Many lives might be saved if inoculations against cow flu were routinely administered to all people in areas where the disease is detected However since there is a small possibility that the person will die as a result of the inoculations we cannot permit

The author states that routine inoculations should not be administered because there is a small possiblity that a person will die from the inoculations. On the other hand, the author also states that many lives can be saved if inoculations were routinely administered. The validity of the author's argument is questionable and is in need of further evidence.

The evidence presented by the author lacks significant quantification. The author states that inoculation will save many lives, but inoculation will also cause a small possiblity of death. What are the relative numbers between people who are saved versus people who die from the vaccination? How small is the possiblity of death? If the possiblity of death is less than 0.1%, then the benefit of saving many lives from the disease far outweighs the chance of death. Without more clear numbers to elucidate the magnitude between lives saved and deaths caused, the author's statement is unwarranted.

Moreover, the author provides no consideration of medical expense in his statement. What are the costs associated with treating patients who contract the flu versus the costs of vaccination? If the medical bill from getting treatment for the flu is significantly more than the cost of the vaccine, then it might be more beneficial for people to get the inoculation even if there is a small chance of death. Thus, the author needs to consider the financial implication to the people and to society in his recommendation to permit inoculation.

Additionally, the author neglects to mention how the flu is spread among the people. Can the disease be passed via air? How quickly do people show symptoms from the disease? A flu that spreads rapidly with symptoms that manifest slowly can be dangerous for society. For example, the spread of SARS in China and Hong Kong caused widespread disruption and fear. Without more understanding of the ramifications and effects of the cow flu on society, the author can not make the blanket statement of not permiting vaccination. Even if there is a small possiblity of death, can the flu be eradicated if all the people received the inoculation. Chicken Pox is a great modern example of a disease that have been eradicated due to mandatory vacination. At the expense of small death to remove the chance of cow flu in the future seems to be a worth trade off.

Consequently, there are many aspects for the author to explore before he or she can assert that routine vacination should not be administered. The positive and negative effects need to be examined in more details.