Whats Up With The Flu Vaccine

Discussing the Flu Vaccine reminds me of a recent conversation I had about who was worthy of the Football Hall of Fame.  In one corner were those who felt player A is a lock for the Hall of Fame.   In the other corner were those who felt player A may or may not make the Hall of Fame.  With Vaccines, the positions are A) vaccines are absolutely safe and effective vs. B) Vaccines need more research.

Today I will provide statistical data  and discussion regarding the flu and  flu vaccine.

INCIDENCE of the Flu…

The US population currently stands at 320 million people.  The 2014-15 flu season had 125, 462 confirmed cases of the flu (CDC). Furthermore, the 2014 season reports 4,605 estimated deaths due to the flu (CDC, a) while in 2001 the total number of deaths was 267.  The CDC uses estimates because of three factors.  1.  Many states do not require the flu to be reported as the cause of death in people over 18.  2.  The death happened after the “flu season”.  3.  The person died of another cause while they had the flu

The Flu mortality rate is reported as a combination of pneumonia and flu.  During the 2014-15 flu season, the mortality rate was 5-9%.   Yet, utilizing the raw numbers from the 2014-15 season, the actual flu mortality rate was 0.367% or  1/3 of 1%.

Flu VAccine Development…

The Vaccine Effectiveness page on the CDC Website states, “Seasonal flu vaccines are designed to protect against … viruses research indicates will be most common…”  (emphasis added).  Each year a team of researchers meet to determine which strains of influenze to vaccinate against.  Based on previous years documentation and statistical information, they predict what they think will be the 3 (trivalent) or 4 (quadrivalent) most likely strains to affect people in the up-coming “flu season”.  These 3 or 4 strains become the current year’s flu vaccine.  The vaccine claims to protect you against these strains only.

The Flu Vaccine contains…

There are many variations of the flu vaccine depending on the manufacturer.  Each vaccine is its own recipe.  Some common ingredients to be aware of are:

Formaldehyde… Used as a preservative.  linked to leukemia; brain, colon, and lymphatic cancers
Thimerosol… a mercury variant, heavy metal poison, and known carcinogen.  Symptoms of mercury toxicity  resemble autism
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)… a known neural (nerve) toxin.
Polysorbate 80... Known carcinogen
Triton X-100… contains ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), ethylene oxide, or dioxane, all are probale carcingogens

Source: CDC website

Is the Flu Vaccine Safe?

According to Hugh Fundenberg, MD, a leading immunogeneticist, receiving the flu vaccine 5 times in a row increases your risk of alzheimer’s ten times.  And the American Academy of Pediatrics states that “Mercury in all forms is toxic to the fetus and children.”  Now, factor in the overwhelming anecdotal evidence of people getting the flu immediately after vaccination. The question about vaccine safety deserves to be asked.

To the contrary, the CDC reports that the flu vaccine is 50-60% effective for preventing the flu. The CDC also states the flu vaccine is 80% effective for preventing death from flu complications (Review, Incidence of the Flu, above).  Complications may include, other infections, dehydrations, and death.

However, flu vaccine effectiveness is determined by comparing respiratory illnesses to confirmed cases of the flu.  So, they compare how many people were sick to how many people contracted the flu and that determines how effective the flu is.  Do you see an issue with this?

Discussion…

Our purpose is to educate and adjust as many families as possible to a better way of life and health.  Therefore, it is my responsibility to look critically at information and also teach others how to do the same.  This way we are always asking better questions and learning better solutions to improve our society.  With that in mind, there are three major issues with the flu vaccine.

First is the Vaccine Efficiency tabulation.  They only compare respiratory illness to confirmed flu cases.  There is an assumption here that respiratory illness will become the flu.  Yet there is no way to determine how many cases of respiratory illness will and how many cases won’t become the flu. Or, it’s all based on percentages of percentages, which will get the ship off course quickly.  Not to mention there are zero comparison studies…

Comparison Studies…

Secondly, there are zero studies comparing vaccinated with unvaccinated populations.  What is the incidence rate of the flu among the unvaccinated?  What is the incidence rate of the flu among the vaccinated population?  Is the incidence similar or the same?  If so, the vaccine is inefficient.  Is the incidence greater or less in one population vs the other?  Answering these questions will better determine the efficiency of the vaccine.  If such a study exists, please email it to me as I would love to read it.

Predicting the Future…

Finally, How do they know which strains will be most common this year?  Either, A) they don’t know, or B) “they” control which strains are released into the population.  I personally don’t believe it’s “B”.  That results in A), they don’t know.  Yet, the confidence they portray as they talk with patients and report in the media convinces people that they know.  The realization is it’s all prediction and zero fact or knowing.  Consequently, sports handicappers will happily tell you how lucrative the prediction business is.  Personally, all I want is an admission statement.  We know they don’t know, they know they don’t know, I wish they would just say so and allow people to make decisions for themselves.

 Conclusion…

Whether you do or do not vaccinate for the the flu is still up to you.  You get to make the decision.  That is as it should be.  You may prevent the flu or you may not.  You are putting harmful chemicals into your body.  The book is still open on the subject.

We’d love to hear your questions, comments, and opinions regarding the flu vaccine.  To post comments, please click on the link in your email then scroll down to the bottom of the page.  As vaccines are “hot button” issues, name calling, personal attacks, and common indecencies will not be tolerated.