100 cases of smallpox out of how many people in how many years? Sure, vaccines don't work 100% of the time, but then neither do condoms...
As for flu, well, I'm not even quite convinced about that as a necessary vaccination; like was said, there are many strains and normally only one is vaccinated against. We're not really that concerned, as far as I can tell. I think that some of the vaccines are an over-reaction (like the US idea that a chickenpox vaccine was necessary! WTH?). A lot of medicine (and science and technology in general) is now based on 'let's try and eliminate anything remotely boring/tedious/unpleasant'.
There are more pressing concerns about medicine, I think, like the overuse of antibiotics causing an'arms-race' with superbugs (anyone got statistics on what kills more people: MMR vaccines or MRSA? That would be interesting to know...). And there are other, IMHO, more troubling issues that fall under the 'philsophically objectionable' heading, such as surgical 'corrections' on intersex children. And if you look at lots of psychology and theories of mind and all the rubbish theories about how best to teach your child this or that... I actually do think a lot of medicine and science is dangerous/questionable. I also think that the recommended 'every six months' visit to the dentist is a swindle, just like maybe you think the vaccine industry is a swindle, but probably most people don't hold those same opinions.
(Also, fyi, I wasn't simply stupid/ill-informed and didn't know about the exemption. I did see on the form—yes, I know, shocking, someone read some of the boring forms—that I could claim an exemption. I didn't feel like I had a philosophical objection, and I wasn't going to just claim I had one out of laziness about getting to the doctors. I think that most other people will have done the same thing, if they hadn't already received all of those vaccinations anyway.)
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Date: 2008-05-17 10:11 pm (UTC)As for flu, well, I'm not even quite convinced about that as a necessary vaccination; like was said, there are many strains and normally only one is vaccinated against. We're not really that concerned, as far as I can tell. I think that some of the vaccines are an over-reaction (like the US idea that a chickenpox vaccine was necessary! WTH?). A lot of medicine (and science and technology in general) is now based on 'let's try and eliminate anything remotely boring/tedious/unpleasant'.
There are more pressing concerns about medicine, I think, like the overuse of antibiotics causing an'arms-race' with superbugs (anyone got statistics on what kills more people: MMR vaccines or MRSA? That would be interesting to know...). And there are other, IMHO, more troubling issues that fall under the 'philsophically objectionable' heading, such as surgical 'corrections' on intersex children. And if you look at lots of psychology and theories of mind and all the rubbish theories about how best to teach your child this or that... I actually do think a lot of medicine and science is dangerous/questionable. I also think that the recommended 'every six months' visit to the dentist is a swindle, just like maybe you think the vaccine industry is a swindle, but probably most people don't hold those same opinions.
(Also, fyi, I wasn't simply stupid/ill-informed and didn't know about the exemption. I did see on the form—yes, I know, shocking, someone read some of the boring forms—that I could claim an exemption. I didn't feel like I had a philosophical objection, and I wasn't going to just claim I had one out of laziness about getting to the doctors. I think that most other people will have done the same thing, if they hadn't already received all of those vaccinations anyway.)