Martian Death Flu

[Gelare]

Vaccinations are interesting, because they provide a kind of network externality. If I get vaccinated against a disease, not only am I less likely to get the disease, you are less likely to get it too, because there are fewer possible incubators.

I'm curious about something, just as a little thought experiment.

There's a contagious disease, the Martian Death Flu. Each individual in society has a chance c(i) of getting the disease - so person number 1 has chance c(1), person 2 has chance c(2), and so on, and these chances are based on a bunch of risk factors: age, ethnicity, income, dietary habits, exercise routines, medical history, etc., which means some people are at higher risk for catching the martian death flu, and some are at lower risk.

For some reason, some people have a negative reaction to the vaccine - a very strongly negative reaction. We'll say the newly developed vaccine for the martian death flu causes reactions as bad as the illness itself in people with probability p. It's a small chance, in the <1% range, but a perceptible chance nonetheless.

Now, some people are going to be at high risk for the martian death flu, and should obviously get immunized. Some people are going to be at low risk, and they would actually be less likely to get complications if they didn't get the vaccine - but if they do catch the martian death flu, they'll raise the likelihood that other people get it. So, what should the government do?

1) Require everyone to get the vaccine, under penalty of fine and/or imprisonment. Despite their objections, those who were at low risk get sick at a higher rate than they otherwise would, and can rightfully blame the government for their miserable lot in life, but it doesn't matter because their misery has prevented the misery of the high risk people.

2) Require everyone to get the vaccine, where those who can show records that they are at low risk pay a lower price to receive the vaccine, or get a small tax break to offset their increased risk of getting sick. In this case, the low risk people get back some of the benefits they give to society.

3) Require only those who are at high risk to get the vaccine, while those who can show records that they are low risk are exempted.

4) Do not require anyone to get the vaccine, but spread information about the risk factors and dangers of illness, so that those at high risk will get vaccinated and those at low risk will not.

5) Whatever other option you prefer, of which there are very many.

[Rook]

In the best case scenario the only risk of vaccinations would be the potential for contracting the disease instead of having a taste of the disease and developing an immunity. In the real world though the problem with vaccinations is not the risk of disease but in the danger of the other junk they put in the serum.

But I am assuming this is the Utopian scenario, all iron aside, and the only two effects are: immunization or contracting the negative reaction almost as bad if not worse than Maritan Death Flu.

There are a few other factors that effect my decision. Firstly, how is it transmitted? If it's person to person, and not through birds or insects or water etc. So let me present a few scenarios.

Firstly, I would never, under any circumstance, mandate vaccination. You should always have full dominion over what is put into your body.

Now, if the Martian Death Flu is transmitted solely by human contact and no other way I would develop a quarantine to inhibit the spread of the disease. Now I realize it can seem just as invasive to force quarantine on a group of people as it is to force immunization. But take the risks. if you catch the Martian Death Flu early enough and quarantine, than the people you are inconveniencing is a small localized group. Widespread mandatory vaccination puts the entire population at risk of the adverse reaction. The vaccination would be available to those in and outside of the quarantine as per option 4 and anyone entering or leaving the quarantined zone would be required to have the immunization.

Even if the disease is spread in other ways there are ways to remove the new food sources for the virus. Water sources can be stopped or diverted or restricted while they are cleansed and the amount of work needed to create a disease impenetrable barrier would be a much larger investment of resource but it is possible.

But, if quarantine is not an option vaccination would be given at a discount, if not at the state's expense, in extremely high risk areas. Outside of danger zones it would be available much like option 4.

[Mira O'Halloran]

Option 4

Vaccines are incredibly dangerous, they drop your immune system flat on its face, and most use the mercury based Thimerisol as a preservative, which can lead to any number of high metal toxicity illnesses/diseases. Not only that, it puts you at a higher risk of falling ill in the first place. I've only ever had two flu shots in my life - and the following two weeks after those i was sick with the flu, stuck in bed and missing school.
Another complication that arises from vaccines is that the viruses that they're meant to protect against mutate and become stronger then the strain before it - you can never catch the same strain of flu or common cold virus.

[Nesslandria Haneh]

I would also choose option 4. I don't trust any government enough to let them force me to be injected with a substance. Besides which, I'm on a medication that supresses my immune system. Who knows what this vaccine would do to me?

[Rook]

I didn't have the facts to go deeply into my distrust of vaccinations, I just knew they were harmful.

Thank you Mira for that information. It seems the country, and I know I speak for Her Majesty when I say this, is almost completely at an agreement about vaccination. There are people who believe in vaccinations so I cannot in good conscience outlaw them. But there is no government mandate or encouragement for the use of them until research and testing has been put into ones that don't use harmful preservatives and toxins.

[Mira O'Halloran]

You're quite welcome, Your Majesty. There have been a number of severe reactions and complications to a few of the new, barely tested vaccines that have just been "put on the the market". So I figured that understanding exactly whats going wrong is the best weapon for my own personal protection. And the results were very scary, and have convinced me to never ever get another vaccine in my life unless its for something thats really serious.
I'll be in the Infirmary, adding some links for vaccines and a related artcles.

[Rook]

I believe I have seen parts of the 45 minute video. I intend to watch them all soon.