Now that the Fiscal Cliff has faded briefly from the headlines, the media needs something else to scare the bejeebers out of us. Remember, the news media despite all their liberal leanings are still capitalist corporations obsessed by making money. And nothing drives their business more than FEAR!
Speaking of money, an essential component of the annual Flu Panic are the pharmaceutical companies that profit from the annual flu vaccine.
The common misconception is that the annual flu vaccine guarantees you will avoid the flu. In fact, this myth has been so successfully ingrained in the public consciousness that it is considered the height of societal rudeness for someone to not get the flu shot. Why, you are threatening others in society by doing that! You selfish cad!
In fact, you can get fired from your job for refusing to get vaccinated. Eight nurses at Indiana’s Goshen Hospital were fired for refusing to get the flu vaccine recently.150 employees of TriHealth were fired right before Thanksgiving for not getting flu shots.
So, what’s the big deal? Why doesn’t everyone be a Good Citizen and follow Big Brother’s orders to get vaccinated?
To discover that I went right to the source, the U.S. Center for Disease Control. The CDC. Below are actual statements pulled from their website.
How well the flu vaccine works (or its ability to prevent influenza illness) can range widely from season to season and also can vary dependin
g on who is being vaccinated. During years when the viruses in the vaccine and circulating viruses are not well matched, it’s possible that no benefit from vaccination may be observed.
OK, wait a minute. That did not sound all that convincing. The CDC admits that it is possible some years that no benefit will be gained by getting the flu shot???
… even during years when the vaccine match is very good, the benefits of vaccination will vary across the population, depending on characteristics of the person being vaccinated and even, potentially, which vaccine was used.
You know, that doesn’t sound like a guaranty either.
While determining how well a flu vaccine works is challenging, in general, recent studies have supported the conclusion that influenza vaccination benefits public health, especially when the viruses in the vaccine and circulating viruses are well-matched.
OK, hardly a guarantee, but if the dead viruses in the vaccine happen to match the real viruses in the world, generally speaking, the flu shot might work.
Influenza vaccines protect against infection and illness caused by the three influenza viruses in the vaccine that research indicates will be most common this season. Flu vaccines will NOT protect against infection and illness caused by other viruses that can also cause influenza-like symptoms.
So, if I get exposed to an unauthorized counterfeit virus I will still get sick? If I have influenza-like symptoms it could be that the flu shot did not work or that I have something that feels like, looks like, tastes like the flu but isn’t. What?
Well, since everyone says the elderly and small children should be first to get the flu shot, I expect to find something on the CDC website confirming that.
Older people with weaker immune systems often have a lower protective immune response after influenza vaccination compared to younger, healthier persons. This can result in lower levels of vaccine effectiveness in these people.
So, are they saying old people with weaker immune systems are worst off after the flu shot??? That is not a guarantee but a disaster!
What about kids?
In general, the flu vaccine works best among young, healthy adults and older children. Lesser effects of flu vaccine are often found in studies of young children (e.g., those younger than 2 years of age) and older adults.
OK, so I guess it might do something for kids. Again, if we remember all the disclaimers above.
.. . evidence from many studies showing that influenza vaccines help to provide protection, support the current U.S. influenza vaccination recommendations. It’s important to note, however, that how well flu vaccines work will continue to vary each year, depending especially on the match between influenza viruses used to make vaccine and the influenza viruses that are spreading and causing illness in the community as well as the characteristics of the person being vaccinated.
What? The vaccine will work fine….unless it doesn’t??
Getting a flu vaccine each year is the best way to prevent the flu.
Really? You really believe that?
After reading the CDC it is obvious to me that the Flu Shot is hit or miss at best. But what’s the harm in getting one? I might get lucky, right? Well…..maybe not. I looked up what is actually in the annual flu shots. Yikes. Not nice. Mercury for one. And a whole lot more that I don’t even want to think about.
Are there reactions to Flu shots? Yes. How much is still being debated.
Which made me consider, how do we catch the flu? That was easy to find and no one disagrees about it. Someone with the flu can be contagious from one to eight days. Including the first day when they may not show any symptoms. If they sneeze or cough Flu germs go sailing through the air. They can have a range up to three or four feet! So, first thing, stay the hell away from everyone. But did you know that flu virus can live for up to three days on a steel doorknob? Or a keyboard, mouse, desk, wall, light switch, etc.
During Flu seasons, November to March, stay at least five feet from people, and try not to touch doorknobs, walls, desks, pens, etc. And wash those hands!!!!!
Do you know what really irks me? I mean, besides Big Brother and Obamanada. We catch the flu from objects we touch. How many things do we touch?
- At the doctor’s office, they have a pen and clipboard to sign in. Every sickly patient grabs that pen and signs. By the end of the day there must be a few hundred billion zillion germs on that pen!!!! Don’t they read about germs??????
- At the pharmacy where sickly people go after spreading their germs in the doctor’s office, they do the same thing! A pen to sign for prescriptions and a pen to sign to pay for the prescriptions. Again, what could be worst than that????
- Coffee shops. You want half and half in your coffee? Grab that container that eleven hundred other people already touched just this morning.
- Need gas in your car? Pick up that gas pump handle and pump gas, like twelve thousand other people just did.
You know, if Big Brother really wanted to cut down in flu cases, wouldn’t you think something would be done about this? I mean, a doctor’s office for God’s sake! Shouldn’t they know better!?
This is probably the record for the longest post on my blog. Sorry about that. I would shorten it but I have to go wash my hands……
Peace out.
Some Blogging Guy
It’s ALL about the money!!! Ask Merck!!!
No sh-t, Bro. You are absolutely right. It used to be taught in medical schools (and may very well still be taught) that if a person had chicken pox as a child, they would be immune from shingles and that only adults who have never had chicken pox would get shingles. Imagine my surprise when I see television ads with the byline that if you had chicken pox, the shingles virus is already in you. True, but you are immune and, therefore, a very low per centage of adult people get shingles. Then it all came clear to me. I was in a store, may have been a supermarket, where they advertised, “get your shingles vaccine here”. Who knew? I didn’t. Just peddling another vaccine. Don’t get me wrong. Some vaccines are good and necessary, but I don’t think shingles vaccine is. It is simply an unpleasant ailment when you have it with no lasting after effects.
Steve, you are right. I saw a sign in Publix I think promoting Shingles vaccine. It is all about money.