On Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:51:56 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Me, I have never gotten a flu shot, and don't plan to. I've
never gotten a pneumonia shot, and don't plan to.

With all due respect, sir, that makes you a freeloader. I'm sure
that's not your intent, but it's the result.

Vaccinations protect in two ways: by reducing the individual's risk of
contracting the disease, and by reducing the rate of spread.

For vaccinations like tetanus, where the source of the infection is
always the non-human environment, only the individual protection
matters. If you have health insurance, you still freeload when you
refuse the vaccine because others will share the cost of your
treatment should you contract tetanus. (In most cases only your family
will share the cost of your funeral.)

But for vaccinations against illnesses like flu, the population
protection (reducing rate of spread) is at least as important as the
individual protection. Reduce the spread rate below the tipping point,
and the epidemic retracts rather than spreading. That's why
vaccinating half or two-thirds of the population against flu reduces
the rate of death and hospitalization by far more than half or
two-thirds. Thus if you are in the non-vaccinated group, you are still
protected by those who accepted the vaccination.

Pneumonia is an intermediate case, since it's more endemic than
epidemic. The vaccine protects at both levels. It's important to
remember, too, that the so-called pneumonia vaccine is actually a
cocktail of vaccines against about 25 pathogens, many of which attack
much more than just the lungs, providing a lot of protection for one
shot.

One of my great-grandfathers died in the 1918 flu epidemic. My mom
died of pneumonia (Streptococcus pneumoniae specifically, which
attacks all the organs, not just the lungs). I would have died at age
18 or before if not for medical miracles. I intend to continue using
what the medical world offers to protect my quality of life. I intend
to continue doing it intelligently, not blindly -- blind acceptance is
not much better than blind rejection; both are silly.

I've heard from more than a couple people, that they got
sick with the flu immediately after a flu shot.

The human mind is capable of detecting many patterns, including many
which are difficult to detect statistically or otherwise. This is our
great strength and our great weakness. We can draw important
conclusions from thin threads -- but often our conclusions are wrong.

Edward