Quote Originally Posted by Drummond View Post
You're correct, but only somewhat correct. On one detail, you're not only incorrect, but provably so.

I take your point about protection of those who aren't fully healthy, and so need protection against the otherwise widespread incidence of disease. Vaccinate enough people, you reduce to virtually zero the chance of the less-than-fully-healthy person contracting a disease they might be very susceptible to. Fair enough.

I've always disliked (at absolute minimum) MANDATORY vaccination programs, except where the need was so great for one that it had to be applied. For all I know (& I strongly suspect) ... ebola may well justify one such program, though.

But I'll also take your point about what you're being vaccinated WITH, maybe putting you more at risk than the disease itself (e.g your flu example). It's a reason I'm not keen to go in for getting myself vaccinated, not when I've had a full and healthy life steering clear of them.

As for what you're definitely wrong about: you said, 'Vaccines are not meant to protect individuals'. OK, then. So, if I go on holiday, say to a country where malaria is prevalent ... I won't be advised to be vaccinated against contracting it ? I'll never be advised to get my anti-malaria jab ?

Do I get one, in order to protect the local population against my immunity from their malaria .. ?

Perhaps, upon my return to the UK, my very presence at Heathrow or Gatwick (or at a pinch Cardiff airport, though the less said about that, the better) will threaten a malaria outbreak, if I'm not carrying some immunity from it in my bloodstream ?

No. You're both right, AND wrong. Vaccinations are done to protect populations, and individuals, alike.
okay perhaps I should have clarified and said vaccines are not meant to protect healthy people.

The point being , I'll use myself as an example I'm a healthy 48 year old white upper middle class white male. The odds of the flu killing me are slim to none actually, but I get my vaccination every year, as do my children. Why ? Because my children go to school with plenty of children who are not from similar circumstances and either they or people in their families COULD be killed by the flu.

Now, I take your point about mandated vaccines. It doesn't seem like the place of the government to be telling people for example, that their children must be vaccinated to attend school. BUT the reality is that the government run the school, the government is providing healthcare insurance to the employees of the school, and those same families that are most susceptible to things that we currently vaccinate against , yeah they are probably on one form of government healthcare or another too, so all in all maybe the government does have a role in saying "nope, if you want to use our schools, you will follow our rules, including vaccinations."

Just my 2 cents on that