Vaccines — Some things to consider before getting into a debate

(Disclaimer: This is purely opinion; I am not a health care practitioner; and I did not adequately research this topic before writing this)

I’m neither pro / nor anti vaccines, although I do believe that people should have the right to chose if properly educated. Here are a few things that everyone should consider related to the vaccine debate:

Flue Shots vs Other Vaccines

The two should be separate discussions, as there are differences in their philosophy: The flue shot is trying to guess and immunize against future viruses based on past or current viruses. It is somewhat broad and imprecise. On the other side, virus specific vaccines are very precise in their target: they try to immunize against a very specific known virus.

Vaccine Delivery vs Vaccine Theory

Most of the negative side effects of vaccines seem related/blamed on the delivery mechanism. So any discussion needs to be focused on “Do you have problems with all the junk in the vaccine fluid” or “Do you not believe in the fundamental theory of vaccines” (that exposing your body to a small amount of poison will make your body overcompensate and immunize itself to that poison)

What can kill you vs what cannot

Another big difference when considering vaccines is if you are being vaccinated against something that can kill you, vs something that will just make you temporarily sick. (So even if you believe that the vaccine delivery makes you sick, it may still be worth getting sick now to reduce the risk of death later. Or it may not be worth it, but that’s usually an individual calculation)

My personal opinion…

Here is how *I* approach Vaccines. Again, you need to decide on your own what is best for you and your current condition. I am not a doctor, nor do I have any expertise or experience with vaccines. This is just my personal opinion:

• Avoid flu shots
• Avoid vaccines where the underlying virus, if caught, has a relatively small chance of killing you.
• Only take vaccines where the underlying virus, if caught, has a large chance of killing you.