Vaccinations and Family

Caring for someone with MS
1

I have a friend and ex-colleague who’s wife has MS had her diagnosis for some time. Her disease is getting progressively worse, and she is getting more frail over the years we’ve known with each other.

I am retired Radiographer, my friend is a Technologist who still works with immuno-compromised Cancer patients as well.

Unfortunately and inexplicably my friend is an ‘anti-vaxer’ and refuses to get routine vaccinations, even though he himelf is Diabetic and at increased risk.

I realise he is a grown adult, and has free will. My concern is his wife. My training and knowlege, and public messaging is that those with vulnerable relatives should seriously consider keeping up with their routine vaccinations to further protect their relatives.

I know that I cannot force him to be vaccinated for flu etc. No one can, not even his employer is willing to do that.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to encourage him to consider the risks to his wife, and her health as possibly being more important than his own misgivings about vaccines?

When I say that even in the midst of the worst viral pandemic in years, he did not get vaccinated against Covid19.

Even though registered with a Professional body, and having a responsibility to his patients he is still highly resistant to being vaccinated against preventable diseases.

As a husband, father and retired healthcare professional I personally think his attitude is reprehensible.

That he also regularly casts doubt on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines on Social Media seems to me to be close to ‘Professional misconduct’.

Should I just leave it, and not involve myself, even for his patients?

Suggestions welcome. Thank-you :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like
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I would be surprised if the health trust he works for doesn’t already heavily encourage their staff to have the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine. When I worked in the NHS about 5/6 years ago (in NHS commissioning, not provider trusts), both the organisation I worked for and the NHS provider trusts had huge campaigns to get staff vaccinated and to make it as easy as possible, including nurses going round departments jabbing staff during the working day.

Ultimately they cannot force staff to have the vaccines. Though I think some NHS Trusts were investigating whether it might be made a condition of employment.

I agree with you that your friend is being negligent by not protecting themselves and therefore their vulnerable patients and wife. It’s very sad.

I think if someone is an anti-vaxxer they are often pretty belligerent about their views and are unlikely to change them. You could try, for your own peace of mind at least, but I wouldn’t hold much hope of it working

3

A good husband is a blessing for a woman with MS (say I, with feeling). There are a thousand characteristics of being a good husband that are more important than his vaccination status.

I think a good friend is a blessing for a person married to someone with a chronic progressive neurological disorder. Life can be tough. Your job, I would suggest, is to be a good friend to him. Good friends agree to disagree. Even when they’re really, really getting on each others’ nerves. Maybe especially then.