Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Flu Vaccine Double Talk

"You may receive questions from patients who were vaccinated last season about whether they still need an annual influenza vaccination because the influenza vaccine virus strains included in the 2011-2012 influenza vaccines are the same as those in last year's vaccines. It's not common for all 3 vaccine virus strains to be unchanged from one season to the next -- this has happened only 8 times since 1969. However, CDC has always recommended that people get vaccinated every year.

Annual influenza vaccination, even when the vaccine strains are unchanged, is important because a person's immune protection from influenza vaccination declines over time. Immunity acquired from vaccine administered last season will have declined and may not be enough to prevent infection this season. So, annual influenza vaccination is recommended for optimal protection."


CDC Influenza Recommendations

The T-dap only produces immunity for 3 years now the flu vaccine isn't even good for a year! Natural immunity is so much stronger that it can even be passed from mother to child. Unless your immune system is practically shot how could you get the antigen and not produce enough antibodies to fight off the same strains the next season? To me this flu vaccination logic reeks of capitalism. Let's recommend that everyone get the vaccine and tell them to get it every year even if it is the same strains as last season.

Personally, I am not at issue with someone getting the flu vaccine; it's your body you can do with it what you want. But if this doesn't sound a little suspicious to you then you have definitely drank the cool-aid. You are probably waiting for the Government to come up with an Anti-Death Vaccine.

1 comment: