We were discussing the Disneryland measles outbreak at work, and I was appalled to find some of my co-workers refuse to vaccinate their kids. They (grudgingly) receive the vaccines they need to remain employed, but doubt their safety/necessity for their kids.
I must say, I am absolutley stunned. How can one be a nurse and deny science?
As a nurse, you should darn well know what the scientific method entails and what phrases such as "evidence based" and "peer reviewed" mean.
I have to say, I have lost most of my respect for the nurses and mistrust their judgement; after all, if they deny science, on what premise are they basing their practices?
Regarding the first bolded comment: I hope you're not suggesting that the flu shot gave you the flu a month later, right? Whether or not you have ever had a flu shot or ever had the flu of course has no bearing on whether you CAN get the flu, and that it doesn't appear as a direct result of having received the vaccination, so not sure I'm following you on this.
Regarding the second bolding: I believe it wasn't that they predicted the wrong strain (I think? Someone will correct me if I'm wrong!) but I THINK it's because the strain mutated much more quickly than usual and the vaccine 'missed the mark' because of the mutation of the virus, not because it was the 'wrong' virus. And the other two/three strains that are in the vaccination ARE on target, so....while it's only 23% effective against Influenza A, it's still 23% MORE effective than if no shot had been given at all.
And no I didn't say I thought the vaccine gave it to me. I was stating that I found it odd that I had never had the flu before and the first year I am actually vaccinated I still had it.
And this wasn't the first year I had worked in healthcare. I have been a tech since 2012. I got the flu shot the first year I became a nurse (2014). So my environment didn't change either. It was the same hospital and same unit I had been working for a while.
I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.
Why do you believe this to be true? Based on what evidence are you saying that giving vaccinations according to the currently-approved schedule is "dangerous"? How so? If a parent vaccinates at a slower rate than currently suggested, all they are actually doing is leaving their child exposed to these diseases for longer periods of time, not protecting them from whatever harm they mistakenly believe the vaccinations can do, so....where is the evidence to suggest 'waiting' is a good thing?
If a child contracts measles before being immunized simply because the parent had the 'right' to choose to delay it longer than it should have been, thereby leaving the child at risk when he didn't need to be....how can we as healthcare professionals advocate this as reasonable?
Excuse me. I forgot to include I thought that preemies or already sickly children should be considered for an alternative vaccination schedule. My children will be vaccinated on the traditional course. I meant that parents of sickly/preemie babies should have the option to choose and alternative schedule. My fingers don't move as fast as my brain and I thought I had included that in my post. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.
I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.
Immunogenicity, Safety and Tolerability of Vaccinations in Premature Infants
"Abstract
Infections are more common and generally more severe in neonates and young children than in older children and adults, mainly because immune defenses are functionally impaired in early life. The seriousness of the infectious problems of premature infants (PIs) is proportional to how premature they are, but irrespective of this, they are more serious than those of full-term infants because their immune system is compromised to a greater extent. This review analyzes our knowledge of the characteristics of the developing immune system, the impact of possible impairments on immunization, the real response of PIs to vaccines and the safety and tolerability of different vaccines. Overall, the data indicate that PIs should follow the same vaccination schedule as that generally used for full-term infants, without correcting for prematurity and regardless of birthweight. However, there is an urgent need for further studies concerning the use of recently marketed vaccines and those that will be marketed in the near future."
Immunogenicity, Safety and Tolerability of Vaccinations in Premature Infants
"Abstract
Infections are more common and generally more severe in neonates and young children than in older children and adults, mainly because immune defenses are functionally impaired in early life. The seriousness of the infectious problems of premature infants (PIs) is proportional to how premature they are, but irrespective of this, they are more serious than those of full-term infants because their immune system is compromised to a greater extent. This review analyzes our knowledge of the characteristics of the developing immune system, the impact of possible impairments on immunization, the real response of PIs to vaccines and the safety and tolerability of different vaccines. Overall, the data indicate that PIs should follow the same vaccination schedule as that generally used for full-term infants, without correcting for prematurity and regardless of birthweight. However, there is an urgent need for further studies concerning the use of recently marketed vaccines and those that will be marketed in the near future."
BecomingNursey
334 Posts
Yes. You are correct. It was a mutated strain as said here CDC: Flu shot less effective this year because current virus has mutated - CNN.com
And no I didn't say I thought the vaccine gave it to me. I was stating that I found it odd that I had never had the flu before and the first year I am actually vaccinated I still had it.
And this wasn't the first year I had worked in healthcare. I have been a tech since 2012. I got the flu shot the first year I became a nurse (2014). So my environment didn't change either. It was the same hospital and same unit I had been working for a while.
I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.
Author: Art Williams