Spurred by another thread in Families...
It seems to me that our society places way too much emphasis on immunizations as a means of disease control, to the point of ignoring other things that work very well, such as hand washing, and staying home when sick [Don't spread it, rest and get well].
One of several reasons, I retired from classroom teaching last year was because the district decided the way to deal with not having enough substitute teachers in January and February* every year was to require every classroom teacher to line up for flu shots (this year). I was determined Not to do it. The one time I got a flu shot I had a terrible allergic reaction that lasted about 2 weeks. Then, to add insult to injury, I got the flu, for the first time in several years AND I was the sickest I have ever been in my life!
Three years ago I taught in a school where the secretary was adamant that no child was coming in sick. And the entire staff helped, if a child began showing any symptoms, they were sent home. AND we all enforced hand washing- first thing in the morning, after recess, before lunch, after lunch. Yes, took a few minutes for 32 kids to wash their hands in the classroom- but NOBODY got sick, we did not have a "flu season" in our school of 1176 kids.
When our union reps brought forth our statistics, as the district was taking the mandatory teacher vaccination initiative to the school board, the reps were told not to speak! The district said, "That is a simplistic solution to a complex problem."
Whatever. It worked and was replicated in that school the following year.
But now the teachers are vaccinated against flu yearly if they want to keep their jobs.
But, and here is my point again- vaccination is only part of the solution, not The Solution.
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* Part of the "complex problem" was that they routinely used substitutes in the high schools until Jan. when they officially hired them, effectively taking them out of the Sub Pool. The statistics game- showed a lack of subs on paper, when really, they hired them to avoid being out of compliance with the state after 80 school days. Saved a lot of money, subs get paid $100/day = $18,000 a year if they work every single day; no benefits, not eligible to join the union, so no representation, can simply tell them not to come back the next day for any or no reason.