming your immune system.
I am sure you have also heard of herd immunity as well. Herd immunity essentially is the process by which a high number of the general population are immune to contracting an infection through vaccination or previous infections. Ideally we’d like the 85-90% of the general population to either have been vaccinated and/or have recovered from a previous infection. With this percentage range of heard immunity, the likelihood of infection of someone who is not immune is fairly low. Any percentage lower than the range mentioned above can result in higher infection rate and increased casualties.
Let’s also discuss some of the popular myths associated with getting a vaccine. Many people believe that vaccines often times cause the illness we are trying to prevent and this is false. These vaccines can illicit a minor to mild immune response along with a sore arm, but the chances of getting ill from a vaccine are very slim and can be attributed to other factors. Another outlandish belief is that since vaccines exist, these viruses and diseases have been totally eradicated. This again is totally false. It is important to get your region’s most up-to-date vaccines as viruses often adapt and evolve in to new strains, and can wreak havoc if vaccines were not annually produced.
Hopefully I have convinced you to get vaccinated. Let go and let Science!
