Flu Hooey - How the CDC lies to overstate the benefits of flu shots

Posted by freedomforall 11 years, 4 months ago to Culture
49 comments | Share | Flag

hidden in the bowels of Table 10, the decomposition is found for the year 2010 — apparently taking three full years to count up all the carnage: a measly 500 deaths from influenza; 50,097 from pneumonia. That's ripe: 500 flu deaths, 50,097 pneumonia deaths (100 times more), and the CDC sticks 50,597 into its flu report. Is the flu vaccine lobby that powerful? And where's the pneumonia lobby? I want a pneumonia shot.

To some of us, grossly exaggerating influenza threats to expand public vaccination is a despicable approach to conducting a national influenza control and prevention program. But what's a little disease-mongering when you’re saving lives? And there is nothing like an occasional threat of an epidemic, better yet a pandemic, to win over anyone left undaunted by the flagrantly massaged mortality and morbidity statistics of mundane seasonal flu.


All Comments


Previous comments...   You are currently on page 2.
  • Posted by RobertFl 11 years, 4 months ago
    But you don't know how many actually got the flu, and how many people avoided getting the flu because of the vaccine.
    the fact, you are more like to get the Flu in the 21st century than you were prior.
    Is the vaccine effective? hard to say. Will it harm you?? I dunno.
    If you live in rural America, I'd say you don't need it. If you have kids in public schools, or work with people with kids, I'd say you should consider it. The problem is, there are too damn people in the world and many are disgusting pigs.
    I'd have less of a problem with the flu shot if I had trust in the government.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ jlc 11 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    There is a vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of the major cause of pneumonia. It is a one-time vaccination if administered at the age of 65; if given to a person who is younger, a single booster is recommended.

    Jan
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by RobertFl 11 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I guess it goes to my obscure point. Who are you going to trust? Everyone has an agenda.
    the FDA, USDA, and CDC were supposed to answer these questions for us and prevent us from buying snake oil (or Fish Oil). Now, we can't rely on them. All we have to go on is our gut feeling and preponderance of evidence from our own personal research. I don't think taking (natural) Fish Oil supplements will hurt you, the question is, does it do anything for you?
    I tend to go with, eat a balanced diet and you should't need supplements.
    BUT, if some sick ass sneezes on you - A flu shot might not be a bad idea, especially considering the designer BUGS we have now (or the ones the Chinese are manufacturing).
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by roadgypsy 11 years, 4 months ago
    A while back, I was told by someone in the medical community, that since they don't know what type of flu virus will be prevalent during the upcoming flu season, they make an "educated" guess as to what the virus might be since they need a lead time to make the vaccinations available.

    I'm 64 and have never had a flu shot. Have I gotten sick from a flu in the past? Yes. But since I haven't taken them I have built up immunities, and can't remember the last time I caught the flu, even though everyone in my household caught it (up to 5).

    if you don't trust the CDC, you have a simple solution: don't f--kin take it.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by RobertFl 11 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Of course, Omega-3 supplements have been equally shown to be ineffective.
    Electrolytes?? Like Brawndo?
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by Danno 11 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Flu vaccine may weaken immune system and make flu strains more virulent. Optimize Vitamin D, Omega-3, and electrolytes.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by MikeJoyous 11 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Very interesting! I'm over 65. I took the flu and the pneumonia vaccines recently. Kaiser urged them on me. I trust Kaiser fundamentally, though, so I suspect there must be more to this story.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ WillH 11 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    LOL. If I were to ever vote for her or anyone like her I would take my pistol and turn my own head into a canoe.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 11 years, 4 months ago
    Pertinent Excerpt:
    A 2012 Scientific American article addressed the paucity of evidence behind pretentious CDC vaccination claims. According to Cochrane Collaboration research referenced in the exposé, vaccines approved for children under the age of 2 “are not significantly more efficacious than placebo.” For older children, "the shot reduces the absolute risk that a child will catch the flu by about 3.6 percent, whereas the live (inhaled) vaccine reduces the absolute risk by about 17 percent."
    Adults under 65 "have about a four percent chance of catching the flu if they don’t get the vaccine and about a one percent chance if they do."

    For adults over 65, there is only one vaccine that has been shown to protect against infection or death, "an inhalable vaccine that contains a live, modified version of the virus [wait for it . . .] which is not approved in the U.S. for adults over age 50."

    Regarding claims that vaccination slows the spread of flu virus, "there are no data showing that this is true."
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by irrelevantcommentforpoint 11 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    And if there was one and it was as impressive as the flu vaccine, the CDC would probably include cancer cases in the stats to get more people to be vaccinated.
    Reply | Permalink  

  • Comment hidden. Undo