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I've been thinking about vaccination and stuff.
You're probably not surprised that I'm pro get-your-bloody-flu-shot.
A person who refuses to get vaccinated poses the risk of spreading an infection to others (herd immunity needs pretty high vaccination rates to work and protect those who can't get them - the pregnant, the elderly, the immunocompromised, the very young, those who can't get shots due to phobias, probably others but I'm sure you get the point).
Where I'm struggling is that there's really no system to get people vaccinated that has good sensitivity and specificity. (I mean, I guess that's not possible in any context, really, but the stakes are higher here.)
If you use the honor system and merely strongly encourage people to get vaccinated, you gets tons of people opting out for anti-vaxxer reasons, and also tons of people who honestly can't still getting shamed (I've seen this happen far too often, people shouldn't have to reveal personal medical information but even when they do it doesn't stop everyone). If you make vaccinations mandatory, then no matter how well you try to manage the loopholes, you'll have people who can't get vaccinated being forced into it by doctors who Do Not Get It, and you'll get anti-vaxxers who find doctors to sign off on a bogus form saying "no can do".
(Yeah, the long term solution is to change societal attitudes toward illness and accommodation and stuff. But I have to live in the short term too and in the meanwhile I'd like to not contract measles.)
You're probably not surprised that I'm pro get-your-bloody-flu-shot.
A person who refuses to get vaccinated poses the risk of spreading an infection to others (herd immunity needs pretty high vaccination rates to work and protect those who can't get them - the pregnant, the elderly, the immunocompromised, the very young, those who can't get shots due to phobias, probably others but I'm sure you get the point).
Where I'm struggling is that there's really no system to get people vaccinated that has good sensitivity and specificity. (I mean, I guess that's not possible in any context, really, but the stakes are higher here.)
If you use the honor system and merely strongly encourage people to get vaccinated, you gets tons of people opting out for anti-vaxxer reasons, and also tons of people who honestly can't still getting shamed (I've seen this happen far too often, people shouldn't have to reveal personal medical information but even when they do it doesn't stop everyone). If you make vaccinations mandatory, then no matter how well you try to manage the loopholes, you'll have people who can't get vaccinated being forced into it by doctors who Do Not Get It, and you'll get anti-vaxxers who find doctors to sign off on a bogus form saying "no can do".
(Yeah, the long term solution is to change societal attitudes toward illness and accommodation and stuff. But I have to live in the short term too and in the meanwhile I'd like to not contract measles.)
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