Read this excerpt from "Herd about the Flu."
How would it help the reader if the author named the
sources of this information?
We can't easily predict what people will do. Some people
oppose taking any vaccine. Others don't get around to it.
Finally, some people may not take it because they know it
doesn't always work. Unlike vaccines against measles,
polio, or smallpox, today's flu shot doesn't give full
immunity, or resistance, to the flu.
The reader could say that he has read the books where
this information was found.
The reader could verify the credibility of the information
The reader could learn how to avoid getting the flu.
The reader could make his or her own flu shots.
What is the point of a flu shot if it doesn't work, and why
doesn't it always work? The flu is complex and strains
change quickly. People need to be vaccinated with a new
batch of vaccine every year. Vaccines must be produced
long before the actual flu virus, or the strain of virus, starts
to work its way through the community. Some years,
scientists do a better job of predicting which strains will be
common that year. Sometimes, even if the scientists
predict the right strains, the vaccine may not create a
strong immune response.