Does the flu shot really work?

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves

Did you get a flu shot this season?

  • Yes

    Votes: 408 56.7%

  • No, I don't think they work

    Votes: 143 19.9%

  • No, they are not safe

    Votes: 93 12.9%

  • No, I have a health issue that doesn't allow it

    Votes: 21 2.9%

  • Other: please explain

    Votes: 55 7.6%
  • Total voters
    720

New Posts

chesire78 said:
I do know there a lot % numbers being thrown out in articles ,I have never seen a solid US study or any US study for that matter. Heard immunity can not be studied due to ethics codes okay .
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The effect of vaccination against flu has been studied in a great deal of detail. There are large numbers of very good articles on the matter. Go to your local library and ask for help finding some information on it. Immunity IS studied in great detail, whoever told you that nonsense about ethics codes doesn't have a clue. (For the record, I am about to retire after 31 years in medical research.)

If you'd like to know how the flu works in a world without vaccination, read _The Great Flu Epidemic_ by John Barry.
 
gitana1 said:
To me it’s a really strange debate. It’s as if we are risking something by taking the shot so we only want to take if it has a guaranteed effectiveness rate.

The flu shot isn’t dangerous. It’s isn’t risky. It doesn’t cause hives a whole week later. Why wouldn’t we hedge our bets?
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Re: all of your vaccine comments: "Bravo!" In another message you pointed out that insurance companies urge customers to get flu shots because it saves the companies a lot of money to keep their clients healthy.

Another side of that same box is this: If flu shots were NOT proven to be effective and to pose only minimal risk, a physician would not advise you to get one without IRB-overseen (CFR Title 21) informed consent. When you get surgery, you sign an informed consent form, because even though the operation may be hugely effective, it probably poses more than minimal risk to the patient. This is a significant point: a physician who advised you to get any intervention (vaccine shot, e.g.) without informed consent would have to be certain that the intervention was likely to be effective and posed no more than minimal risk, or face losing his medical license. Losing his medical license--like Andy Wakefield. :-)

Thumbs up, Gitana1!
 
AC4RD said:
The effect of vaccination against flu has been studied in a great deal of detail. There are large numbers of very good articles on the matter. Go to your local library and ask for help finding some information on it. Immunity IS studied in great detail, whoever told you that nonsense about ethics codes doesn't have a clue. (For the record, I am about to retire after 31 years in medical research.)

If you'd like to know how the flu works in a world without vaccination, read _The Great Flu Epidemic_ by John Barry.
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The Great Influenza!! Great book. They describe the evolution of the germ theory a bit in it and I love that stuff.

@AC4RD if you're interested and haven't read, there are two other books that were fascinating to me about medical history (germ theory and vaccine history). One was The Speckled Monster (Smallpox/innoculations) and another was The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump (cholera/germ theory). Fascinating and very good reads!!
 
This year I have decided to take the flu shot, I haven't done that earlier as I've never had the flu (at least not been ill with the typical flu symptoms, only had mild colds), but this year after having had the Covid-19, I feel it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't know if the Covid-19 infection will have any long-time side effects on my health, but I won't take any unnecessary risks, and I'm in the 60+ age group now, and will get the shot free as I work at a hospital (but not close to the patients).
Here's an interesting article about what might happen when the flu and the corona viruses circulate at the same time: What happens when flu meets Covid-19?
 
Anti-vaxxers are extremely aggressive, and maybe it's time to fight fire with fire? Flood social media with all of the cases of kids who were not vaccinated and got sick and died from diseases that could have been eradicated by vaccinations.
 
The flu vaccination changes every year. Some years it's very effective and some years it's not very effective. There are different types of flu and the vaccine is made using the odds of what type of flu will be showing up. That's a total simplification. This is an article about flu vaccines and why sometimes they are not effective. Why doesn't the flu vaccine work sometimes? - UChicago Medicine
 
mickey2942 said:
Agree with that. But the vaccine is not a picnic. It comes in two shots. The 2nd one was such a Dozy, I thought that I had Covid.
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Gee, thanks, the first one sure made my arm sore & I'll have the second in October. :eek:
 
mickey2942 said:
Agree with that. But the vaccine is not a picnic. It comes in two shots. The 2nd one was such a Dozy, I thought that I had Covid.
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I had them both this year. Wasn't a thing for me! No side effects, thankfully.
 
TNcoolMAGA said:
I haven’t had a flu shot shot in 25 years and I haven’t been sick once besides your occasional hangover.
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Some people are naturally resistant. Like my mom. She's 84. Hasn't had the flu since 1997. And never gets the vaccine for it. (She also had her first antibiotic in her late 70's).

But, that can change with age or illness.

And it doesn't mean the flu shot is unnecessary for most:

Why Do Some People Get Sick All the Time, While Others Stay in Freakishly Good Health?
 
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