The case study entails the instance of the spreading flu epidemics, and states the necessary steps, that should be taken in order to prevent it.
As for the flu shot, it should be made before the start of the epidemics, as if the human has already caught the infection, the shot will only worsen the immunity, and may have serious consequences. As the flu shot is just the weakened flu virus, there is no necessity to make the shot, if there is a credibility of catching it. In order to prevent the development of the decease, the immune reinforcing medicaments should be taken.
The suggestion to take aspirin is good only at early stages of infection, while the inflammation is not very serious. This way, aspirin would ease the inflammation process in the organism, and would decrease the body temperature. Nevertheless, aspirin is forbidden in most countries, as remedies that are more effective appeared, consequently, something, including paracetamol should be taken. Actually, it decreases the attention rate and the reaction, so it will be difficult to stay at the lessons, but it helps to resist the virus.
As for the microbes, that someone could inhale after the infected person sneezed, it is necessary to mention, that the immunity of an average human will resist them successfully. However, if the flu epidemics started, the immune system is weakened (cold and wet weather, the microbes that were caught before etc.) and these microbes may cause the appearing of the decease. As flu is the droplet decease, the main source of the infection is the surrounding air, consequently, it is necessary to be very careful, staying with the sneezing people.
The Flu Vaccine
There are two types of the vaccine: the flu shot and the nasal-spray flu vaccine. The shot is the killed virus that is injected with a needle in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.
Nasal-spray flu vaccine — a vaccine with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu. It is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.
Anyway, independently of the kind of the vaccine, its main aim is to get the immune system “acquainted” with the killed or weakened virus, in order the real virus could be easily defeated (as immune system may resist only know viruses and bacteria).
Flu as the Bio Weapon
On the one hand, the unknown virus of flu may be easily used as the biological weapon: if the virus is unknown, the immune system can not resist it. On the other hand, the immune system of any European has serious genetic memory of struggling with flu, consequently, any new flu virus is resisted similarly to the previous generations of the virus, and sooner or later, the virus is defeated. However, it should be mentioned, that Native American population (Indians) do not have the immunity against flu. The same may be stated of the tribes in Pacific region.
References
Alexdnder, Mary. Calling the Shots: Childhood Vaccination: One Family’s Journey. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2003.
Gostin, Lawrence O., ed. Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2002.
Guillemin, Jeanne. Biological Weapons: From the Invention of State-Sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005.
“Harmless Virus May Aid in Knocking out Deadly Bird Flu.” Journal of Environmental Health 68.5 (2005): 48.
Link, Kurt. The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005.
Sealander, Judith. The Failed Century of the Child: Governing America’s Young in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Shenson, Douglas, et al. “Pneumococcal Immunizations at Flu Clinics: The Impact of Community-Wide Outreach.” Journal of Community Health 26.3 (2001): 191.