Influenza,+pneumonia-related+deaths+now+epidemic

[|CDC: Influenza, pneumonia-related deaths now epidemic] Mass Live Accessed on February 8, 2018

Flu and pneumonia just reached epidemic levels when on the week of january the 7th 9.7% of deaths were related to or caused by the flu and pneumonia. To be considered epidemic rates must reach 7.2% deaths per weak related to that disease and this outbreak surpassed that by 2.5%. The CDC is now calling this outbreak of the flu the worst in the decade. Flu vaccines may have helped cause these increasing numbers by not fully covering the predominant strain of influenza this year, AH3N2. Also a contributing factor are vaccination rates are low for instance massachusetts rates are at 50% this year. The CDC says that the vaccines showed “19 percent effective for the 2014-season; 48 percent effective for the 2015-1016 season, and around 39 percent effective in the 2016-2017 season.” Even though the vaccines are not as effective they are still recommended.
 * __ Summary: __**

__** Relevance to Course: **__ We have recently been learning a lot about epidemiology. Studying outbreaks like this and the factors which affect them is literally the definition of what epidemiology is. In class we discussed and did some actives to see the infected rates of people with different factors like intal percent immune and the effects of vaccines which have a significant role in the current outbreak. Even though this is a grim even that is currently happening we can directly use this to learn from and learn how to stop something like this in the future.

__** Opinion: **__ I feel that people need to get vaccinated. I recently laid out a argument in english for reasons to and to not get vaccinated, upon view the “top 10 reasons not to get vaccinated” I found some of the worse arguments I have ever seen such as, “you can always get vaccinated but you can’t get unvaccinated” the whole point of vaccination is prevention which would be rendered completely useless if you are already infected. So it was arguments like this I feel contribute to the outbreak this year.

__** Law: **__ WEST’S ANN. CAL. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE states that general care hospital require employees to get vaccinated, but allows exemptions for philosophical reasons. This is california's hospital vaccination law but 17 other states also have them with different variations to them. This relates because most hospitalizations caused by influenza and pneumonia are in people with other serious health issues and hospitals are the place to go when you have a serious health issue. Having hospitals require vaccines should cause less serious cases of influenza and pneumonia and hopefully slow the outbreak.