Growing up, I remember getting my flu shots with my three siblings. We’d all go together, and it was a little stressful for me. I would do yoga the night before to try and relax my muscles so it would hurt less, but actually getting it was never too bad. The fun bandages were always a highlight, because Mom wouldn’t let us have the character ones at home.
I got my last big set of vaccines at 16, I think — I’m 17 now. I still get the flu shot and the COVID booster every year too. And I work at a veterinary clinic, so I’m sensitive to things like tetanus — you’re supposed to get a booster every five years if you’re exposed. I haven’t been, but I talked to my pediatrician and asked if I could just get the booster so I don’t have to worry about tetanus.
It doesn’t necessarily surprise me that more teenagers are getting vaccinated recently. My friends and I talk about getting our flu shots, so that aligns with my experience. And I think it’s a good thing.
I would much rather us all be a little bit healthier. I like when we’re vaccinated, because it means the people I come in contact with hopefully won’t get me sick and I won’t get them sick. Right now, I really don’t want to get sick, because I’m working on my private pilot’s license. If I’m sick, I’m grounded, so that’s no fun. I want to be a pilot in my future career, so it all goes into that.
I also think about vaccines at my job at a veterinary clinic. It’s unfortunate, because when people hear that vaccines are bad, which is the message going around right now, they think that applies to their animals too. And that’s very, very bad because animals will get sick and can cause human health concerns when it comes to things like Rabies and Leptosperosis, too. If your animal is unvaccinated against rabies, for example, and they bite somebody, they have to be euthanized and sent off for testing. It is a really bad situation for everyone involved.
At work, I keep it professional. It is a person’s personal choice to vaccinate their animals, but it is slightly frustrating because owners have been misinformed by non-medical professionals., After an open conversation about the risks and benefits, most owners feel a lot more comfortable with their decision to vaccinate or not..
On the personal side, I also have a couple family members who are anti-vax. They’ll ask us things like, “did you get your vaccines this year?” and just give us a hard time.
In general, all the changes with vaccines and removing some childhood recommendations concerns me, because it means insurance companies might push back against covering them. That makes vaccines less accessible, so people who can’t afford them but still want them won’t be able to get them.
Obviously, we do see some adverse reactions to vaccines — but that’s definitely the exception, not the rule, and the benefits outweigh the risks. We don’t consider medications like penicillin bad because they cause allergic reactions for some. They are bad for an allergic individual and should be avoided, but are lifesaving for many others who still need access.
Personally, I’m going to continue to get vaccinated. It’s just a way to live with less fear, especially us teenagers. It might not be something we think about every day, but there are things like bacterial meningitis that we can vaccinate against that are a real risk to teenagers especially. The vaccines lessen that risk and help us live more comfortably and without that kind of fear.
I don’t want to have kids, but if I did — and also for my future fur babies — I would get them vaccinated. I would want them to stay healthy.
As told to Maggie Ryan
