StaceyKnobler

Public health officials aren’t trying to scare people, but prepare and protect them from what is a deadly and disabling disease. Influenza is commonly written off as “just the flu” but it actually causes tens of thousands of hospitalizations and deaths every year, not to mention the economic impact and loss of productivity every year. In the US alone, Influenza annually causes employees to miss approximately 17 million workdays - that costs about $7 billion a year in sick days and lost productivity! The 2017-2018 seasonal epidemic resulted in more deaths in the US than those from opioids and road traffic injuries.

The “flu”, or seasonal influenza, is a real and present threat every year with the potential for an even deadlier worldwide pandemic from an emerging novel strain of the disease not covered by the vaccine. Up to 650,000 people die worldwide from seasonal influenza each year, and when the next global pandemic occurs, it is estimated that 33 million lives could be lost within the first 6 months alone.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Yes, understanding health behavior is key to overcoming vaccine hesitancy challenges and ensuring use of the vaccine when it would be available. Anthropology and social and behavioral health disciplines are becoming increasingly important in this environment. We do have a team member with great expertise in this area for our Vaccine Acceptance program and we’re working to integrate these skills to fight the influenza threat.

It is true that a flu vaccine may not prevent you from getting sick, but it will reduce your symptoms and reduce the risk of complications from the disease. It takes at least a week or more for protection from the vaccine to develop and it is not uncommon for people to be exposed before they get vaccinated. It’s also important to consider how eliminating or reducing your illness protects individuals in the community. This protection is critically important for individuals at higher risk from serious illness and to those who cannot receive the vaccine for medical reasons.

The annual strains that cause illness are frequently mutating, vaccinating against strains that are not currently circulating will not offer long-lasting immunity.

We need to recruit more parents, epidemiologists, doctors and vaccine research scientists for the job. I would recommend that you ensure that parents know you understand their concerns and fears, prior to supplying them with evidence-based research on the benefits of immunization. People need to hear directly from parents they trust and from health experts about why vaccines work, why it’s safe and why community immunity is important for those who are too young to get vaccinated (or can’t get them for a medical reason). There are so many great resources available, and we need vaccine advocates to share them when talking to those who oppose vaccination, like CDC & Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation