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Birthday: June 19
Location:
DURHAM, New Hampshire
United States
DURHAM, New Hampshire
United States
School:
University of New Hampshire, 1975
University of New Hampshire, 1975
Why health care reform matters for this Baby BoomerWait your turn, Baby Boomers
I hate it when people
cut in line.
That's the sense I get
when I see long lines of people waiting to get H1N1 flu vaccines
and some of those people in line are older folks.
They shouldn't be in
line to begin with, at least not yet.
In an odd twist, the
H1N1 is a flu that doesn't seem to affect older people as badly as
it does younger people. During normal seasonal flu the older folks
are right up there, as well they should, to get their vaccines.
But the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention and other health professionals are
advising older people to make way for the folks who are most at
risk for H1N1:
- Pregnant women,
- People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age,
- Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel,
- Persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old.
According to the CDC,
people ages of 25 through 64 years of age -- and that includes us
Baby Boomers -- aren't a priority for the vaccine unless we are at
higher risk because of chronic health disorders or compromised
immune systems. That's something your doctor would advise you about.
Read the CDC's Q&A here.
It's women
(specifically pregnant women) and children first, just as it was
going for the life rafts on the Titanic.
I can't help but
seethe when I watch television coverage of this H1N1 outbreak. I'm
ticked off that the vaccine suppliers overpromised when the
vaccine would be ready and how much of it would be available. It
breaks my heart to hear that there isn't enough yet to go around
and kids are becoming infected and some are dying.
And I really get
ticked off when I see the reports and the long lines and the older
man or woman who's being interviewed about how they couldn't get
the H1N1 vaccine because they ran out.
"You shouldn't be
in line to begin with!" I yell at the television.
I was heartened by one
report that showed an older guy who had given up his spot in line
to a pregnant woman. Great, I thought, but you still shouldn't
have been in that line.
I talked to my doctor
about my risk. Low, he said. Just follow good hygiene practices,
he advised.
So I try to make an
effort to cough and sneeze into my elbow. Those who know me know I
sneeze a lot, so I'm getting well practiced at crooking my elbow
to my mouth every time a sneeze comes on. I try to wash my hands
frequently. I have hand sanitizing wipes and gels at the ready at
home and at the gym where I work out most every day.
We can't be selfish
about this. My nieces and nephews need the vaccines first. My
daughter who's in health care in a large hospital needs the
vaccines first.
I can wait. You can
wait. We can get at the back of the line.
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Added: Oct 30, 2009
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