Image by ghinson via Flickr
Here is an issue that just personally pisses me off so I
have to speak.
I have been in the healthcare business for most of my life
either working in a hospital, an ER, a clinical laboratory, as a field medic
and now for over 30 years, in the medical industry as a manufacturer of medical
devices.
When I read a headline that says “Workers’ choice: Flu shots
or ax…Hospitals act to protect patients, but some employees balk” just makes my
blood boil.
My mother, who is near 90, refuses to get a flu shot (even though
at her age it could be a life saver) because 20 years ago she got a serious
bout of the flu right after getting a flu shot. She obviously thought that the
flu shot caused her to get the flu even though I said that was impossible since
the virus in the vaccine is inactivated (dead) BUT since it takes a couple of
weeks for the vaccine to take effect, you can get the flu in that period of
time. Cannot convince her and so the flu may be the death of her BUT that is
her superstitious bullshit and she will stick to it.
BUT health workers, educated and degreed, to believe that a
flu vaccine is dangerous to them somehow? – That is just plain stupid and dangerous.
In the past, since vaccines were produced in eggs, if you
had a severe allergy to eggs, you could not get the vaccine but people with egg
allergies are rare. Today, vaccines are produced in mammalian cells which
enable the vaccine to be produced much faster and stored frozen for a long
time.
There are over 24,000 deaths in the U.S.
In the past, some health centers demanded a flu shot or the
wearing of a mask well that made no medical sense whatsoever. I saw nurses with
masks half off scratching their noses while touching patients.
I cannot believe the amount of organizations that have been
established to fight the flu shot mandate saying it should be a choice and not
a mandate where you lose your job if you don’t comply. Hell, if I was a patient
I would demand that the hospital I am going to have a strict flu shot
mandate…it is the patient’s health in question and not your superstitious
ignorance.
I can’t believe that some health professionals are claiming
a flu shot violates their religious beliefs. I remember only one religion
(Christian Scientists I think) where they would not accept medical intervention
especially getting blood transfusions. I remember loosing some patients to that
belief but what the hell; its their lives. I just didn’t like when they forced
their children to die for their beliefs but I think a new law was passed
banning that practice.
Some of these groups are going to their legislators to
demand laws that would prohibit health workers from having to get flu shots as
part of their employment.
That is totally absurd and any politician that succumbs to
their bullshit will definitely lose my vote and maybe if patients start
demanding that the nurses caring for them have been vaccinated, maybe hospitals
will get some balls and start firing these yahoos.
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