You’re either with Finch, or you’re with the swine flu

Much to-do has been made of the recently introduced h1n1 vaccine, with self-appointed voices-of-reason squawking from both left and right about the dangers of immunization. Depending on who you listen to, you will have heard that this shot is either an Obama administration conspiracy to control your mind, or a big-pharma conspiracy to riddle your body with mercury, give you Guillane-Barre syndrome, and charge you for the service.

If you’ve spent any time reading the myriad blog postings on the topic, the odds are good that you’ve heard both of these gems. Indeed, there’s a good chance that you, whoever you are, agree with Bill Maher’s twitter-posted formulation of this complex issue: “If u get a swine flu shot ur an idiot.”

I am writing now to humbly present to you, dear reader, a third possibility. Yes, for just a few minutes, let us suspend our “ain’t-gonna-trust-no-Washington-DC-smooth-talkin’” sensibilities and consider the possibility that the vaccine functions as it’s supposed to, and that immunization saves lives.

First, let us be absolutely clear about the threat posed by the h1n1 influenza virus. This is not a “28 Days Later” apocalypse pandemic, but that does not mean that we can safely ignore it. The CDC estimates that from April through October 17—the first six months of the pandemic—22 million Americans have become ill from pandemic influenza, and between 63,000 and 153,000 have been hospitalized. Furthermore, according to CDC estimates released at the November 12 press briefing, roughly 3,900 people have died in the same period of time.

This figure is worthy of note considering the fact that the ordinary flu season hasn’t even started yet.

“In typical seasonal flu we see disease from December to May. It’s only November. Exactly what we will see as a full toll of illness from this pandemic is very difficult to say,”said Doctor Anne Schuchat, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, in the Nov. 12 press release.

At this point, the possible benefit of large-scale immunization should be clear: blunting the impact of a disease that has already claimed thousands of lives, and will almost certainly claim thousands more. The vaccine has been demonstrated to be highly effective against the h1n1 virus, so at this point the question is not whether lives will be saved, but how many?

“But what about the risks?” I hear a multitude of voices asking silently as I type this article. “What about mercury, and Guillain Barre syndrome?” “What about dystonia and autism?” “...and in 1976 more people died from the vaccine than the flu!”

Let us clear the air. Yes, there is a preservative that contains mercury, called thimerosal, in some of the doses of swine flu vaccine (the larger, multi-dose bottles will contain the chemical). No peer reviewed study has ever established a link between thimerosal and any negative health effects, but you can opt to receive a mercury-free dose if you are worried about it. Likewise, some doctors claim a link between autism and thimerosal in young children, but no studies have ever confirmed any such link.

Perhaps the least convincing evidence for the danger of vaccination is the case of Desiree Jennings, the young woman who reportedly developed dystonia from a flu shot.

First, this is the seasonal, not the h1n1 vaccine that we are talking about, and second, if Jennings got dystonia from a flu shot, she’s the first to do so. And when I say “first to do so,” keep in mind that about 100 million Americans get the seasonal flu shot every year. Neurologists familiar with the case say that Jennings almost certainly did not have a physiological condition, but some kind of psychogenic disorder (which are known to appear and disappear with startling rapidity). Jennings’ subsequent miraculous recovery seems to support this diagnosis, as physical, toxin-induced damage to the brain does not simply “get better.”

Last, but by no means least, let us consider Guillain Barre syndrome and the 1976 vaccination “fiasco.” Yes, about thirty people died from Guillain Barre after receiving the influenza vaccine. Roughly 500 total cases of GBS were reported after the vaccination of more than 40 million Americans. Roughly 500 cases were reported before the vaccination as well, but let us ignore this fact for a moment and focus on the more important issue. Even if a causal relationship were established (it hasn’t been), and even if this modern h1n1 vaccine is as dangerous as the 1976 version (it isn’t), there are still several thousand dead folks that ought to be remembered in our decision making.

At this point, it is prudent to remember that vaccination is about society, not the individual. I don’t care if you’re scared of what the shot might do to you. That’s not what this is about. What kind of wildly inflated sense of entitlement have we developed as a culture, that we can complain about the way in which we cure diseases?

Vaccines are for the protection of society, the benefit for the individual is tangential. A certain number of people have to chip in for the rest.

Today, I was immunized against h1n1. Nobody is going to get swine flu from me.

Get the shot. The life you save may not just be your own.