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Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Ramon Maldonado-Cardenas grimaced as he got a flu shot from pharmacy student Khoa Truong in Sacramento, Calif., last fall. He was protected early from this year's flu season.
It’s been a remarkably mild flu season so far this year, with far fewer reports of the fever, coughing, aches and pains that usually make winter so miserable.
Of the laboratory samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the second week of January, only about 3.7 percent have come back positive for flu, compared with about 26 percent of those tested at the same time last year, records show.
Visits for flu symptoms are only about half the national baseline, and when CDC plots the spread of flu on a national map, it shows only minimal or low flu-like illness nationwide.
So far, Colorado is the only state to report even regional flu activity, and local activity has been reported in eight states. Everywhere else has reported only sporadic flu activity -- or none at all.
But even the mildest flu season doesn’t mean people should be complacent about getting vaccinated against the bug, experts say.
Those who haven’t gotten their shots yet probably still should, said Dr. Neil Fishman, an associate professor of medicine and infectious disease and associate chief medical officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
“I think we have yet to see the peak,” he added. “Influenza can be a serious disease resulting in anywhere from 36,000 to 43,000 deaths each year. So I would still get vaccinated.’
Flu seasons are quite variable and can start as early as October and run as late as May, according to the CDC. They often don’t peak until February.
But statistics show that most people who are going to get vaccinated do so by the holidays, with only about 20 percent of all flu shots doled out between December and May. About 36 percent of people in the U.S. older than six months had received flu shots by early November, according to the CDC. That was slightly more than the same time last year.
There are two theories as to why this season seems so mild, Fishman said. One -- which would predict little increase -- is that we’re benefiting from an increased rate of vaccinations in children. In fact, about 37 percent of kids had been vaccinated by November, up from about 31 percent the previous year.
The other theory is that the season just hasn’t really kicked off yet. If that’s true, some folks who thought they could get by without a flu shot this year might wish they’d gotten the jab after all.
While there was a time that the CDC suggested flu shots only for people at especially high risk, the agency currently recommends the vaccine for anyone over 6 months of age.
That change in recommendations hasn’t percolated down to average Americans, though. Many still think the annual flu shot is just for the very old and those with respiratory conditions.
One clear sign of that complacency comes from a study of the response to the swine flu in 2009. Even when the nation was obsessing over that version of the flu, just 1 in 5 adults aged 36 to 39 actually got vaccinated in 2009, according to a new University of Michigan report that looked at the flu-related behaviors and attitudes of Generation X.
Many reported being concerned about the bug, but that didn’t translate into high rates of immunization against a flu that was especially dangerous among children and young adults. The author of the study suspects the low rate of immunization is related to how we’ve come to view the flu.
“I think historically young people think the flu affects older people,” said Jon Miller, director of the longitudinal study of American Youth at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. “Most people in Generation X have never experienced a major epidemic of any kind.”
Fishman hopes to see a change in people’s attitude towards flu vaccinations.
“This is still the largest cause of vaccine-preventable death in this country,” Fishman said.
What do you do if you can't figure out whether your child has a cold or the flu? Dr. Roshini Raj describes the different systems and offers strategies for preventing both ailments.
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New flu virus in three Iowa kids raises concern about wider spread
Leave a Comment:
i'm sorry, blah blah what?
thanks, but i'll skip the shot, just like i have every year so far.
Just because the bubonic plague or the 1918 flu isn't decimating our population it doesn't mean that you shouldn't take common sense steps towards preventing diseases if such steps exist.
I'd like for you to demonstrate with evidence that the flu waxes and wanes with direct correlation to flu vaccine uptake starting in the past 20 years. Heck you can even give us the last 10 years of flu statistics and the flu vaccine uptake statistics so we can decide for ourselves if the shot is worth it.
Don't even try. No such evidence exists!
The flu shot is a scam!
I wouldn't want to piss off that guy in the picture.
I have had one flu shot since 1986. That flu shot had me so sick I was out of work for 4 days. The years that I have not had a flu shot, I missed one day of work from the flu or other virus. So, in 24 years with no flu shot one lost day, one year with flu shot 4 days lost.
For some, a flu shot may be a good idea, for me, I will pass.
I haven't had a flu shot in 10 years. I get a bad sinus cold once in a while, but it's been 3 years since I had one! Even flying twice in the winter never got sick. I like to save that shot for someone who realyy needs it.
I very rarely get sick. This past year I skipped the flu shot and actually caught a cold! Got to miss 2 days of work which hasn't happened in over 8 years. Next year I'll miss my shot again just so I can get a couple days off again!
All of you with your "I don't get sick" attitude towards vaccines, I say good for you! You live in the United States of America. Try going to African countries with your no-vaccines, holistic, all-natural attitude and see how long you last. Try going to countries were they tell you not to drink the water and tell us how good that all-natural non-filtered water is for you. You'll quickly find that nature will kick your butt in a New York minute.
You guys have some crazy ideas about vaccines. Poisonous? Dangerous? You mean more poisonous than the diseases that the prep your immune system for? They don't work because you don't get sick? Fallacious reasoning.
Let me ask you this: are ANY of you scientists? Do ANY of you know how vaccines are made or how they work in the body? Where do you people get this "vaccines are bad for you" information from?
Who are you quoting with the "vaccines are bad for you" quotation above? The position of many here is that they aren't necessary and/or don't work. There are plenty of scientists that say that too. I don't have to be a scientist to understand that there is still a lot of question about the flu shot's effectiveness.
With the "flu virus" changing every year its a guess on what type of flu will be every year. So if they dont know what kind of virus it is, how the heck are they getting these vaccines ready many months in advance?
I agree with Robert, the vaccine is a scam.
Ask around, people who never get the flu shot almost never get the flu. For those that think vaccines are medicine and are very good for your body, do your research from the other perspective. You'll have a different view. Look up some videos online about DOCTORS talking against vaccines. If you dont look at it from another perspective, then dont say vaccines are good. Stop being sheep, use your head.
"Experts agree, get your flu shot now"
Translation - Big Pharma needs earnings, so hurry.
Just another article pandering or serving someone..
Like benranz2 in 1.4-I had a flu shot in 1976 as required to work in a medical field. I got so sick I almost died. Truly I did. That was the Swine flu type that had hurt others too. No more for me. Dr. said so, and if anyone tried to tell me again that I had to have a flu shot, I'd tell them all about their magical flu vaccine and how people can react to it. And I'd probably have to tell the expert up yours. As politely as possible, of course.
Robert, how is it a scam? Is it that it doesn't protect people from getting the flu? Because it does. It's not 100% effective, but it's not 0% or even 10% effective in the general population.
Please explain to us how the flu shot is a scam.
A messenger: Toxicity is all about dosage. You can kill yourself by ingesting enough caffeine. Should we make coffee illegal?
If vaccines are witchcraft, then where are the masses of dead bodies from vaccines? If vaccines are a hoax, then why are polio and measles incidences a minute fraction of what they were before the vaccines came into existence?
I AM a scientist, and I know how they work. Vaccines work and they are safe!!! They have been EXTENSIVELY tested. Just because you've never had the flu, doesn't mean you never will. And just because a few people coincindentally get sick after a vaccine doesn't mean the vaccine caused the illness. Get your shots, people!!!
And nothing more. Exactly right.
Don't want to be sick like a dog? Then don't get the shot.
Let somebody else be big pharma's guinea pig.
Eat right, wash and disinfect your hands, and avoid touching your face, nose and eyes unnecessarily. And take vitamins. Best way to dodge the flu.
yeah freakin right.. how come you guys dont report on the deaths that occur from these vaccines? or is that a no no with your buddies whos asses you cover in Washington?
off topic but ridiculous debate you had monday night.. i dont trust you to cover the special olympics much less a presidential debate..
I'll just keep washing my hands like an OCD sufferer, keep avoiding people who have the flu, and keep NOT getting the flu shot like I do every year. And you know what? I'll be fine.
Truly alarming to see so many uninformed conspiracy theorists in this discussion. Whether you think the flu shot is safe and effective boils down to your assessment of who is a more reliable source: virtually the entire body of evidence-based medical professionals who say that it is safe and effective...or uncredentialed fearmongers peddling anecdotes and a Bachmann-esque worldview. Strictly speaking, the fearmongers could be right, but if you think they're more authoritative than scientists, it's seriously time to get your wig examined! I get a flu shot in the hopes that I personally avoid the flu, but also because of a sense of responsibility to the society I live in to help break the chain of infectious disease. It's like washing your hands before preparing someone else's food. Evidence shows it works, social responsibility highly favors it, and the detractors need to get their wigs examined.
Appeal to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam) - classic logical fallacy.
No it's not appealing to authority, it's appealing to experts. You and I know far less about immunology and medicine than doctors and researchers. That is a simple fact. So if the vast majority say there is no evidence to support the notion that vaccines are dangerous or useless, then I find it hard to argue against that.
You may think that ignoring experts is logical. But think about this: For every decision you make everyday, do you go out and collect all of the pertinent information by yourself, sometimes doing research and experiments on your own when that information isn't available? Or do you ever indulge in the word of an expert?
@Stop The Hypocrisy: Appeal to authority is not per se a fallacy. In fact, its proper use is usually a strong inductive argument. Improper appeal to authority (fallacious) occurs when the assumed authority does not derive from relevant expertise or when the limits inherent to the inductive logic are exceeded by the argument. Taking medical advice from credentialed public health professionals is a good example of proper, nonfallacious appeal to authority, and taking medical advice from online conspiracy theorists is a good example of improper, fallacious appeal to authority.
I have NEVER in my life, EXCEPT within 12 months of getting a "flu shot," had the flu... (ALSO, allergic to thimerisol; sp?)
Beat the jab-happy medical techs off with a stick. Now... how to get them off my kids, who also haven't been sick with flu-like symptoms the last few years of no jabs...? Usually, I just say, "We had it..." which was funny when it came to "swine flu" bc. apparently NOBODY had it. It was a scam. They looked at me wide-eyed and eventually stuttered, "Uh... ok..."
LOL
RE 1.19: It's not a conspiracy theory... Some vaccines are good. For instance DTAP for babies. Some vaccines are a blatant soft-kill tactic. For instance, vaccinating CHILDREN for varicella, when it kills ADULTS. The seasonal flu shot is a scam because THEY ARE JUST GUESSING. Some viruses like influenza and rhinovirus mutate at incredible rates (like with every infected host) ... Better to develop a vaccine for stupidity...
Oh, and a double-post bc I ran out of time: There is even evidence that polio (still very extant in the environment) was defeated NOT by vaccine, but by hygiene...
Really, hygiene, breastfeeding your babies,staying home when sick and taking care of your immune system are a far better solution to the "problem" of illness than the jabs...
They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger... Not salmonella poisoning; How about a vaccine for that... Oh yeah, hygiene, again.
Saying everyone needs to get a flu shot is ridiculous, at best.
Poilo and small pox are starting to make a comeback in this country because of the anti-vaccine craze, which is based on a LIE by the way. Yes, we did wipe those diseases out in this country, yes people in this country can still get it because people travel to other countries where it has not been wiped out. Therefore it is still important to be vaccinated against it.
No, I'm not a sheep, I'm a scientist. I know how this stuff works, I have this thing called an education, which is not brainwashing. If the information you got from education was false then you wouldn't be able to observe it in the reality around you. Louis Pasteur was no hack. Hygiene alone does not account for the reduction in disease and the improvement in the quality of life that we have seen (and obviously become complacent with) in America.
The two real dangers of vaccines are thus:
The anti-vaccine craze is dangerous, and the people who propogate it are a threat to public health. Period.
Your assertion that smallpox is making a comeback because of the anti-vac "craze" is patently false. You might have a point except that, in general, people aren't vaccinated against smallpox in the general course of vaccine schedules. People are only vaccinated for smallpox when traveling to an area where it is prevalent. Same with yellow fever and some types of encephalitis... Smartmama's point re. polio myelitis was not garbage, though she was a little bit off the mark. The reason polio infections go largely unreported/undiagnosed is because the only opportunity would be post-mortem. Aseptic meningitis is extremely aggressive and kills fast after the onset of symptoms, so it is generally something treated empirically according to the nature of symptoms; exact, specific diagnoses would waste valuable time in which meningitis could be treated. That being said there are a number of viral/non-viral causes for aseptic meningitis BESIDES polio, like leptospirosis (which btw, you can get vaccinated but if you have low potential for exposure, would be overkill, because of vaccine potential side-effects including full-on infection).
Recently there was an outbreak in my area of pertussis among a population of high school aged kids. Thing is, they had all been vaccinated as children. Pertussis, while potentially lethal to very small children, DOES NOT ACT THE SAME WAY IN ADULTS, thus only small children are vaccinated, provided immunity for a number of years and then not vaccinated further. Vaccine immunity is less likely to create a "lifetime" immunity than actually coming down with the disease. In fact, the vaccine for chicken pox has been shown to provide immunity for only about five years. Are you willing to argue that it is better to vaccinate children who are generally only mildly affected by a virus from which they will gain lifetime immunity? Is it better to create an adult population that is heavily susceptible to a lethal (to adults) virus that they can easily catch from their children who have been recently vaccinated (it is a live-virus vaccine and often is the culprit in isolated outbreaks in recent years)?
These arguments are all semantics. personally, I am not anti-vaccine, per se, just anti-unnecessary-vaccine. It is important that there continue to be open discussion of this subject as there is much information/disinformation available, both from the pharmaceutical companies AND the larger scientific community. FLU SHOTS ARE A SCAM.
Ok cool I will take the 26 above stories as anecdotal evidence and throw away decades of research, results, and understanding of immunology. Because hey if you all say it's a scam, it must be!
Diatribe, please learn more about mutation vs conservation of genetic material, plus the difference between a virus and bacteria (and how our innate and adaptive responses differ for each type of infection) before your next post.
Good advice MMMMbeer. Maybe we should learn how an infant's immune system matures from innate to adaptive immunity before we stick them with so many shots. Since we are acting like we understand all of this.
Thanks I will. I try to always be learning. I don't accept what the medical INDUSTRY tells me, blindly, at face-value like a device being programmed. As I said in my last post above,"... It is important that there continue to be open discussion of this subject as there is much information/disinformation available, both from the pharmaceutical companies AND the larger scientific community."
While anecdotal evidence does not, in some way, discount medical industry findings, it DOES suggest a bigger picture.
My comment about smallpox (and a later one regarding Plague, and I'd add the 1918 influenza pandemic) was a point about the short-sightedness of looking at epidemiology through a test tube, which is what we are doing when we look at vaccines as some type of "cure" or "solution" because, in truth, they are not. A rare case where vaccination has played such a role is in Great Britain, where rabies was eliminated many decades ago. However, the isolate nature of it being an island, separated by discouraging (for animals who might swim to GB) distance from the mainland of Europe, likely played a greater role. Decreases in Northern Europe of plague incidence had more to do with a decrease in the number of carrier rodents and fleas over time. The point is, there IS a bigger picture and the TRUTH is that rates of infectious disease DECREASE as living standards INCREASE. The coincidence (co-incidence) of vaccine discoveries, and rapid development of modernised living standards, with decreases in rates of infectious diseases are arguably as much the result of correlation as causation.
Like I said, I'm not anti vaccine. I try to not indulge in too much intellectual dishonesty by simply discarding, out of hand, information that disagrees with what I've already learned. Maybe before your next snarko reply, you'll think of an answer to the varicella question. I'd be interested in your take; it just is not so open and shut a case for vaccination from my view. I will, however, continue to not get flu shots... I'll let the folks that want the spurious sense of not having to be concerned with the flu... have it.
Never had a flu shot. I don't think I've ever had the flu as an adult. I haven't even had a bad cold the past couple of years.
My doctor didn't even suggest the flu shot to me this year.
Yes, this is BS! Never get the flu shot and haven't had a flu since I was in my early twenties. Now, I am in my forties. If you want to avoid the flu stay away from sugar!! Eat right.
@economykiller:
Who's your doctor, Dr. Moreau LOL
I was alive before you could be vaccinated for anything... Back then we died from small pox, polio, whooping cough, etc.
Believe me, the risk from vacination is far less, also just because the lucky few are immune to colds and flu as they brag here.... doesn't mean you are...
As far as I am concerned, go ahead and skip your vaccinations, the world has too many people in it now..:{)
Skipping the flu shot is not even comparable to skipping a small pox vaccine. For 90% of folks, the flu is a mild inconvenience.
Our body has the ability to heal itself. We do NOT have to inject poison into our bloodstream. There are so many proactive approaches to increase your immunity... exercise, proper nutrition, stress reduction, proper rest and of course... CHIROPRACTIC CARE! It's all about removing interference and allowing the body to function the way it was designed. Remember... GOD did not build junk! Better health through better chemistry is a lie!
Yes, because we all know the flu virus hides in sugar. Oh, and you're suggesting eating right to do what? Boost your immune system? That's what vaccines do, believe it or not (probably not, but you aren't from olde yankee's generation).
@olde yankee-685649 I wish more of my generation had (or at least appreciate) the experiences that you went through. Maybe then they wouldn't have all of these crazy ideas about vaccines.
Those are good methods, but they don't cause your body to produce specific antibodies to diseases that you've never been exposed to before. They allow your body to produce antibodies more readily, but they do not cause you to produce antibodies that are specific to diseases you have not yet been exposed to. Vaccines do, and they are not dangerous unless you have Guillian-Barre Syndrome. Which is rare.
Thank you ManFromNantucket for having a rational view on vaccines. To add to what you've said, you can also acquire Guillian-Barre Syndrome from a natural influenza infection at the same rate as from the influenza vaccine (so it's not the vaccine).
The funny thing about vaccines, is that once they actually start working in the larger population, people become convinced that they never needed them in the first place. LOL! Such short memories.
I know. And then you get the crazy people who crawl out of the woodwork claiming that vaccines are part of the "Evil Conspiracy" hatched by the all-powerful, all-seeing, malevolent Government.
You know, I really don't get these paranoid schizophrenics and their obsession with the "Evil Conspiracy". Everything is a part of the Evil Conspiracy. Vaccines are a part of the Evil Conspiracy. Flouride is a part of the Evil Conspiracy. The plastic tips on your shoelaces are a part of the Evil Conspiracy. Party Rock Anthem is a part of the Evil Conspiracy (I kid you not, this one crazy person started going off on YouTube about how LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem was a part of the vaccine and flouride induced dumbing down of our culture and that it was part of a big conspiracy)! Next thing you know washing your hands will be a part of the Evil Conspiracy. It's like these people can't feel that their life is important unless there is an Evil Conspiracy that is out to "get them".
I swear IF there is an Evil Conspiracy, it's probably concentrated towards convincing people not to get vaccinated, or brush their teeth, and other unhealthy crap like that. When you reduce the hygene of a population you reduce its overall health which would cause the "excess" population to die off. But you know, it's probably just people's willingness to believe in nonsense at work.
The funny thing is that doesn't apply to the flu vaccine. Less than 40% of people even take the vaccine. Not nearly enough for what the so called expert authorities say is needed for herd immunity. Most of those are the elderly in whom the vaccine works very little because of poor immune response.
The flu vaccine is a scam. Take at your own risk and with faith.
What risk?! The risk of dying because your body temperature got too high (oh, sorry that's one of the risks that comes with the flu)? Or the non-existant risk of becoming autistic, which even if that was a possibility that's soooooo much worse than death by infectious disease right?
Seriously, if you don't have Guillian-Barre Syndrome you've got nothing to worry about.
Actually guillian-barre syndrome is NOT the only reason you cannot be vaxed. Anyone who has family history of ANY auto immune disorder or if the person has one themself should not get any vaccines because their immune system is already compromised. and ecsema (spelling?) is considered an auto immune disorder so even people with that shouldnt be vaxed. Vaccines do not boost your immune system in anyway yes they are made to create antibodies to reconize a disease if you come in contact with it NOT make you immune to it. It sets your body up to fight the disease, however all the preservatives (toxins, chemicals) ruin this effect and most of the vaccines are useless, most diseases numbers dropped BEFORE vaccines were introduced, and polio is still around its just diagnosed as something else AND if vaccines were SO SAFE then there wouldnt be VAERS who pays out billions of dollars to families with children injured or killed by vaccines. All vaccines are a SCAM not just the the flu shot, however that is the biggest one and are all just money makers for pharma companies WHO by the way have something in place to PROTECT them from ever being sued or taken to court for any injury or death caused buy their vaccines SO if they cannot be held accountable for a death or injury caused by their vaccines do you really think they care about what they are made of and if they are safe. i dont think so!
Okay, wait just a minute, here:
Not to be rude, Smartmama111, but your entire post is just crammed full of nonsense. To address the excerpt above:
(1) A lot of diseases were beaten back to some extent through improved education, sanitation, and vector elimination (e.g., reducing the number of disease carriers, such as rodents and mosquitoes) before effective vaccines were developed. The vaccines do in fact work, and diseases which were impossible to control through other means were finally conquered by vaccines. Yellow fever and the plague come immediately to mind. Also, polio, which brings us to...
(2) The idea that polio is still around, but that it's being kept hush-hush by medical professionals who are calling it something different is nothing short of nuts. What could possibly have led you to think something crazy like this? There are still incidences of polio in, I believe, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and in the area of the Niger Bend in Africa, but every year we come closer to eliminating it entirely.
(2) I know I'm going to regret asking this, but, if vaccines don't work, how did we eliminate smallpox? Or do you have the idea that smallpox is still around under a different name, too?
Now with regard to the polio vaccine, a friend recently said:
"Contrary to popular medical spun tales, Polio wasn't eradicated in the 1950's. On the contrary the Salk & Sabin vaccine, laced with SV40 diseased Green Monkey kidney virus, merely created a new subset of Poliomyelitis known as Aseptic Meningitis ... in addition to a cats cradle of hitherto unknown neuro-degenerative disorders & rare forms of cancer."
An article he linked gives an idea of the number of cases involved:
'These days, when a vaccinee develops poliomyelitis, it may not be called poliomyelitis; instead, it may be called viral or aseptic meningitis, ascending paralysis (Guillain-Barre syndrome), cerebral palsy (over 75 per cent of cases are not diagnosed at birth but after six months) or other such names. There are 30,000 to 50,000 cases of aseptic meningitis every year in the United States. Considering that the vast majority (99 per cent) of the reported cases in the pre-vaccine era were non-paralytic and would have corresponded to aseptic or aviral meningitis, then vaccination has actually increased the incidence of poliomyelitis. In the pre-vaccine era, such high numbers only occurred in some epidemics. Now, such numbers occur every year, year by year.'
smallpox was not eradicated by vaccines it was due to better safer water and sanitation as well as healthier eating, as goes with any disease staying active and eathing healthy foods not from packages loaded up with sugar and food dyes and god know what else! not here to argue ive done plenty of research to come to my decision about vaccines. i know my family is safe and healthy and thats all i need to know.
Sorry what article claims vaccination increased polio incidence? I highly doubt it came from a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Smartmama111: I mean no disrespect, and I'm not going argue. You say you've done research to come to your conclusions; would you be so good as to provide some references? I'd like to see what information you're relying on, since none of what you're saying correlates with anything I understand to be true.
I'm not being snarky or condescending, here. I really would like to see where you're getting your information.
Thanks for your help.
See the problem with most people is the just believe what their doctors tell them and never look into anything for themselves, There are TONS of information out there you just have to find it and make the decision yourself vaccines are reccomendation NOT a requirement as doctors lead you to believe. The ingredients ALONE in vaccines should make you question them:
If vaccines were harmless VAERS wouldnt exist and only 1% of vaccine injuries are reported so there are far more out there that have gone unreported
"Polio: An American Story" by David Oshinsky is something you could pick up and read as well. Among plenty of other books written about vaccines by doctors themselves you can visit any barns and nobles and read a few.
Seriously there is ALOT out there about vaccines and i cant just go searching for stuff i read months ago, 2 years ago etc you just have to sift through it all and decided for your self whats true and whats not and whats best for you and your family
The scientist who created the original polio vaccine came out himself and said that his vaccine indeed did contain SV40 and this DID cause cancer and those who recieved the vaccine then are the ones with cancer now, no im sorry i dont know where the link is for this but its out there and i dont have anymore time to do research.
and for some reasons the links i included did not show up?
Sorry that's a cop out. If you have evidence, present it. Otherwise, don't make claims you can't back up.
or your just a lazy arrogant ass who choses to believe what they are told instead of doing any research for themselves
Uh, no need for the name-calling.
You made an assertion and haven't presented evidence to support it. I have researched this issue and the evidence I've looked at disagrees with your position. So if you want to help me understand your position, show me some evidence to sway me.
Wait... a vaccine for plague?... Like bubonic? It is a bacterial infection. Explain, please.
@diatribe:
Yes, there has been an effective vaccine against bubonic plague for 50 years or more. I received the vaccination in 1976, and it had been around for decades before that.
I understand the vaccine is not particularly effective against the nastier, pneumonic, form, but it's extremely effective against regular bubonic plague. Both forms of the disease are the same bacterium, Yersinia pestis, it's just the mode of transmission that differs.
Way to weaken the population's immune system. Maybe in generation our immune systems will be so weakened from not fighting a yearly flu that if you DO manage to catch the flu, it will kill you.
Your immune system is your body's "army". What a vaccine does is basically teach that army to recognize an enemy's "uniform" so they're prepared to fight them as soon as they see them. Otherwise they would have to wait for an actual invasion - with casualties - before they would know the danger and then there's a learning curve, which can take weeks. You don't weaken an army by giving it advance warning and allowing it to prepare for a possible future invasion.
If an army used resources to fight off a "preinvasion", that would make them weaker. there would still be casualties. your immune system jumps into action even as a result of the vaccine, I think your analogy is wrong. as another poster said should I flood my house with water constantly to prevent fires? that's a better analogy. and even if the shot worked they guess at to which 3 flu strains will be most active so if you get any other strain the shot did nothing. and if you are exposed to the strains in your vacine you sill get sick just reduced by a few days. And everyone i know that has gotten the shot has gotten sick, not as bad as full blown level 10 flu but a level 10 cold, level 3 flu. still miserable, and there was no guaranty they would have gotten sick at all if they did not get the shot. I have gotten the flu twice my entire life. my sister caught the swine flu while being pregnant and she said the swine flu was more mild than the regular flu even though the media was saying swine flu was worse. and ask yourself why was there cancer cells in the swine flu vaccine? is mercury really needed in the vaccines? they say mercury is bad but then inject you with it? Check on that cancer cell stuff, media actually reported on it, but only for 1 day. check it out type "swine flu vaccine cancer cells" in a search engine, I read it on yahoo news so you'lll have to find another source they only keep articles active for a few weeks.
Schrutes don't need flu shots!
We haven't had the flu for 2 years no, swine flu was during the summer and 98% was in people under 40
90 percent in kids under 18
I have never ever heard of anyone dying from the flu i don't know where they get the death rate numbers from
So I take it if you've never seen a murder before that people don't kill each other? Forgive me if I'm putting words in your mouth, but that sounds like the line of logic that you are using. And yes, there have been cases of the flu for the past 2 years. Just because the bubonic plague isn't decimating our population it doesn't mean that you shouldn't take common sense steps towards preventing diseases if such steps exist.
I have heard of people dying from flu before. My Grandfather died from the Flu. He was only 58.
There - now you've heard of it as well. 'kay?
My daughter almost died from the flu when she was 18 months. It was the most frightening thing we have ever experienced. We are so fortunate that she survived and is doing well since there are so many children who do die from this still. Please get your flu shots and get them EARLY!
I almost died from the flu in February 2002. I had a fever of 105F, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, you name it. I had my spleen removed in 1988 due to a car accident and was ordered by my doctor to get a flu shot every year. So I did, except for that one winter of 2001-2002 when there was a severe shortage due to people panicking after 9/11. I was 30 at the time, excersied avidly, and have always been conscious of eating healthily.
I haven't missed it since, and that was the only time in my life that I had the flu. A lot of people confuse the flu with the common cold -- they are NOT the same thing! I wouldn't wish the full-blown flu on my worst enemy.
It is NOT a minor inconvenience, unless you consider dying only a minor inconvenience!
The reason why its hard to find "deaths due to influenza" is because no one "dies" of the flu, they die of pneumonia....the morbidity and mortality has not significantly changed since the "vaccine" introduction. Your chances of death due to the WORST epidemic in history, as illustrated above, is less than 5% using inflated numbers from the 2009 propaganda. When I did research 30 years ago about the "Spanish influenza of 1918" (odd name as it started in Boston and spread in a short time to Kansas before going world wide w/WW1) the # of deaths in the U.S. was approx 500,000 in 1918, the population in the U.S. was about 130 million that's way less than a 1% chance of death...in the worst epidemic on earth. Global statistics are similar. 2 billion on the planet and 100 million die.....do the math (5% death rate "approximated")and this at a time when ASPIRIN had just lost its patent and many deaths were complicated by "aspirin poisoning" not to belittle that Heroin was a widely used new drug or the fact that the # 2 killer at the time was Tuberculosis !!!!! furthermore estimates are that between 25 and 50% actually came down with some symptoms and survived....not all infected died. The same is true with the flu today, if you want to eat/ drink junk, have questionable lifestyle (drugs,alcohol,etc) TAKE THE VACCINE.....you really don't care about your health anyway....only the strong should survive and "artificial immunization" is a great theory but read outside of the media and you learn the products produced are quite lacking in effectiveness. Your body is designed perfect, only choices made compromise health.
They die in under developed countries
This entire thread is filled with gross, appalling ignorance. "Your body is designed perfect" and all you need to do is eat right and exercise, and apparently you'll never have cancer, plague, mumps, or any other disease. Any evidence for those notions?
By the way, "I don't get vaccines, and I don't get sick" is not evidence, it is an anecdote.
No one dies from the flu? Are you people serious?!
I swear, if ignorance ever goes to $40 a barrel, I want drilling rights on your heads.
All right, my faith in my fellow Americans is completely shattered. I can't take this thread any more; I'm out of here.
Keep up the good fight, ManFromNantucket, Xina the Awesome, and you others in the reality-based community.
Man from Nan... You make good points, but the repeated use of bubonic plague as an example in this is intellectually dishonest. Not an accusation, just an observation.
The experts are wrong. I've heard too many stories from people I know who've taken ill after having flu shots. I say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I never had a flu shot and never will. I don't care what the so-called "experts" say.
Maybe this is an attempt to pump more dollars into the coffers of the pharmceutical companies???? Hmmm..
I'm sure that big Parma makes more money off of a pandemic where people are prescribing TamiFlu etc, Antibiotics, Decongestants, Cough Syrup etc. than they make off one measly flu shot.
Think about it - How much does a flu shot cost $10 maybe? Versus 10s of thousands of $$$ for a hospitalization.
By your reasoning the "consipracy" would be to convince you NOT to get a shot so they can make more money off the sick population.
The truth is that the number of campanies making vaccines has dropped dramatically. This is why we periodically have vaccine shortages. Pharmaceutical companies are gradually abandoning vaccines because the research, development, testing, and manufacture of vaccines are expensive and because the market to sell vaccines is much smaller than the market for other drug products.
Not even close to accurate. Many drug companies have stated that vaccines are their focus for the future. They're huge money-makers.
The thing is, what are they "ill" from? Is it the actual flu or something else? "Flu" is sometimes used as a catch-all for a number of different things. I, too, have heard those things, but it's always anecdotal, always happened in the past, or some other reason to make me question their experience, most specifically, that what they have is what the vaccine was fighting against. I had this discussion in the Fall. Someone said they got some illness in the same season they got the shot, and therefore concluded the shot didn't work. I had to explain that there are many other "critters" out there that could cause that, that the flu vaccine didn't protect against those, and that they were put on an anti-bacterial medication instead of what they would typically give someone for the flu.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I doubt it's happening in the frequency people are reporting, mostly because people truly don't exactly know what is going on. . .
ddic - there are currently 2 companies that make flu vaccine for the US. Of the 12 recommended vaccines for children - 7 are made by only one company, and only 1 is made by more than 2 companies.
This is because drug comapnies make far more money off of DRUGS than they do off of vaccines. This is fact. Look it up.
Show us the link where you learned this yourself. I'd be happy to take a look at it.
From the CDC:
How much influenza vaccine is projected to be available for the 2011-12 influenza season?
At the current time, six influenza vaccine manufacturers are projecting that as many as 166-173 million doses of influenza vaccine will be available from currently licensed manufacturers in the U.S. for use during the 2011-12 influenza season.
Well, I've gotten the flu shot every year since 1998. Never had a bad reaction from them, no allergies, etc. Last October, I got a shot and got sicker than a dog for a month and a half. Doctor said it was a reaction from the flu shot. I thought I had pnuemonia, thank God I didn't. Never again will I get one.
Let's walk through some facts, Robert:
As you pointed out above, about 30 to 40% of U.S. Americans get a flu shot every year. That's 120 million people or so.
Depending on the vaccine you get, the private sector costs are between $10 and $20: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/cdc-vac-price-list.htm. So let's say 40% of U.S. Americans all buy the most expensive flu vaccine (They won't because it's the live version, which not everyone can get. But for the sake of argument, say they all do.) If so, then that vaccine maker would earn $2.4 billion/year in flu vaccine sales.
Twelve drugs made more than $2.4 billion in sales in 2010: http://www.drugs.com/top200.html.
And $2.4 billion is an extreme overestimate on how much in sales pharma makes on the flu vaccine. 1) Not everyone buys the same vaccine, and definitely not the most expensive one. 2) Many people pay reduced, subsided prices for doses.
Even if one company, say Merck, made $2.4 billion on flu vaccines in a year, the money it makes on other drugs is far greater than that. In 2010, Merck made $7.8 billion on 11 drugs listed in the top 200 best-sellers alone. Say Merck only made those 11 drugs and that one vaccine: In that case, the vaccine sales would make up less than 25% of Merck's revenue in a year.
But of course, Merck sells more than 11 drugs and its vaccine doesn't make $2.4 billion in a year. So it is safe to say that vaccine sales make up significantly less than a quarter of major pharmaceutical companies' revenues--in keeping with Xina's original statement.
People do get ill after the flu shot. They were told the flu vaccine is to prevent those types of symptoms. In their haste to defend vaccine policy and their own personal actions, doctor are trained to say "well it wasn't the flu", "you didn't get the shot in time", or "you would have gotten sick anyway without the vaccine". All totally unscientific assertions.
Unfortunately they don't realize what a calloused response that is. The patient came to them for help. They left sick with flu like symptoms.
I have gotten the flu shot every year for hte last 30 years. I have never caught the flu from the shot. Have I had a low grade fever and some aches as side effects, some years yes, some no depending on the strain. If you think these mild "Flu like symptoms" are the same thing as getting the Flu, it's real obvious that you haven't had the flu in a looong time. The Flu is more than a bad cold. It knocks you into bed for days on end. Vomiting, chills, sweats, high fevers no appetite, cough, runny nose, etc.
My point is you might feel sick after getting the shot but it's a hell of a lot better than getting the real deal.
By your criteria, I've never had the flu. I'm in my 50s and have also never had the flu shot. The bonus? I've never had low-grade fever and aches as side effects. I guess my way is the healthier way, but you'll say I'm just lucky.
No I just say you are a moron.
Name calling is what the pro-vax propagandized like to do when they run out of facts or you just don't see things the way they do. Why don't you throw in crank, idiot, woo meister, tin foil hats, etc., also?
From your lame, inaccurate, uninformed post above on flu manufacterers, I'd say you're the moron.
Exaclty Robert. I find the name calling starts flying out when they cant come up with more facts. I love the tin foil hat comment. that always makes me laugh. Anyway, i agree, i will not waste my 10 bucks on a flu vaccinine. like most on here, i have had the flu shot one time, fell horribly ill for 8 days afterwards and never got another one again and havent had the flu since. I think i will take my chances.
People get ill, but is it the flu? Maybe the doctor is right, and it isn't the flu. Low-grade fevers are caused by a number of things. A few aches are caused by a number of things.
I've trust people's assertions, because I've seen too many examples of people exaggerating things that actually happened.
People get ill, but is it the flu? Maybe the doctor is right, and it isn't the flu. Low-grade fevers are caused by a number of things. A few aches are caused by a number of things.
I just don't trust people's observation, because I've seen too many examples of people exaggerating things that actually happened.
I agree on that too! Xina (is) the moron.
I've had the shot for the last couple of decades and have not gotten the flu. I did have a nastly cold about a month ago that hung on for over two weeks.
I had a flu shot last year and still got the flu, go figure. This year I skipped it.
Haven't had the flu in 20 years. Haven't had the shot in 18. Maybe I'll get the shot when I'm over 50.
I'm over fifty years old. You won't even need it then. Just stay healthy.
How bout this...If the sheep want to take their Flu shot go ahead! Just because I believe that I do not need it being a healthy 30 year old male, then thats my right!! People need to worry about themselves! I will do whatever the hell I want with my body! Remember folks..its American, not China or the Soviet Union!
Perhaps I'm missing something ... can you tell me exactly where someone said you HAD to get the flu shot? Of course it's a personal decision ... take it or don't.
Its last years flu shot and we all know the flu changes,so weakining my defense system to fight off last years flu just might leave we defenseless,kinda like the USA border and open to a new meanier flu...no thanks.
Why flood my house with water just because it might catch fire,sell the horse then leave the barn door open, just sayin.
I haven't gotten a flu shot in 40 years and have had the flu (mild) no more than twice during the same period. Also any shots you receive for the flu will not protect you from the bird flu virus which is the deadliest form.
my grandpa told me he never have the flu his entire life, when he was 78 his doctor convinced him to get the shot. he said that was the only year he got the flu and would never get the shot again, well he never got the shot again and he never got the flu again. and with cancer cells found in the swine fu vacine and mercury in the others not sure why I would want to trust my body to a pharmasutical company that is out to make as cheap as possible to pul the highest profit.
Take the nerve damaging mercury out of the shot and I would only "then" consider it !
All the sheeple follow the "herd" when the media shouts "fire"...if you have a compromised immune system you may want to get the shot for your peace of mind. Being over a certain age does not mean you need more protection unless your in poor health. Many years ago (and it still happens) Docs prescribed antibiotics for babies and kids who had colds-just in case...now we have super bugs that are not affected by antibiotics...No one knows what the hell the repercussions of all these flu shots will produce in years to come.
I got the flu shot once. While I didn't get the full-blown flu, it definitely made me sick for a few days. I prefer diligence to vaccination in this case. When flu season hits, wash your hands often, never touch your eyes or mouth until you wash or disinfect your hands, prepare your own food, etc. It has worked for me 10 years running *knocks on wood*. This is even more important for people in service jobs or who have constant contact with other people.
I don't believe the flu shot is a scam by any means, I just think that people's physiology differs enough for the vaccine to not be as effective in some people, or to even have adverse effects on them.
Virus change and mutate by the minute, the flu shot is the biggest hoax along with most vaccines, people do your homework and lets stop making big pharma super rich off of fear mongering!!!
Big Pharma is not getting "rich" off of vaccines.
Do your homework.
Telling people to "do your homework" proves nothing. Look for vaccine profits from the manufacturer, they're available and easy to find. Also why do you think Walmart, Target, CVS, Rit-Aid, and almost every supermarket has signs on the sidewalk outside or at the main entrance telling shoppers to "get your flu shot here"? To make money, that's why. And do you think the vaccine makers are giving them to these stores for free? Get a clue.
When your time's up, your time's up. Stop messing with your body. Nature knows best. It's not about living the longest it's about living the best and yes, vaccines mess us up! So do hormones and antibiotics added to our meats, and pesticides added to our produce. So do countless prescription drugs for sleeping problems, birth control, and making your eyelashes longer! Demand organic and cleanse your body!
What was great was when they were actually going to force physicians to get the shot, then they were like -- whoa wait a minute! It's a joke all you have to do is research how them make the shot and it's a total guess as to which strains are relevant. Then you've got all the extra crap in there which is just awful for you. Just make sure you're getting enough vitamin d and take common sense steps.
The best prevention for the flu is not the flu vaccine. It is maintaining one's immune system to optimal performance through 7-8 hours regular/restful sleep per 24 hours, nutrition that is primarily plant based foods and no to low sugars, regular restful periods that reduce stress including meditation or activities of enjoyment, regular cardio exercise and protecting oneself from extreme environmental conditions that require more energy from the body in order to maintain homeostasis.
Flu shots at best protect against only a few viruses that are considered to be potentially the most prolific of any given season. When in actuality, there are hundreds of strains of flu in any one season. So the flu shot may protect against 1% of the viruses that exist in the "flu season." That would hardly qualify the flu shot as the "best defense" against the flu.
These viruses exist all the time and everywhere in the world. It is only when the immune system breaks down that we become ill. We have to accept that our health is our responsibility. And maintaining a healthy immune system is the "best" way to prevent ourselves from getting sick. Relying on pharmaceutical medicine is a fallacy. It's there when we absolutely need it, temporarily. But it should never be considered a regular part of our health.
Though the medical community claims that vaccinations and antibiotics are responsible for longer lives, it is really clean water and better sewage and garbage disposal systems that have allowed people to be healthier and live longer. If pharmaceuticals were helping people live longer and have better lives, why are we at the peak of age expectancy and people are requiring more health care rather than less? The answers are simple. But one has to be honest with themselves and do the research.
great post. thanks for adding a bit of common sense to this debate. bottom line is we shouldn't beat each other up about the flu shot. it is not mandatory. the real debate is the fact that colleges are now requiring young girls to receive the gardisil vaccintaion before admittance. this scares me. much like living in a communistic country~
Gardasil... 99.9% of the time HPV (warts) is spontaneously shed by the host.
People, Pharmaceutical companies do not push vaccines to make money. Vaccines are just not big money makers for drug companies. The time and money that has to go into developing these vaccines is barely worth it. This is why more and more comapnies are getting out of the vaccine buisness and we have periodic shortages of vaccine.
Vaccines are used at most several times in a lifetime; drugs are often used every day. Therefore, the market for drugs is much greater than the market for vaccines. For example, the conjugate pneumococcal vaccine for children (Prevnar), the highest-revenue-generating vaccine, has annual gross U.S. sales of about $1 billion. But markets for cholesterol-lowering agents; hair-loss products; potency drugs; and drugs for heart disease, obesity, or neurological problems are often $7 billion per drug or more. (Annual revenues for Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering agent, are greater than revenues for the entire worldwide vaccine industry.)7
Because of the large private market for drugs, many companies compete to make similar products; however, no other company has made a pneumococcal vaccine for children. Of the twelve vaccines routinely recommended for infants and young children, seven are made by one company, and only one is made by more than two companies.
People, Pharmaceutical companies do not push vaccines to make money.
Yea, they do...Are you really that dumb?
Vaccines have not been a dependable source of income for the pharmaceutical companies except for the government subsidies. And there is obviously a desire to get people hooked on the flu shots so that they will be a future source of dependable income, with or without subsidies, for the pharmaceutical companies.
The pharmaceutical companies are diligently working to make sure that every person is taking a finite amount of prescription drugs by their fifties. What is happening with advertising, medical doctors over prescribing drugs and hype regarding the necessity for flu shots indicating this is a big source of income for the pharmaceutical companies. Yes, the pharmaceutical companies are in it for the money. If there weren't potential income involved, there would be no effort to provide flu shots. Don't be so easily fooled.
Sanofi’s Profit Rises on Vaccine Sales
Profits, Not Science, Drive Vaccine Mandates
Vaccine Sales Bolster Merck Profit
There is plenty more where that came from. All you have to do is search. The "pharma doesn't make money on vaccines" is a myth. Maybe it use to be true. But not anymore.
Take off the tinfoil hats people. 1 billion dollar is chump change to big Pharma. Vaccines are not their money makers. Drugs are where the money is.
Somebody is in denial. Pharma is not some altruistic corporation out to save the world with it's vaccines.
see I can put up links too....
Apparently, you can't. I see Robert's, but I don't see yours.
LOL. good one ddic. and the tin foil hat reference just cracks me up.
This just like all the other "Flu, H1N1, Pandemics" articles should be labeled. "Whatever". Say it over and over. Sell it over and over. The Lie becomes Truth given enough time! Scare me Scare Me not.
These so-called 'experts' are bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical industry. The lamestream media is also paid off by Big Pharma.
I don't think flu shots are universally necessary but I have also not seen the horror stories that some people swear by materialize either. Some years I get it, some years I do not. I depends on my overall health and the working/lifestyle conditions I am subject to at the time. Either way, I have not had the flu in many years, nor have I collapsed and died from the vaccine. As far as conspiracy theory fodder, I just don't think this is that important whether you choose to get one or not.