Saturday 1 August 2009

Virus schmirus


Regarding yesterday’s conspiracy theory: I was reading some stuff on the MMR scare we had here in the UK a short while ago. Should we enforce immunization on children at school?

In one respect I say a qualified no, because so long as my kids are immunized they are afforded a relatively high degree of protection, regardless of whether other kids are immunized or not. I say ‘qualified’ and ‘relatively’ as there is no guarantee of protection from a vaccine.

However, as a member of the human race I say an emphatic yes, as children should be protected from irresponsible parents who care more for their right to choose than their kids. If you saw a kid being beaten by a parent, surely you’d wade in to stop it happening. Also, as stated above, even immunization of my kids is no guarantee of immunity.

Perhaps what is needed is more education about immunization and then parents lacking in knowledge wouldn’t feel so threatened, as that’s where the problem lies – ill-educated parents who place more faith in sensationalised, unfounded, scare-mongering newspaper reports and dangerous quack remedies than tried and tested science.

When I was a kid I received a barrage of vaccines (polio, smallpox and BCG come immediately to mind), and not once did anyone ever question whether we should receive them. They were, in effect, enforced. The result is that polio and tuberculosis are no longer the threats they were and smallpox has been eradicated. When I was at sea I was regularly immunized against two killers, cholera and yellow fever.

Edward Jenner, the man who developed the smallpox vaccine, lived in Chipping Sodbury, not a mile from where I write.

Talking of viruses, mobile handsets, including iPhones and those using Windows Mobile or Google's Android operating system, are vulnerable to text-based attacks, say experts. Malicious code can gain access across a range of applications including a phone's address book or camera.

So now I have to worry about a computer virus taking pictures of the inside of my pocket and SMSing them to all my friends, business acquaintances and family. Bugger! Better make sure I have no holes in my pockets.

14 comments:

Louise | Italy said...

Your last paragraph LOL!

Alan Burnett said...

Agree with all you say about vaccinations. I need my Yellow Fever vaccination updating but the medics tell me that there is increased danger of adverse reactions when you are 60+ and not to be so silly anyway because all I am doing is going up the Panama Canal and the smoke from my holiday cigar will keep the nasties away.

Chairman Bill said...

Louise: Just the last one? Woe is me.

Alan: Ah, the Panama Canal - I remember it well. Malaria, yellow fever, trench-foot.

the Spiv said...

Greetings TC.

My apologies for not leaving any comments for a while, but after a slight problem on our return from France, I have been screwed and plastered by the NHS. I have to say that my own version of this is far superior and a lot more fun, but.....

It has been great fun catching up on the last five weeks or so, but the down side of this is that I now only have one blog a day to look forward to!

There are one or two questions that come to mind after reading, and these are:
a. Is Hay feeling any better?
b. Any news from Channel4 re Grand
Designs?
c. How is the vaping going? Are you able
to reduce the input, or is it still at
it's former level? (A friend of ours
was asked to leave a restaurant just a
week or two ago for using an e-fag)
d. Will you be enjoying the company of
your kids during the summer holidays?
We've got grandchildren coming out of
the woodwork here! It's great (or so
I'm told to say!)

On a different note, I am in possession of a large earthenware tajine here that is just waiting for you to make up some delicious recipes! I should be able to drive, (if not ride), in a week or so, so will arrange with you to drop it off then.

I'm now off for a bacon buttie and to give my system some well-earned real food.

Keep on blogging!

The Spiv

A Woman Of No Importance said...

My last 'phone was horribly good at taking photos of the inside of my handbag - Very avant-garde they were!

Chairman Bill said...

Spiv: Good to hear from you again old man. What on earth have you been up to in order to be in plaster?

One blog a day? How come?

In answer to your questions:

a) Much, but still not 100%. She thinks she’s allergic to the stress of her work.
b) Not a peep from C4, so we’re not going to have wall-to-wall camera crews here.
c) The BP glycerine was causing a bit of havoc with the lungs, so I went back to the propylene-glycol and upped the nicotine a bit. Can’t understand why your mate was asked to leave – he (or she) was not smoking; however, a restaurateur has the right to do anything.
d) Just my elder boy is coming in 2 weeks time. I’m told that the younger boy does not want to see me, yet there is no logical reason for this, other than the obvious parental alienation on the part of the ex. Nothing I can do about it just at this minute, but I have plans.

Thanks for getting the tajine. Look forward to taking possession when you’re up to it. If you’re not, you could always post it and I’ll arrange to get some dosh to you.

Woman: Don't leave it in your drawers.

Mark Sanderson said...

A-ha. Pocket billiards man are you, Bill? I think we should all stay indoors. Perhaps retire to the cellar once we've drained the supermarket of all their tin food to last us around 6 months or so. By then it should have blown over.

Chairman Bill said...

Emerson: Get in the Anderson shelter.

The Girl With The Mousy Hair said...

I personally think that all kids should immunised or a whole host of diseases that have almost been illiminated are going to be back with a vengence.
Does your phone tkae photos of anything else without your knowledge? Sometimes my computer looks at porn while I am out, I know this from the browser histroy. Do you think there could be a connection? Maybe anouther conspiracy.

Geo. said...

Whew! Last para had me worried for a while there Chairman, until I realised my mob phone doesn't have the necessary wide angle lense...

Chairman Bill said...

Kerrie: You're not Jacqui Smith, are you?

George: Thought you'd be on the plane by now.

Anonymous said...

Check not only the holes, but I would be sure I had clean underwear... in fact underwear, period! Geo is a bit of a skit though... wide angle lens!

As for the Spiv, wall to wall kids was an everyday occurrence in our house, problem was I couldn't send them back, most of the little buggers were mine! But I did get the pleasure of kicking their chums out occasionally, that reduced the vermin.

AV

Chairman Bill said...

AV: And, presumably, the bacteria and viruses.

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