Hi BrotherTom...
I agree. Every vaccine (and medicine) carries a risk. However, the risk is often much greater for NOT taking a vaccine (or medicine). I have known several people (including believers) who have contracted the swine flu. It is very real...and very dangerous (especially for children and the elderly). Just last week, a healthy 30-something male died from the swine flu...just three weeks after a physical examination that determined that he was in great health. The biggest concern of health professionals is that this swine flu outbreak could grow into a pandemic.
During World War I, there was a flu pandemic that killed more people than the war itself. The CDC estimates that 50 million people died from the 1918 outbreak. Further, they estimate that 500 Million people were infected -- at a time in which there were only 1.6 Billion people on Earth. So, nearly 1/3 of human beings on Earth were infected. 1 out of every 10 people who contracted the flu actually died from the outbreak. There was a much smaller pandemic during 1968-1969. It was known as the Hong Kong Flu, and killed an estimated 1 Million people around the world.
What makes this particular outbreak so interesting is that it originated in North America, in Mexico. Most major flu pandemics have started in the Far East. Even the 1918 Pandemic, known as the Spanish Flu, probably started in China or India. In fact, India was hit particularly hard by the 1918 pandemic, with approximately 17 Million deaths. The current Swine Flu has quickly spread around North America and elsewhere around the world.
With every flu vaccine, there are limited cases of individuals who have a bad reaction. However, these are few and far between...and the risk of NOT being vaccinated is often much higher than the risk from vaccination itself. I have known plenty of people who were vaccinated -- including children -- and I have yet to hear of a single adverse reaction yet. In my wife's hometown, the flu vaccine was offered to all school children. There has not been a single reported complication from the vaccine in that area. I did find a couple of possible fatalities that *might have been related to the Swine Flu vaccine. However, there have been over 1000 people who have died from the Swine Flu. It seems that the risk of NOT being vaccinated is much higher.
As far as President Obama's attempt to raise this to a "national emergency," this seems to only have been done as a means to bypass the length of time that it might take to receive treatment. I don't suspect anything "sinister" from it, and I hope that it will not be used as political ammunition during the Administration's attempt to reform health care. I simply think that it is a wise thing to do since this could be a potential danger to people in this nation.
This current outbreak, with 1000 deaths in the US, isn't nearly as expansive as the 50 Million worldwide deaths from the 1918 pandemic. It isn't even comparable with the Black Death pandemic that hit Europe in 1348 (and killed approximately 45-60% of the people in Europe). However, I think that the vaccine is just an attempt to prevent something like that from happening again.
I also agree with those who consider abortion during these times. Abortion kills far more human beings than any war...and any flu pandemic. Even though the number of abortions declined quite a bit over the past eight years in the United States, there were still approximately 800,000 abortions last year. These are government permitted murders at the hand of "doctors" who have ignored the Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm." These deaths don't come from a virus...or a disease...but from the selfishness of women who don't want to take the responsibility for the children that God has given them.
Those people involved in that slaughter -- whether the abortion physicians, the politicians and activist judges who fight for the continued slaughter, or the mothers who open their wombs and sacrifice their children upon the altar of selfishness -- will all stand before the Throne of God one day. I just pray that they cry out to God before that great and terrible day. The incredible thing about God? He is willing to offer His love and forgiveness to anyone who calls out to Him in truth.
