Vaccine Pressures

H1N1 (swine flu) has recently received much attention from the American public. It seemed like an unstoppable menace. At first, vaccines or drugs to combat the virus were nonexistent. Now government health officials claim that another outbreak of the swine flu is on its way. Unlike the first outbreak, a vaccine is available to help stop the virus from spreading, and been administered to public and health officials. Vaccination efforts are putting more pressure on doctors and nurses. Even with the threat of a second outbreak of the swine flu, people in power should not pressure doctors and nurses into taking the H1N1 vaccine.

Some officials, like Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, claim the pressure for doctors and nurses to become vaccinated does not exist. According to Sebelius, “There continues to be information circulating that somehow this vaccination campaign is mandatory. It is not. It is voluntary” (Stein). Although this statement may be true for some hospitals and states, it is certainly not true for others. New York requires all of its health care workers to receive the H1N1 vaccine (Stein). In addition, MedStar, a non-profit health-care system, is mandating that all of its 25,000 employees be vaccinated (Stein). The fact that MedStar and New York are forcing these workers to take the swine flu vaccine clearly shows the vaccination program is not voluntary. If these intuitions continue to force their doctors and nurses to become vaccinated while hiding behind the excuse of putting patient’s health first, then other states and medical establishments will be tempted to do the same.

It would seem that Medstar and New York’s mandatory programs would protect patient health. However, the first reason I believe that nurses and doctors should not have to be vaccinated is because the vaccine was manufactured too fast for a full understanding of the side effects. Many nurses feel that the vaccine has not met regular safety standards. Tara Accavallo, a registered nurse at Stony Brook’s neonatal intensive care unit, says, “This vaccine has not been clinically tested to the same degree as the regular flu vaccine”(“First they”). My aunt Dawn Howard, a nurse at Kensington Nursing and Rehab, says, “The vaccine has not been out that long and I do not know what the side effects are.” She is also concerned about the shot’s potential effect on her unborn child. Certain batches in production have been found to contain mercury (“First they”). This deadly toxin can cause serious nerve damage (“First they”). Moreover, the swine flu shots contain immune adjuvant, a chemical associated with disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus (Baylock). In addition, neurologists, in the UK, received letters from government officials warning that the swine flu vaccine, in some tests, caused Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a potentially lethal brain disorder (“First they”).

From these hazardous chemical ingredients and risk of brain disorders, it is easy to see why some doctors and nurses are uneasy about the vaccination. These health care providers are in a better position to understand the dangerous implications of these chemical additives than the people who force them to take the vaccine. I understand the vaccination is an attempt to put the patient’s health first, but I do not believe that the health of those who care for the public should be last.

Aside from the unpredictable side effects, the second reason I believe that doctors and nurses should not have mandatory vaccinations for the swine flu is that there are other methods of controlling the spread of the swine flu. Workers could wear medical safety masks when dealing with patients infected with H1N1 or working in an infected area (Stein). Safety masks decrease the chances of the virus entering the airways of the wearer. In addition, clean hygiene is an effective method of stopping infection. Washing one’s hands before and after dealing with sick patients particularly reduces the chance of spreading any disease. These practices, applied to the medical environment, would be enough to eliminate the need for doctors to be vaccinated. The high pressure placed on doctors due the swine flu vaccine is “really sucking the air out of the room to deal with infection control in a more comprehensive manner” (Stein). Instead of a potentially harmful vaccine, these less threatening methods should be the first line of defense for our doctors and nurses.

While the public has been warned of a second outbreak of swine flu, our doctors and nurses should not be forced to take the H1N1 vaccine. The vaccine contains dangerous chemicals linked to several depilating disorders. Other methods of preventing the spread of swine flu such as facemasks and good hygiene are preferable to the vaccine. Nurses and doctors should have control over whether they get the vaccine for the swine flu rather than be pressured by their employers or state governments.



By Jarad Williams




Works Cited

Baylock, Dr. Russell. “Vaccine more dangerous than H1N1 flu.” The Bovine. Wordpress.com, 29 October 2009. Web. 1 November 2009.

“First they came for doctors and nurses.” The Bovine. Wordpress.com, 25 September 2009. Web. 29 October 2009.

Stein, Rob. “Many Health-Care Workers Required to Get Vaccines.” Washingtionpost.com. Washington Post, 26 September 2009. Web. 29 October 2009.