What can I do locally if I am against the mandatory flu vaccine?

elkpark · Feb 15, 2013

It is news to me that President Obama is mandating the flu shot for anybody -- documentation, please??

(I'm aware that plenty of employers are mandating it, but not the federal government, let alone the President himself ...)

lolakbolak · Feb 16, 2013

It is in fact the law in 16 states thus far that has been passed this year. They are further working on legislature to ban religious expemption and make it mandatory in children starting at 6 months of age in preschool forward

andrearose · Feb 16, 2013

Federal and state governments are different. I am pretty sure the president has no control over which laws states pass, unless they conflict with federal laws.

Editorial Team / Admin · Feb 16, 2013

It is in fact the law in 16 states thus far that has been passed this year. They are further working on legislature to ban religious expemption and make it mandatory in children starting at 6 months of age in preschool forward

Source, please? Also not sure how Obama gets sucked into a thread about flu vaccines, as there is not federal requirement, much less a presidential executive order.

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Feb 16, 2013

You asked several questions and made several statements in the OP. I am not quite sure what direction you are trying to take the discussion in, so I'll respond broadly.

If I was (sic) a drug company giant and stood to make billions of dollars by pushing a vaccine or drug, I might just interfere in policy and advertising to increase my profit. Well, I'd like to think I would not. I would certainly "push" my product in the interest of global health.

If you have a patient who is struggling to recover after GBS and it doesn't bother you a bit, then I am at a loss for words. I have hadone or two patients with GBS over the years. All patient suffering bother would bother me if I let it, so I don't let. I don't internalize my patients' experiences. It's a protective mechanism. Regardless of my observation of GBS, I am still very pro immunization, as I have had far more patients protected than harmed. The statistical occurrence of GBS is not significant and certainly not significant enough to change the course of public health directives. Vaccinations save millions of lives. There is simply no way of getting around that fact.

Does anybody know exactly what the flu vaccine contains? Yes, many people do. What an odd question. Are you asking me if I do? No, not off the top of my head I don't. I could drive up to my office and get the package insert if I cared enough for the purposes of this conversation. As it is, I do not care that much so I'm not going anywhere, sorry. Google.

How confident are you in these drug trials where billions of dollars at at stake? I'm confident in that the outcomes are reliable for making public health decisions, if that is what you are asking.

I still believe in personal choice regardless of what president Obama mandates me to do. This is very complex. Well, the first half. The second half is based on some misunderstanding on your part, since neither President Obama nor any branch of the federal government has mandated you to have any vaccines at all, lol. The first half of that sentence is worth debating. Are you a student of solipsism or existentialism, perhaps? Or a John Galt devotee? I will sum up my position to say that I believe your personal choice ends where it threatens public health. Bentham said "It is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong." Ironically, Bentham was a utilitarian philosopher who would be considered extremely conservive and be very comfortable among the Tea Party these days. But Bentham would, hypothetically, hold you down and inject you with every manner of vaccination for the public good.

What can I do locally? Well, while we seem to come down on opposite sire of the vaccine issue, I do agree that you need to become involved rather than just complain. As has been pointed out to you above, the laws affecting you are drafted in your state legislature. I urge to to write to your local and state representatives and let them know how you feel about this issue. Attend hearings on the matter. Subscribe to your state Dept of Health disease statistics, M&M data figures and be aware of trends across your state.

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psu_213, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2013

How confident are you in these drug trials where billions of dollars at at stake?

I am a lot more confident in the trials (and their results) than I am in a conspiracy theory about how Obama is trying to force (???) people to get the flu shot.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Feb 16, 2013

Personal choice is personal choice, and unlikely to be changed or swayed. Until, like me, one gets the flu. And numerous complications from the flu. And feeling like my end had come for a few WEEKS. Yuppers, from this point on, I made a concious decision that if I am exposed to people with the flu in nursing, then I need to protect myself. I have had every good intention "I don't want to mess with my immune system" "the flu shot could make me ill" "It is not natural" "It is the government telling me what I need to do with my body". And as I was hacking up half a lung, could hardly get out of the bed, and had a temperature of 101, that is what swayed me into the way of thinking that perhaps this flu shot idea was not half bad. On the flip side of things, to see an infant intubated because they acquired the flu from someone who did not get vaccinated, changes one's perpective a great deal as well. Kids and elderly people die from this stuff. Crusty old bats like me are reduced to tears for the anguish of it all--especially when one is half crazy with a high fever. It sucks, wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. And governmental conspiricy theories--they could use the strains of the flu for population control--as I thought I was a dead woman. For real.

Altra, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2013

One state health department has attempted to mandate the flu vaccine for healthcare workers. The mandate is being contested in court.

RI.gov: HEALTH Adopts Regulations to Require Flu Shots for Healthcare Workers in Rhode Island

First state flu shot mandate at center of legal battle - amednews.com

If you are in that state, OP, you can get in contact with your local elected representatives and voice your concerns.

Joint Commission requires influenza vaccine programs to be a part of accredited hospitals' infection control programs. JC holds public hearings, or you can interact with them directly - contact info throughout their website.

CMS requires healthcare facilities to report the rate of vaccine coverage of employees beginning this fiscal year that we're in right now. Failure to do so means a reduction in rate of CMS reimbursement for Medicare/Medicaid patients. Failure to achieve a 90% vaccination rate by 2020, consistent with the Healthy People 2020 national goals, may mean a further reduction in reimbursement. If you are unhappy with CMS mandates, you can contact your congressperson or senator.

If it is simply your employer requiring flu vaccination as a condition of employment, then you'll want to research whether or not the issue of a private employer mandating vaccination has been tested in court, before you approach your employer.

lolakbolak · Feb 17, 2013

Sorry but you can't look up what the vaccine contains- the package insert doesn't list the preservatives and various chemicals that go into making it

redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN · Feb 17, 2013

Personal choice is personal choice, and unlikely to be changed or swayed. Until, like me, one gets the flu. And numerous complications from the flu. And feeling like my end had come for a few WEEKS. Yuppers, from this point on, I made a concious decision that if I am exposed to people with the flu in nursing, then I need to protect myself. I have had every good intention "I don't want to mess with my immune system" "the flu shot could make me ill" "It is not natural" "It is the government telling me what I need to do with my body". And as I was hacking up half a lung, could hardly get out of the bed, and had a temperature of 101, that is what swayed me into the way of thinking that perhaps this flu shot idea was not half bad. On the flip side of things, to see an infant intubated because they acquired the flu from someone who did not get vaccinated, changes one's perpective a great deal as well. Kids and elderly people die from this stuff. Crusty old bats like me are reduced to tears for the anguish of it all--especially when one is half crazy with a high fever. It sucks, wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. And governmental conspiricy theories--they could use the strains of the flu for population control--as I thought I was a dead woman. For real.

I don't think people understand how bad these conditions used to be without vaccines.

redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN · Feb 17, 2013

Sorry but you can't look up what the vaccine contains- the package insert doesn't list the preservatives and various chemicals that go into making it

https://www.vaccineshoppe.com/image.cfm?doc_id=12651&image_type=product_pdf

What are the ingredients in Fluzone vaccine?

Fluzone vaccine contains 3 killed flu virus strains.

Inactive ingredients include formaldehyde, octylphenol ethoxylate, and gelatin. The preservative thimerosal is only in the 10 dose

(multi-dose) vial of Fluzone vaccine.

List of vaccine package inserts: Institute for Vaccine Safety - Package Inserts

Oh, and make sure you look up all the other household products that we touch, wear, bathe with, ingest etc. that contain formaldehyde before you get all excited about that 1mL vaccine that has some formaldehyde in it. Also, hope you don't smoke.

Just make sure you're consistently screechy when getting all jacked up about dangerous chemicals.