To Vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

The winter months are difficult. It’s cold, it rains, you barely see daylight during the working week, and then as if that weren’t enough, there’s the flu. Miserable, aching, snivelling flu. Having been a recent  victim of this debilitating illness I took myself off to my GP surgery yesterday to get the flu jab. I had been sceptical about getting it, despite the governments latest campaign to increase the number of vaccinations nationwide, and I know I am not the only one. But why is this? Our GPs are all advocates of this jab, it’s available over the counter in Boots, it’s undergone rigorous testing and yet thousands still remain unconvinced. Is it a national fear of needles? The mentality that says “it won’t happen to me”? Maybe people just dislike putting drugs in their bodies? Or is it that people are concerned about untold side effects? It’s probably a combination of all of these, but the latter is certainly a reason that is fast becoming the popular view on more than just flu vaccines.

So why do we vaccinate? If there are so many health risks that are supposedly associated with it, surely its best not to? Vaccinations are based on the idea that by exposing the body to a tiny amount of the infecting virus, it produces antibodies specific to each virus. So in the eventuality that the immunised person comes into contact with the bug, they already have the antibodies there to fight it off . Sounds fairly simple right? In most cases there are no side effects what so ever, in some rare instances the site around the injection might become itchy and red, even more seldom you might contract a slight fever. Whilst there are claims that vaccinations have caused severe problems (this is certainly mirrored in the reduction in the number of people taking the vaccines) it is difficult to say with conviction that the vaccine is purely responsible for health problems that some claim to have occurred after the dose is given.

The controversy surrounding the MMR jab and autism is widely known and that the findings were based on manipulated and false results. The fact that the doctor Andrew Wakefield, who conducted these studies has now been struck off is testament to the falsified methods. His  work published in 1998 in the respected medical journal The Lancet,  raised concerns between the jab and the behavioural disorder, however after his unscrupulous methods were checked over, the article was declared fraudulent by the BMJ in 2011. Since the claims were made, thorough research has been carried out in both the USA and UK by many scientific bodies, all of which have shown that there has been no increase in the number of children with autism and the uptake of the MMR vaccine and that there is no link between the two.

The occurrence of bacterial meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae  has decreased by over 99% since the introduction of the vaccination in 1998, and as a result of the anti-polio vaccine, polio has almost been eradicated. However some claim that the reduction in cases is in fact due to the increase in sanitation, lack of overcrowding, better diet and improved hygiene standards. Whilst there is no doubt that less exposure to viruses and bacteria due to cleanliness will have noticeable effects in the incidence rate, these viruses are capable of evolving at rapid paces and hygiene alone cannot be responsible for these figures.

In some instances large groups of the population have refused to be vaccinated, however the results have been devastating. In Stockholm 1873- 74, an anti vaccination campaign motivated by religious objections with respect to the effectiveness and side effects of the smallpox vaccine, resulted in a dramatic decrease to 40 % in the number of people taking the vaccine as opposed to 90% across the rest of Sweden. This led to a smallpox epidemic during 1873. There have been similar outbreaks of easily avoidable diseases such as measles, pertussis, diphtheria and polio seen across the world where a big enough majority of people have refused vaccination leading to widespread epidemics. Only when people regained confidence in the vaccine and the number of people receiving it shot up again, did the epidemics come to an end.

Take the HPV vaccine. It hopes to minimise the risk of developing cervical cancer, a now prevalent and serious illness that is particularly affecting younger generations and currently the  cause of over 70% of cervical cancers! As teenagers seem to be sexually active from a much earlier age, the lack of protection and naive approach to sex is leading to the rapid spread of the virus. Surely a jab is a fantastic way to safe guard them from a potentially horrible fate if protection is not being used? The new jab launched in 2008 for kids from the age of 12-18, should prevent up to 400 deaths per year.

Once vaccinations became widely accepted, their significance and positive impact on society becomes the norm and their importance is almost ignored. That is until some rare side effect that has a chance of one in a billion occurs and there is a global outcry about the safety of vaccines, with people happy to forget the devastating effects of the diseases if left un-vaccinated. This mentality was seen after the profound statements linking  MMR and autism  and led to a sudden fall in the uptake of vaccinations and a resulting outbreak of measles and mumps, some cases leading to deaths or severe and permanent injuries. The trouble is that once the public loose faith in medicines due to one off pieces of controversial research resulting in adverse side effects, it is nearly impossible to regain their trust and confidence, despite the fact that numerous trials have since proved the primary evidence to be completely unfounded.

The vaccine industry has been accused of misrepresenting the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and preventing information that may shed a bad light on the vaccines from reaching the public. However it must also be remembered that many groups have profited from promoting the controversial effects of the vaccine.

It goes without saying that if the chance of exposure to the disease is non-existent then there is little point in getting the vaccination. When it comes to some fairly trivial illnesses, it is not essential to have the jab to protect against every germ known to man. In fact it is probably better to let your body do a bit of the hard work when it comes to coughs and colds, unless of course you have compromising underlying health issues. For instance it is strongly advised for asthma sufferers and those with respiratory problems to get the flu jab, since contracting the virus could lead to hospitalisation.

Whilst it is clear that there have been some cases of horrific side effects after vaccinations, it can be difficult to single out the vaccine as the sole cause of the illnesses. This is  due to the time it may take for the disease to manifest itself, during which exposure to other triggers might be the real reason. With all the controversy that is constantly put in the public domain it is sometimes difficult to remember the dire consequences of not having the vaccine. It is important to make a considered decision regarding vaccines and to make sure that you read both sides of the story and not just believe the propaganda from the media.

Having now had the flu jab and suffered only from a tender arm for a few hours, I have no qualms in my decision to get it. Of course everyone is different and the choice is yours.

Author: Steven Chasen

Here at Eco Hip we have a simple philosophyTo offer you the best natural products around, so that you can maintain a chemical-free home, body and spirit.For 15 years we have been striving to give people the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from this lifestyle, using our knowledge and experience to guide you through the process from start to finish. We believe that there is a complete synergy between what is best for you and what is best for the environment.Do you ever stop and think about what goes into the products that we use on a daily basis?Did you know that everyday products such as toiletries and cosmetics are filled with harmful petro-chemicals, parabens, GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), DEAs, MEAs, TEAs, artificial colours, fragrances and fillers. The list goes on…Why aren’t there stricter regulations concerning these products?Are the waste products of industry being dumped and sold in our personal care and cleaning products?Who is stopping this and telling it how it is?We feel that we have a responsibility to both our customers and to the world around us to ask ourselves these questions every day. That is why we only sell the most responsible and sustainable products.Responsibility to ourselves – All our products are free of toxic chemicals wherever possible and endorsed by Ecocert and the Soil Association.Responsibility to others – We promote Fairtrade produce to stop exploitation and benefit those communities.Responsibility to local communities – We use local suppliers and products wherever possible in order to support the local economy and reduce our carbon footprintResponsibility to the environment – All our products use minimal packaging and recyclable materials. Responsibility to the future – We use sustainable materials and ingredients wherever possible.Responsibility to animals – We do not use any products that have animal ingredients or are tested on animals. Our products are certified as cruelty-free and are endorsed by BUAV and PETA.There doesn’t have to be a trade off between affordability and healthy living either. The choices we make now will impact our future, and we want to ensure that the investments you make now will save you money in the long-term.Sustainability doesn’t just have to connote the environment, but your own household too.In the age of information overload that we live in, we know that shopping online can sometimes be overwhelming, so we carefully source our products, selecting only the highest quality ingredients and most innovative designs, so that you don’t have to.Ecohip is more than just another online shopping website. The Ecohip mindset is all about challenging conventional thinking and finding a new way of looking at the world, believing that smalls steps can gradually add up to make a big difference. View all posts by Steven Chasen