Karen was still unconvinced, however Mary had brought up a lot of good points. But even if influenza was a lot more serious than she had thought, a vaccination wasn’t a guarantee against illness.
- Karen:
So, are you telling me that I could get the shot again and still not be protected, because I got sick from some other strain? Then why bother?
- Mary:
Sure, but the vaccine protects against the most likely viruses. You could still get influenza, but the chances are smaller. You could get the stomach flu, you could get another sinus infection. But by getting the influenza vaccine, you are greatly decreasing your chance of getting very sick this winter.
- Karen:
Last year when I got sick, I ended up going to the doctor and he gave me some antibiotics. I got better the next day. I could just do that. That way, I only take medicine when I am sick instead of every winter.
- Mary:
Sorry, but there’s a big difference between viral and bacterial infections. The antibiotics helped you feel better because your sinus infection was caused by a bacteria. Antibiotics don’t help at all for viral infections. And influenza is a viral infection. Even if the doctor gives you antibiotics, they won’t do any good.
Questions
- Can Karen rely on antibiotics if she gets influenza this year? Why or why not?
- Compare the effectiveness of vaccines to antibiotics (or other antimicrobials) prior to infection. Compare the effectiveness of vaccines to antibiotics (or other antimicrobials) after the start of symptoms.
- When are antibiotics effective?
Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/influenza/influenza3.asp
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