David Vance SubstackRead More
I was fascinated to read this article which argues that flu vaccines help less than many people think and that forcing people to get them is not supported by the evidence.
After getting a flu shot, people may have more non-flu colds and respiratory infections in the short term, caused by other alleged viruses like rhinovirus and some coronaviruses. Many “flu-like” illnesses are not actually influenza, so blocking only flu viruses may not change how often people get sick overall very much.
The article also says that US CDC data from several seasons showS the flu shot only works modestly most of the time, with protection often failing in about two out of three cases. This is mainly blamed on a poor match between the strains in the vaccine and the strains actually circulating each year.
Some studies cited suggest flu shots do not clearly lower hospitalisations in adults or children, and one study even found that vaccinated children in one season were more likely to be hospitalised with flu. Let THAT sink in.
So vaccinating kids can INCREASE flu hospitalisation, which might help explain this alarming chart from the UK. Schools came back in September and the nasal flu vaccine was given to around 5 MILLION kids.
Other research found vaccinating people in households did not clearly stop flu from spreading to family members or reduce serious complications. No benefit there.
There is also evidence that getting flu shots year after year may make them work less well over time, though this is still uncertain. The long-term effects of repeated vaccination on immunity and how flu viruses change are not at all well understood.
Looking at death data, higher flu-shot coverage over many years did not line up with fewer deaths from flu or pneumonia in different age groups. When vaccination rates jump at age 65, there is no clear drop in serious illness or deaths in that age group. Isn’t that curious?
For children, a healthy child’s chance of dying from flu each year is very low, roughly around 1 in a million before wide use of the paediatric flu vaccine.
Reviews of vaccination of health-care workers in care homes have not clearly shown fewer flu cases, complications, or deaths among residents, so why require health-care workers to get the flu shot?
The punchline is that flu-vaccine policies and mandates go way further than the strength of the scientific evidence. Even as the NHS and media hype up the importance of getting your flu vaccine, the data suggests otherwise.
We have been here before!
