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H1N1 Vaccine Fears

2009-11-09 · John · watch on YouTube · Health · reflection essay

John admits an irrational fear of the H1N1 vaccine sparked by the Desiree Jennings story, argues that not vaccinating is also a choice with a worse side effect (the flu), debunks the quack doctor who claimed to cure her, and concludes we play best when we play the odds rationally.

What is said

00:00:00 — Sunday: no more puff, behind on NaNoWriMo; agenda; John's irrational nervousness about the H1N1 vaccine; not high-risk; Hinsdale, Illinois plug; the Jennings story begins

  • ★ John says it is Sunday and announces 'no more puff'. (playful) — 00:00:00 · the Puff
  • ★★ John is 9,000 words behind on NaNoWriMo but says he is doing fantastic in 'Neanderthal November'. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ John admits that, though he knows it is irrational, he felt a little nervous about getting the H1N1 vaccine. — 00:00:00
  • ★ John says he is not in the vaccine's high-risk group of health-care workers, children and pregnant women. — 00:00:00
  • ★★ John tells Nerdfighters he will be in Hinsdale, Illinois this week and invites them to come; details in the doobly-doo. — 00:00:00 · Nerdfighteria, doobly-doo
  • ★★★ John recounts the reported story of Washington Redskins cheerleader 'Denise' (Desiree) Jennings, who after a flu shot had seizures and was diagnosed with incurable dystonia blamed on the vaccine. — 00:00:00

00:00:47 — Jennings' reported vaccine-caused dystonia; 40% of parents plan to vaccinate, fearing side effects; not vaccinating has a worse side effect; active vs passive choice; Jennings recovers, so not dystonia

  • ★★ John says the story made him feel that even a 1 in 10 million chance of that side effect was one he did not want. (hypothetical) — 00:00:47
  • ★★★ John cites a study finding only 40% of parents of American schoolchildren plan to vaccinate their kids, the top reason being fear of side effects. — 00:00:47 · United States
  • ★★★ John argues there is also a side effect to not getting the vaccine: the swine flu itself. — 00:01:16
  • ★★★ John says swine flu is by any measure much more dangerous to schoolchildren than the vaccine, which isn't dangerous at all. — 00:01:16
  • ★★★ Because getting vaccinated is an active choice and not getting it a passive one, not vaccinating feels more conservative: the illusion of not choosing. — 00:01:16 > «the illusion of not choosing»
  • ★★★ John reports Jennings is making a full recovery, can talk and has stopped moving strangely, which means she did not in fact have dystonia. — 00:01:16

00:01:49 — Dr. Rashid Buttar: urine injection therapy, conning cancer patients, no clinical trials

  • ★★★ John says the doctor credited with curing her, Dr. Rashid Buttar, believes in urine injection therapy (filtered urine reinjected to boost immunity), which doesn't work. (playful) — 00:01:49
  • ★★ John says Buttar also cons late-stage cancer patients out of their money with promises of miracle cures that never come. (playful) — 00:01:49
  • ★★ John says that if Buttar's treatments did cure dystonia, he is a jerk for never allowing a clinical trial — as if he knows he's full of crap. (playful) — 00:01:49

00:02:18 — Why Jennings got better (psychogenic component?); not entering the vaccine debate (giant squids of anger); we play best when we play the odds rationally; haircut sign-off

  • ★★ John suggests Jennings may have recovered because her initial diagnosis noted a probably significant psychogenic component, sarcastically offering her pee-injecting doctor as the other explanation. (hedged) — 00:02:18
  • ★★ John says he is not trying to enter the vaccine debate, because he fears the 'giant squids of anger'. (playful) — 00:02:18 · giant squid of anger
  • ★★★ John's point: at each moment in our lives we are playing the odds, and we tend to play best when we play rationally. — 00:02:18

Humor (significant)

  • John says he is not a child, though he does hang out with a lot of children. — 00:00:00 > «said the creeper»
  • John offers two explanations for Jennings' recovery: a psychogenic component, or her doctor's treatment. — 00:02:18 > «Or maybe it's because she saw a doctor who injects people with pee.»
  • John declines to enter the vaccine debate for fear of angry commenters. — 00:02:18 > «I love you, giant squids of anger, but I also fear you.»

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