Hey!
So on Thursday we had our discussion about the Swine Flu; we had to discuss whether or not we would personally get a vaccine for it and who should be the first group of people to get it if only 500,000 vaccines are available at first.

The first question we discussed was "Should I get a swine flu shot?"
Initially, we took a poll to see who would get one; only two people stated that they would get a shot if it was made available to them and was considered safe and effective. We each stated our personal reasons for whether or not we would get the vaccine. Some of the reasons for each opinion are:

FOR "I would get the shot"
- "it is better to be safe than sorry"
- "even if I won't die from the swine flu, I can prevent it from spending to people who are more at risk"
- "if I had the chance to prevent a disease I would take it"
- "there doesn't appear to be too much risk involved"
- "I just would"
- "my parents would want me to get it"
- "I live in close quarters with other students, which makes disease transfer a lot easier"
- "I am prone to illness"

FOR "I would not get the shot"
- "the vaccine was made in a hurried fashion" <-- someone cited a source that stated that the process for approving this vaccine was cut short because the swine flu came under the category of "the flu;" if the swine flu was deemed an entirely new disease, then the process for approving a vaccine would have been much longer. As a result of this, this person was skeptical of a vaccine that did not experience the scrutiny and rigorous testing as did other vaccines which were approved by the FDA.
- "I feel I am a healthy individual"
- "I feel other people who are more at risk for having complications from this disease should get it"
- "I feel there is not enough research on the vaccine and the potential side effects from it"
- "I don't want to get nerve damage" <-- someone found information about the swine flu outbreak in the 70s and the corresponding vaccine; a potential harmful effect of that vaccine was a crippling nerve disease.
- "people are blowing this disease out of proportion" <-- according to Center for Disease Control's website, the seasonal flu contributes to the death of about 36,000 people a year in the United States; another 200,000 people are hospitalized (CDC). The Swine Flu, on the other hand, has contributed to the death of 2,625 people in the Americas according to the New England Journal of Medicine who cited the WHO for their statistics (New England Journal of Medicine).
- "if I am not required to get something then I am not going to get it"
- "I don't like shots"
- "I think I had the swine flu a few months ago"
- "I don't even understand why this disease is getting so much attention"

According to our discussion, it seemed like many people would not get the vaccine because they felt that it was not researched and tested thoroughly; people do not want to get a potential complication as a result of the vaccine. For example, someone cited a source that said that the vaccine in the 70s caused more complications than did the swine flu; people do not want a repeat of that situation. Others, myself included, believe that this is disease is being thrown out of proportion and do not understand exactly why. Part of our discussion was talking about why this disease is getting so much press time and attention, and I do not believe we came up with a solid answer to this question.

In concluding this question, I must stick to my original decision: I would not get a swine flu shot. I agree with what we discussed: the vaccine was hurried, the swine flu appears less dangerous than the seasonal flu, and that people with higher risks should get the vaccine. Also, as another student pointed out, I should not be the one responsible for preventing a disease from spreading; if someone is worried that he or she may get the disease, then he or she should do everything to protect his or herself and not worry about the choices of another people. (That may have sounded mean, but I did not mean for it to).
(Also, being stubborn, I must also add that the more people rely on antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines, the more dangerous and deadly bacteria and viruses will become as they mutate to become resistant to these antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines that some people believe will cure any disease in the world.)

The second question we discussed was "If there was only 500,000 swine flu shots available this fall, who should get them?
As a group, we came up with a list of different groups of people who should get the first shots and reasons for why we said that each group should get the shots first. Our list differs slightly from a list posted online by the state of Pennsylvania on the H1N1 virus.
According to the state of Pennsylvania, these groups are listed as "priority groups:"
+ persons 6 months to 24 years old
+ health care providers and EMS personnel
+ parents or caregivers of children under 6 months
+ pregnant women

1. CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 5
-- they are constantly in close contact with people
-- they are more likely to touch a lot of things with many germs and then touch other things, people, and there own mouths
-- if children get the swine flue, then they can spread it to their parents, other children, and pediatricians

2. HEALTH CARE WORKERS
-- the job of a health care professional or worker is to not only treat diseases, but to also prevent them, so they should take every measure available to prevent the spread of any illness
-- they are in close contact with people who are more likely to have complications as a result of the swine flu or are at higher risk of catching it (the elderly, people with poor immune systems, or people who currently have infections)

3. COLLEGE STUDENTS LIVING IN DORMS
-- they are in close contact with one another, which makes it easier to transfer germs, bacteria, and viruses
-- according to the CDC, the swine flu seems to be affecting people under the age of 25 more harshly than it affects older people (CDC)
-- students can be carriers of the disease to other people who may not have very strong immune systems
-- students sometimes ignore warming signs of a disease and do not seek medical attention (My mom said I am one of those people and therefore is convinced that I will die from meningitis because I will insist that nothing is wrong with me. For this reason, she calls everyday and asks how I am feeling).

After discussing the pros and cons of each specific group, I came to the conclusion that it would most beneficial if health care workers received the first vaccinations. They are supposed to help treat and prevent diseases, not spread it. I know I would be very angry if I went to the doctors for a routine check up and ended up catching the swine flu, or any other illness, from the nurse who took my blood pressure.

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After discussing the two questions, we talked about how future technologies in medicine and bioengineering can help people prevent the swine flu pandemic and other highly contagious diseases in the world and, specifically, at Penn. Before we even started coming up with any ideas, we talked about how our ideas have be practical; we have to consider economic resources as well as the availability of resources needed for our new technology. We only had a few minutes to discuss how future technologies could help in the prevention of diseases. For managing the spread of disease of Penn, we only came up with standard means of prevention:
- washing hands
- cleaning surfaces
- disinfecting everything
- allowing to students to view a lecture online if he or she is sick and cannot attend a lecture

In terms of technologies, we come up with:
- an automated machine that disinfects a stall in a bathroom or shower automatically (kind of like the automatic shower cleaner that is currently on the market)
- a device that can detect certain diseases by touching it (sort of like a fingerprint scanner for security purposes)

An automated machine that disinfects public places can help prevent diseases from spreading from person to person; this machine would be practical because it would not cost an exorbitant amount of money to manufacturer (or one would hope anyway) and the current technology is available to create this type of device. A device that can detect a disease (such as a doctor's office or before a space with a lot off people in close contact with each other) can make diagnosing diseases much simpler and faster. Also, this could alert someone who may be sick before he or she starts to even experience symptoms of his or her illness.

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Before coming to Penn, my high school stressed the importance of citing sources. (They made it seem like you would die if you forgot even one citation). After getting to Penn, I realized that citing sources is very important but so is the reliability and quality of the sources I choose to use. For example, I can cite one hundred sources, but if none of them are reliable then my paper or research is not very substantial, scholarly, or even all correct. I also learned that it is very important to question sources for possible motives, which can include economic or personal gain. Let me take researching the effectiveness of a new drug for the treatment of cancer for example. If I look on the website for the company who manufactures the drug, it only makes sense that they would post very good things about the drug, state that the side effects are rare, and basically "advertise" their drug to the public, including medical professionals. I learned that I can still use this source if I have sources, which can be critical, in order to back up my research or even show discrepancies between the two "reliable" sources. Also, it is important for me to find out where "reliable" sources got their statistics or data; data can be interpreted in different ways depending on what a person wishes to support. Basically, not only do I have to cite all of my sources (or else I will die, supposedly), I have to check the reliability of my sources, the date of publication (material could become outdated), and the possible motives of the people who create my sources.