I am continually amazed to hear about parents who will not immunize their children for the flu and, more specifically, the H1N1 flu. I hear this on the radio as parents call in and declare to a medical expert they are not going to immunize their children. I hear reports on the TV about parents who refuse to immunize their children. This is after every medical authority makes appeal and appeal to parents and others to get the H1N1 shot. AND this is after we get report after report of children dying from H1N1. (Of course, it doesn’t help that the vaccine is not readily available.)

My first reaction is why don’t these parents value the lives of their children? But then I realize that they do care care for their children and this is the reason they refuse to have them immunized. They have it in their heads that there is something sinister or dangerous about getting a flu shot. So they reason, why subject their kids to this dangerous procedure. This is after hearing the experts say how safe and essential it is to get their kids the H1N1 shot. I don’t get it.

I think this is a symptom of a much larger problem in our country. There seems to be a growing mistrust of institutions in our country. This means governments, any expert, or anyone or organization that purports to be in authority. This mistrust is so strong in some people that common sense flies out of the window. It is almost as if these people either failed or never took a science class in their lives. Disease is actually spread by organisms we can’t see!

(Yes, you do get the virus injected in your blood stream, but it is a dead virus. It’s purpose is to grow antibodies in your own body to fight a potential infection. Antibodies fight infections to protect you.)

I really shouldn’t be surprised by this ignorance on this part of our populace. The Bush Administration waged an eight year war on science, because facts got in the way of ideology. Then when we find out we were lied to by the government, then who should we believe? Who should we trust? But please, get the shot. The odds of your child dying from H1N1 is low, but why take the risk?