To those petrified of needles, what does the vaccination process actually entails, and are there any specific side effects? We cannot avoid needles, but I can honestly say that it is almost painless. The fact that I have immunized small kids in my practice shows that the amount of pain should not even be taken into consideration. When it comes to side effects, pain near the spot where the patient got shot for about a day and a half is as far as it goes. As long as the patient did not have any troublesome experiences with vaccines in the past, which I or my team were not informed beforehand about, everything is more or less bound to run smoothly. What is your message to those still reluctant to get a shot? Giving a personal example is probably not the best of ideas, but I have been protecting myself annually against the flu with this vaccine for more than 25 years now. As a doctor I had contact with many sick people during that time but not once did I have to take sick leave. It is the same with all the nurses and the health center’s staff in general. It is certain – inoculation protects. It seems most students see eye to eye with Daskalov, deeming immunization “It is an added plus for the university when it takes our health and well-being seriously,” freshman Presiana Tsvetkova said. “I really do not understand whyso many people are reluctant to get a shot.” Fall 2019 | AUBG Daily 5 beneficial. However, it seems that Daskalov’s wish for more participants in the campaign would have been fulfilled if the deadline for purchasing the vaccine from the Business Office was longer. “I wanted to get myself vaccinated and saw the campaign as a great opportunity,” freshman Milen Plevneliev said. “Sadly, I missed the time limit, but it is all right. Hopefully, I will succeed next year.” Biology professor William Clark said getting vaccinated is a responsibility we all bear for our collective well-being. Clark points to bad nutrition, lack of vitamin D and poor hygiene as the main contributors to winter sickness. “When we first lived in Bulgaria back in the 1990s, there were not a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables during the winter and in the spring people would look kind of yellowish and greyish,” Clark said. “The cold does not cause diseases, microbes cause them.” Clark labels vaccination as one of the wonders of modern medicine and said the process aims not only toward personal health but Presiana Tsvetkova Ruslan Noori for AUBG Daily. to community resistance against disease, a phenomenon he refers to as “herd immunity.” “Vaccines are the only way we can protect ourselves from some diseases,” Clark said. “There really are no greateralternatives. Overall, the clinical evidence shows that immunization does a great job, but in order for it to work, you have to get to a certain level of vaccination in the population.” Although a nuisance at first, Prof. Clark and Dr. Daskalov agree that vaccines are favorable in the long run. Better preparation can lead to higher participation in next year’s round of the vaccination campaign on campus. Prof. Clark in his office Source: aubg.edu
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