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The truth about getting the flu shot
To most medical professionals, the advantages of the flu vaccine far outweigh any risks. But other professionals feel completely the opposite.
Mon, Oct 15 2012 at 11:22 AM
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on average 5 to 20 percent of the population in the U.S. gets the flu each year. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications, and anywhere from a few thousand to 50,000 people die each year from flu.
The best way to prevent getting the flu, says the CDC, is by getting a seasonal flu vaccination each year. But do the benefits of getting the flu shot far outweigh the risks? Can potential lethal illnesses manifest years later in life, a direct result from getting yearly flu shots?
The truth about getting the flu vaccine is difficult to ascertain, with opinions about its safety differing widely depending on which medical professional you ask.
The flu shot does not give you the flu, most of the time
One thing both proponents and opponents of the flu shot agree on is that there are a few different types of flu vaccines, and sometimes, adverse side effects do occur from the shot.
Currently, there are four types of flu vaccines on the market:
- A standard flu shot
- A high-dose flu shot for those 65 and older
- An intradermal-administered shot for those who are needle-phobic
- A nasal spray
Contrary to what many people believe, the first three vaccines listed above do not contain the live flu virus.
“The vaccine is taken from two of the hundreds of different proteins that compose an influenza virus,” says the Mayo Clinic and Infectious Disease Society of America's Dr. Greg Poland. “Taking merely two surface proteins off the virus does not mean it’s live; there’s no organism there … it’s not possible to cause infection or disease with it … the flu shot does not give you the flu,” adds Poland.
As for the nasal spray, which does contain live flu viruses, Dr. Dan Harper, who is against vaccinations of all kinds, is especially leery of this methodology.
“You have 100 million viruses sprayed up the nose, along with other things like MSG (monosodium glutamate) and sugar, which causes inflammation. And since the virus also contains egg [proteins], you run the risk of introducing an avian retrovirus, which can cause encephalitis in humans.
“And so here you are spraying this up into your nose, just a few millimeters from the brain with MSG traveling across the blood-brain barrier, causing potential damage to neurotransmitters,” says Harper, who is based Solana Beach, Calif.
Does the government conclude that flu shots are 100 percent safe and effective?
No, but close to it, though adverse side effects have been documented in peer-reviewed medical journals. For example, a study in Human and Experimental Toxicology reported that there were 590 fetal-loss reports per 1 million pregnant women vaccinated (or 1 per 1,695) during the 2009-2010 flu season (generally regarded as October-March, though flu symptoms can occur any time of the year). The adverse events were tracked by the appropriately named Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, database.
In a review of vaccines conducted by researchers at the Institute of Biosecurity at St. Louis University, the co-authors concluded, “Vaccination remains a critical intervention during pandemics, but current production technology requires several months to develop sufficient vaccine to meet anticipated worldwide need…. Vaccines for use … during an epidemic are in development but … logistical obstacles to timely distribution exist [though] intensive research is underway to identify a universal vaccine.”
The Institutes of Medicine released a consensus report last year, which concluded that despite 135 vaccine adverse events in the study, few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines, including the flu shot.
According to most peer-reviewed research, the chances of encountering problems are statistically minimal; however, possible adverse effects from flu vaccine documented in medical literature include:
- Febrile seizure
- Narcolepsy
- Asthma
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
Humane reasons to get the flu shot
Some medical professionals, such as Dr. Elizabeth Baorto, division director of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, N.J., strongly believe that with rare exception — such as someone with an egg allergy — everybody 6 months and older should get a flu shot every year.
Some medical professionals, such as Dr. Elizabeth Baorto, division director of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, N.J., strongly believe that with rare exception — such as someone with an egg allergy — everybody 6 months and older should get a flu shot every year.
“Protecting oneself is an altruistic act. By getting vaccinated, you not only protect yourself, but you protect those around you as well,” says Baorto. “We are fortunate that we have a cheap and effective way of protecting ourselves with the flu vaccine.”
Will the flu shot protect you from a superbug pandemic outburst?
Not according to the aforementioned ardent vaccine opponent Harper (who is on the board of the nonprofit, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation), who himself contracted polio in 1952, was paralyzed for seven years, and has seven children, none of whom have ever been vaccinated.
Harper thinks the flu vaccine lacks efficacy because the CDC has to guess which strain of influenza will be dominant in a particular year and it doesn't always guess correctly.
“[The CDC] only choose three to five strains of influenza A out of 250-plus strains, and they take only two or three influenza B strains out of 75-100 that are out there at any one time. If they don’t guess the right one, you’re going to get sick. You’re putting your faith in the CDC’s ability to guess the one that might be a pandemic.”
So, is it in your best interest to get the flu vaccine, regardless if a superbug is headed our way?
Poland unequivocally thinks so. “Which risk would you take?” he asks: “One in a million of a side effect or a one in 10,000 risk being hospitalized or dying. Flu-related illnesses cost the U.S. $90 billion a year, or almost one percent of GDP,” adds Poland.
But in contrast, Harper believes the risks of the flu shot far outweigh any benefit.
He claims that formaldehyde is an ingredient in the common flu shot and is a known carcinogen. “Another ingredient in the flu shot, thimerosal, contains mercury, which is known to impair neurological and immune systems. There are detergents, antibiotics, chemicals and allergens like polysorbate-80 that causes infertility,” adds Harper, along with other ingredients he deems unsafe for human consumption.
Indeed, the CDC does list some of these ingredients on its website. But the CDC claims, that at least in the case of thimerosal, “There is no evidence of harm caused by the small amounts of thimerosal in flu vaccine.”
Still, Harper is not convinced: “Someone who gets vaccinated could say, ‘Well the flu didn’t kill me.’ But when you’re sitting there with Alzheimer’s, ALS, MS or you’re watching your kid develop seizures or become autistic you’re going to kick yourself in the butt for allowing your child or you yourself receiving it. It’s frightening to me the stuff they put in the vaccine. These diseases, at least in part, are because of vaccines,” concludes Harper.
Do you think the flu vaccine is safe? Join the conversation in the comment section below.
Judd Handler is a health writer in Encinitas, Calif., and the author of "Living Healthy: 10 Steps."
Related flu stories on MNN:
- 10 flu-fighting foods [Photo gallery]
- CDC: It's time to get your flu shot!
- Google can help predict flu outbreaks
- Flu vaccine side effects
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Read above, there is only a 2% chance that it will be effective!!! Also most people get sick and assume they have the flu, their Drs say "probably the flu" when in fact it is a totaly different virus. I have had the flu once in my life and it was horrific. People over react with a sniffle and give into the CDC's spinster lies!!
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after having the flu shot, I got dizzy and almost passed out. this happened within 1/2 hour after the shot. the following year I decided to divide the shot into two dosed. the same thing happened, and I felt weak all day.
You could choose home school for you child.
There is a waiver you can get so you don't have to give your son any immunizations. They cannot force you. It is a law here too, but with the waiver no shots are required. Ask your school about it. They may be reluctant, but be persistent. A waiver exists.
I don't agree. It is more important to build up your immunity so that you don't get these illnesses if you are exposed to them. Have your vitamin D and C levels checked and supplement accordingly. I haven't had as much as a sniffle in 10 years. My doctor agrees with me on this.
the flu shot is western medicine's version of raw garlic, warm lemon, ginger, vit C, zinc, vit D. in fact my doctor told me that 5-10,000 iu of vit D a day in winter offers eons more protection from the 200 + different forms of sickness there are out there.
Just try and put a new drug on the market for which there has been little or no research on the effects of the drug itself and see if you can get approval from the FDA within 12 months. It's not gonna happen but yet somehow every year they roll out a new drug cocktail call it the flu shot and it's just taken every year by the mindless millions. It boggles my mind.
It's totally a marketing scam. Every single person getting the shot is adding metal toxins that are hard to get rid of into their body and if built up cause all sorts of nasty issues. Your kid gets the shot how many times by the age of 18 and how much mercury is in their body by then? All for a product that is as effective as the flip of a coin. Really, who's got your body's best interest in mind you or the people making money off your purchase?
I feel the flu vaccine is safe. If it wasn't the government wouldn't allow so many people to receive it. I wonder how many more lives have been saved due to the vaccines? Did more people die in the past when they weren't vaccinated? I bet the reply would be less cases reported and there are many more strands of the flu today.
Seriously? you really believe that your government has your best interests in mind? i cant even remember how old i was when i was that naive lol. Do yourself a favor and adopt a outlook that represents the real world around you.
People who have ridden motorcycles through several British winters are unlikely to need these shots. As is often said "If it ain't broke don't fix it"
Never had the flu...or a flu shot. Won't ever get one!
You need to get your facts straight, Clay. People have questioned the safety of flu vaccines long before Wakefield. I used to work in a nursing home about 10 years before anyone heard of Wakefield and about half the nurses would not get flu shots.
It blows my mind how someone could go through the horror of a polio infection that left them paralyzed, and somehow walk away with an idea that a vaccine would have been worse for them.
Furthermore this Harper guy sounds like some guy ranting off the street. Venting a scenario where you have MS and your kids have Autism because you got a vaccine is pretty ludicrous.
Love the post will be back again to visit and tell friends about excellent site and original posts.
CDC is center for disease control, like many doctors they are interested in stopping the spread of disease not individual health. Sure they will encourge people to get flu shots, It's just a matter of prospective that is their job to control disease. I don't get the shots but I admit a couple years I got really sick almost developed pneumonia, I never know if the shots would have helped but I'm still alive and never had the shots.
NO, NO, NO........I DO NOT THINK IT IS SAFE AT ALL.....LET NATURE TAKE IT'S COURSE....LET NATURE BUILD OUR IMMUNITY NATURALLY....WHERE EVER THAT MAY LEAD...WE NEED TO CLEAN THE ENVIROMENT INORDER TO HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND WATER WHICH THEN CAN HELP US BUILD OUR IMMUNITY TO ITS HIGHEST LEVELS...
There is an system set up to report adverse reactions to vaccines. Unfortunately, it is voluntary. Strongly urge your MD to report your case. If he gets mad at you, so what, your reaction deserves being recorded. If more people would do this and not take it in stride, more proof/data would be available to support the poor efficacy of vaccines.
I think the point is that adverse effect risks are not one in a million. I work for an organization that gets reports of injuries every day. Multiply that times the factor representing the people that don't call/write/report. Then add in the people around you, and perhaps even yourself (I never reported my child's reaction 25 years ago). There's something dreadfully wrong with the picture mainstream media and mainstream medical are trying to paint.
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