Episode Post-Mortem: 7x07 "A Pox on our House"

[soophelia.livejournal.com]

This is the after-airing post. Discuss any and all aspects of the House/Wilson relationship or friendship pertaining to the episode here. Have fun, but be respectful of each other. Please contact the mods if there is any inappropriate language or behavior that you cannot resolve amicably amongst yourselves.

If you have meta/reaction posts in your journal that you would like to share with the community, please link to them in the comments and I will compile a list here in the main post so that they are all in the same place and people can find them easily. Thank you, and happy viewing!

Meta/Reaction Posts
http://taiga13.dreamwidth.org/89587.html

Comments

[lifes-own-light.livejournal.com]

I haven't read all the comments, but wanted to stop by and rant a bit. I'm sure someone has discussed it, but I just kept thinking (and proclaiming to the TV) that House would likely have been vaccinated for smallpox. All of my immediate family except for me has. It's been eradicated for 30, yes, because of the vaccine. I know there are mutations and such, but the fact that smallpox was widely vaccinated for until 30 yrs ago is a rather large factor to ignore in what was tonight's scare. That disappointed me. Also, Wilson wants babies with Sam? Ick.

[aileb42.livejournal.com]

I didn't think of that, but you are definetly right, House would have been vaccinated, Taub also. They should have addressed that, and it does kind of change my opinion of the ep a little, which I liked cause it does seem like a mistake, unless the vaccine wears off, like many do. Otherwise he shouldn't have been him in such danger as they made him out to be.

[pgrabia.livejournal.com]

You have a good point there. I was vaccinated but a year later my husband wasn't because it was considered unnecessary. Would small pox be something that you would need boosters for? (Oh, and House would be 12 yrs older than me so he would have been vaccinated if he was real :) )

[leakey-lover.livejournal.com]

Some of the vaccinations that we got as kids seem to be wearing off, which is one theory behind the recent reappearance of whooping cough in adults. Jury's still out, I think, but it's possible.

[pgrabia.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's like Tetanus--boosters are recommended every 5-10 years. Since small pox was considered eradicated (which it isn't--it's the perfect bioweapon so someone's culturing it) there've been no boosters. I wonder.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

The old whole-cell whooping cough vaccine (what I got as a kid, decades ago) did not provide long-lasting immunity. It was given only to children up to their 6-year vaccines, because they get a far more severe disease than adults. The acellular vaccine now used, again was given only to kids until recently when they found that the immunity also wears off. Except the acellular vaccine does not cause much reaction, and they found that vaccinating adults would also protect babies under 2 months of age.

Another theory is that the pertussis bacteria are becoming resistant to the acellular vaccine.

[lifes-own-light.livejournal.com]

You guys bring up an interesting point with the possibility that the vaccine wears off. A quick internet search suggests that, yes, indeed the vaccine does tend to wear off in about ten years unless boostered. Wish this discussion would've been brought up on the show. Oh, well. There were aspects of the show I enjoyed. I thought the case was interesting other than the lack of dealing with the vaccination issue -- and while I'm on that, wouldn't the whole team have been vaccinated/boostered at the onset of the case; they even attempted it on the girl. Anyways, I digress. I liked the overall story. Didn't like the Wilson/Sam stuff, though Wilson was cute with the kid. Hated Wilson suggesting Sam get pregnant. I know it fits with his need to be 'normal', but I guess I just don't want it to be with Sam. Glad there's still issues between House and Cuddy. Hoping for more House/Wilson scenes that are fun to watch, like the ones from the first 3 seasons. All they ever talk about any more is House's relationship with Cuddy.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Anyone born before 1972 would have received smallpox vaccine. The only people who receive smallpox vaccine now, are those scientists who work with smallpox, vaccinia or monkeypox virus, those who are suspected of having these diseases, and those who were likely to come in contact with them.

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

House would have been vaccinated, but his team may not be. I'm 37 and growing up I was the only one in my class who wasn't vaccinated because everyone else was a few months older; my mother took me to the doctor to be vaccinated at the right time but he told her that they didn't do it anymore. So Taub would be, maybe Foreman and Chase, but definitely not Masters. However, as someone else pointed out, House's and everyone else's vaccinations would have worn off by now. They would all have needed to be vaccinated again. (Note that I'm nowhere close to being a doctor.)