"It's bad all over the country," said Dr. Robert McNamara, chief of emergency medicine at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia about a similar outbreak of flu among those vaccinated, observed in 1999. "The flu shot apparently is not doing its job, and from all reports, it could be one of the worst seasons we've seen in years."
The news services are spinning the same exact dour prediction for the year 2004.
It might be time to review why 'the flu shots are not doing their job'.
In February or March or so of each year, scientists do surveys of the viruses which have shown up in the orient and other places around the world. Using statistical analysis, they decide on five or six viruses (out of some 22 viruses found) which they feel have the greatest probability of becoming flu epidemics in the United States in the Fall. They breed weakened versions of the 5 or 6 viruses chosen to formulate a vaccine which is then manufactured by one or more of the large pharmaceutical companies, which in turn, market it as 'the flu vaccine'. People are encouraged to take the vaccine all over the country. Considering how many millions of people receive the flu vaccine each year, it must be quite a source of income for the pharmaceutical industry (which I am sure, hopes that folks do not connect the dots about the vaccine possibly being ineffective when they DO get the flu).
This year, it seems that several folks around me DID connect the dots and said "NO" to the vaccine (even some medical providers). However, it is still very much looked down upon to refuse the flu vaccine at this time.
There really is no other way to formulate a vaccine because if they waited for the epidemic to strike, they would not be able to manufacture a vaccine in time to help anyone. However, the attempt to predict which virus will cause the epidemic appears to be very "hit and miss" since there are so many viruses floating around.
And that's why 'the flu vaccine is not doing its job'. It seldom does.
Of the 30 years that flu vaccines have been available, I've received the vaccine one time - when I was pregnant with our son. I got the flu that season anyway.
In the 1998-1999 season, the flu vaccine actually included one of the viruses which caused the epidemic - I got that type of flu of course, since I had not received the vaccine, and friends who got the vaccine did not get that strain of flu but then that season, there were two or three strains of flu which circulated, and only one of the causal viruses was included in the vaccine. This to say that many who were vaccinated, got some type of flu anyway.
Many people believe in the flu vaccine because the vaccine is heavily promoted by all including the medical profession, and if people have received the vaccine and they don't get the flu (even though the prevailent epidemic virus was NOT included in the vaccine), they, understandably chalk it up to the vaccine instead of a strong immune system. This helps to sell the flu vaccine.
In our family, what we have found to be the greatest protection against the flu is taking CoEnzyme Q10 regularly (it also protects against cancer!). But you will not hear about this in the mass media because CoEnzyme Q10 is not sold by the pharmaceutical industry. They would rather have us get a vaccine which may GIVE us the flu (a certain percentage of weakened viruses in live virus vaccines don't get weakened and cause the illness) and will probably NOT protect us against the strain of flu in epidemic. Works for those selling vaccine. :)
Source: Reuters