all 8 comments

[–]friend 6 insightful - 4 fun6 insightful - 3 fun7 insightful - 4 fun -  (0 children)

What the fuck?? Basically, "We didn't check if this actually reduces the flu, but we're pretty sure it will."

[–]Farren 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Because the flu evolves so quickly, with a new strain every year, there is literally not enough time to do a controlled trial. By the time such a trial was even organized, let alone running it and evaluating the results, the flu would have mutated to another form and that particular vaccine would be worthless. For that matter, there are often multiple flu viruses per year so that having one vaccine will not protect you from the other versions of the virus.

That doesn't mean the vaccine is ineffective, it just means that the flu is so very VERY effective that no single vaccine can be manufactured and mass produced and distributed to an entire population fast enough to properly measure it. The vaccine will protect you from one flu. And next year, or even later in the year, you will need a new flu vaccine. And sometimes there will be flu viruses that we simply don't have a vaccine for because we didn't see it coming early enough, so you will never be fully protected. But refusing to get this one particular vaccine is sort of like refusing to wear a helmet on your bike one day because you might lose your helmet the next day and because protecting your head won't fully protect you from a crash. You should still wear that helmet. You should still get the flu shot.

[–]Tom_Bombadil 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Got any more Kool aid?

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You should still get the flu shot.

Maybe you "should" refrain from giving medical advice to internet strangers? Some people are immunocompromised; and the two flu shots I did get in my life gave me SEVERE adverse effects. Never again!

The wife of a medical practitioner in my city was paralyzed from the waist down from getting the flu jab.

It's not for everybody, and it's not safe for everybody.

[–]Tiwaking 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

If I get the flu, which is rare, I always get it before the vaccine is available.

[–]Tom_Bombadil 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

[–]useless_aether[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

thanks for this! :-)

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thank you for posting!