Influenza A Preventable Problem
A shot in the arm can save your life, save you money, and may even save the lives of those around you. Universal influenza vaccination has this potential for benefit. The general feeling within our society is that healthy people between the approximate ages of 5-50 years old, the "low-risk" group, should not be vaccinated against influenza. However, influenza is capable of killing any one of us.
Vaccination is a safe, effective, and natural defence against influenza because it makes use of the natural processes of the body's immune system. The basis behind vaccinations is the production of "memory cells". An immune response is triggered when a foreign substance (antigen) is presented to a particular immune response cell (lymphocyte) that recognizes the antigen. The lymphocyte then begins production of antibodies to fight off the foreign invader.
However, there is a period of about five days between when the antigen enters the body to when the antibody production begins. This lag time is because the antigen must contact one specific cell in a million cells that will recognize and bind it. In the case of some antigens, the specific immune response cell will divide after binding the antigen, and produce "memory cells", or clones of itself. These memory cells improve the chance of cell-antigen interaction to one in one thousand cells.
Vaccinations work on this basis. A vaccination is the initial presentation of an antigen. The body produces memory cells against the virus vaccinated for and, if the live virus is later contracted, the lag time for the production of antibodies is reduced. By reducing the lag time the body overcomes the virus more quickly.
Generally, if a person contracts a virus once then the same virus will not affect them a second time. This is because they have been naturally vaccinated against the virus, their body has produced memory cells for that virus. In the case of a virus such as influenza, which is constantly changing form, if a person contracts and fights off a live virus (rather than being vaccinated), then they will have memory cells against only that single strain of influenza and could easily contract another strain. The flu vaccination, however, will cause production of memory cells against all strains of the flu predicted to be a problem each year.
Universal vaccination can save money by reducing the number of days of work missed due to illness and by reducing the amount of money put into healthcare for people infected by influenza. A study conducted between 1994 and 1995 by Nichol et al. considered the effectiveness of vaccinating healthy, working adults against influenza.
The result found that work absence from upper respiratory illness was reduced by 43 percent in vaccinated test subjects and absence due to general illness was reduced by 36 percent. Visits to physicians for respiratory tract illness were reduced by 44 percent in vaccinated test subjects. The cost savings per person vaccinated was found to be $46.85 (Nichol 891).
A fair argument against the influenza vaccination of people in the low-risk group is that there is not enough vaccine produced for universal vaccination. This is generally true and an issue that should be addressed. In the New England Journal of Medicine, Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H., infers "the current system of producing and distributing influenza vaccine is broken, both technically and financially" (1841). Currently influenza vaccines are produced in eggs and it is a limited and timely process. However, changes to this system must begin with the public. A greater demand for vaccinations from the public will cause governments to consider greater funding towards production of vaccinations.
The current concern over a potential influenza pandemic can be addressed through a better system of vaccine production. Osterholm suggests developing a "cell-culture-based vaccine" (1841), one that would recognize antigens analogous to all strains of influenza. Unfortunately, the public tends to only demand action against the flu when a serious event regarding it occurs, such as death amongst children.
The best way to approach influenza is through prevention, not treatment. As Osterholm says, "the fragile and limited production capacity of our 1950's egg-based technology for producing influenza vaccine and the lack of national commitment to universal annual influenza vaccination mean that influenza epidemics will continue to present a substantial public health challenge for the foreseeable future" (1839). The public must address these issues through increasing the demand for vaccinations.
Even scientists who are skeptical of the current concern over an H5N1 avian flu pandemic agree that the scare will hopefully improve the production and development of vaccines. Vaccination is a defence against the influenza virus that has proved safe and effective, and presents no opportunity for resistant virus strains to arise. There is no reason why everyone should not be vaccinated for influenza.
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Osterholm, Michael T. "Preparing for the Next Pandemic." New England Journal of Medicine 352 (2005): 1839-1842.
Patriarca, Peter A. and Raymond A. Strikas. "Influenza Vaccine for Healthy Adults?" New England Journal of Medicine 333 (1995): 933-934.
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