Flu Shot Study (no value in any influenza vaccine)

[JLH]

http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2012-1 ... ion-study/

Comments are interesting..........

[tex]

One of my favorite events of the fall season is watching my doctor's reaction when I decline a flu shot. LOL. Of course, after a couple of years, they will usually preface their sales pitch with something like, "I realize you usually don't take the flu shot, but . . ."

Thanks for the link.

Tex

[ldubois7]

How about when you call a pharmacy around here, the first thing they say is...."Can I schedule you for a flu shot today?" Someone is making money off us, and we all know who it is! :)

[Zizzle]

Wow, where's that research been hiding!? I haven't had a flu shot in at least 8 years, and I never will again, despite my by-the-book rheumatologist encouraging one. I love how they recommend them for patients on immune suppressing drugs, as if their immune system will even mount the appropriate response to make the shot effective!:roll:

Here's the original source, the widely respected Cochrane Collaboration:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 4/abstract


Vaccines to prevent influenza in healthy adults

Over 200 viruses cause influenza and influenza-like illness which produce the same symptoms (fever, headache, aches and pains, cough and runny noses). Without laboratory tests, doctors cannot tell the two illnesses apart. Both last for days and rarely lead to death or serious illness. At best, vaccines might be effective against only influenza A and B, which represent about 10% of all circulating viruses. Each year, the World Health Organization recommends which viral strains should be included in vaccinations for the forthcoming season.

Authors of this review assessed all trials that compared vaccinated people with unvaccinated people. The combined results of these trials showed that under ideal conditions (vaccine completely matching circulating viral configuration) 33 healthy adults need to be vaccinated to avoid one set of influenza symptoms. In average conditions (partially matching vaccine) 100 people need to be vaccinated to avoid one set of influenza symptoms. Vaccine use did not affect the number of people hospitalised or working days lost but caused one case of Guillian-Barré syndrome (a major neurological condition leading to paralysis) for every one million vaccinations. Fifteen of the 36 trials were funded by vaccine companies and four had no funding declaration. Our results may be an optimistic estimate because company-sponsored influenza vaccines trials tend to produce results favorable to their products and some of the evidence comes from trials carried out in ideal viral circulation and matching conditions and because the harms evidence base is limited..

[DebE13]

I've not had a flu shot in years. I stopped the year my son and I got a flu shot and the worst flu ever. We both got it at the same time and it was awful. I ended up painting the hallway and bathroom after my son showed me what projectile vomiting was. After a good cleaning and disinfecting, of course.

[Lesley]

I got the worst flu ever, which turned into bronchitis and then pneumonia in the only year I didn't get a shot.
I had D + vomiting, both ends at once. I sometimes think that was the harbinger of MC for me.