[eastexsteve]

Well then, I must have unbelievable luck, because every year I take the flu shot, I don’t get the flu. Of course, the two years I remember that I wasn’t able to get the shot, I got the flu. What a coincidence.

[waynesa98]

have not seen that data, please post a link. Usually 40/75% is the norm. Did you see an Australian article?

[Trumpet 1]

I am 65 years old and I never get flu shots. I do however use a humidifier during the winter to keep my nasal passages healthy. And whenever I am at home I make certain that the house is warm.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

It's a pretty difficult challenge. When flu strains first appear, you have to guess which ones will break out in an epidemic. It takes about 6 months to produce the vaccines in large scale and have them ready to deploy, during which time the virus can mutate, and you find yourself using a vaccine that is less than optimal for the strain that becomes the epidemic. At some point there is a judgment call as to which vaccine to put into production. They are working on new technologies to crunch the 6 month critical path in vaccine production, and that should help.

pandemic influenza preparedness hearings

[neverevergiveup]

“millions of citizens will be ordered or coerced into obtaining the ineffective vaccine by government law or corporate mandates..”

I am one of those mandated to get a flu shot, and I haven’t, for a variety of reasons. One reason is that I react negatively to flu shots, and can’t afford ‘down time’ from a reaction. The other is the efficacy issue. Orthomyxoviruses, including the influenza virus, mutate significantly. The vaccines are made in anticipation of what genetic drift is expected to dominate in the coming flu season. It’s essentially an educated guess, and is often wrong. 10% efficacy in pretty much any other aspect of clinical medicine (with the exception of malignancies) would never be acceptable as a validation for any therapy.

[Lionheartusa1]

When I see Jessie Watters of Fox cable out in the world quizzing college age youth about world news and history items it tells me one thing at 72 I must be a freaking genius .