Seasonal Flu Shots Double Risk of Getting Swine Flu, Says New Study

krou writes "A Canadian study currently under peer review apparently suggests that individuals given seasonal flu shots are twice as likely to get swine flu. The 'perplexing' study has thrown influenza health plans into disarray, with Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia all suspending seasonal flu shots for anyone under 65 years of age. The study appears to be confined to Canada; the US, Britain, and Australia have not reported the same problem, so some are suggesting that the research has 'study bias.' However, the research appears to be 'solid' according to Dr. Ethan Rubinstein, head of adult infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba. 'There are a large number of authors, all of them excellent and credible researchers. And the sample size is very large — 12 or 13 million people taken from the central reporting systems in three provinces.''

Comments

Re:Don't forget:

[Mr. Slippery]

The mechanisms for most CAM modalities (such as say, homeopathy) are usually highly implausible and often would require a complete reworking of the Standard Model.

Homeopathy would require something weird, but one can construct plausible theories about some effects of herbs, acupuncture and acupressure, chiropractic, massage, and osteopathy, as well as health cultivation practices such as yoga and qi gong, without stepping outside (or with only minor tweaks to) the "Standard Model". Even various "energy healing" modalities can be understood psychosomaticly. (And I guess homeopathy could be too, at that.)

Then throw in the fact that rarely is there even good scientific evidence that shows CAM modalities do anything at all and where are you left?

Rarely is there good scientific evidence that shows conventional modalities do anything. Very little medicine is evidence-based.

Moreover, there is a perfectly good reason why there is not nor will there be double-blind placebo controlled trials for vaccines.

Bullshit, as demonstrated by this controlled study of an HIV vaccine candidate: "The study had two (blinded) groups, one control group (receiving placebo injections) and one experimental group (receiving four 'prime' doses of ALVAC HIV and two boost doses of AIDSVAX gp120 B/E), with over 8,000 volunteers in each group, lasting from 2003 until now."

You are basically accusing most physicians of being corporate shills.

Have you been in a fscking doctor's office lately? Notice all the freebies with the names of drugs on them that pharmaceutical sales reps give out to doctors? Are you aware of the way that big pharma spends over $20 billion a year to essentially bribe doctors to use their products? Did you not hear about that recent fraud case against Pfizer?

Many doctors are corporate shills, yes. Many others have simply declined to engage their critical thinking skills, and believed whatever bullshit Big Pharma spoon-fed them as they were plied with gifts. (I dread the day my physician -- honest, hardworking, intelligent, compentent, and kind -- retires,

The fact that things like herbal supplements are more or less highly unregulated.

In point of fact, the FDA has basically the same regulatory power over supplements it has over food. It has the power to make supplement manufactures provide a complete list of ingredients, and to remove supplements from the marketplace if a danger is found. This is certainly a preferable state of affairs to the days of federal paramilitary law enforcement raids on people selling herbs and vitamins, don't you think?

Re:Don't forget:

[cyn1c77]

Except, most areas I have been push the flu shot for everyone, not just the weakened. I'de much prefer they phrase it in such a way as - If you have a weak immune system, get this shot. Instead, it seems it's presented as a way to prevent a mass outbreak.

Here's the thing dude. If you get the flu, you will probably live since you sound like you think you are young and have a healthy immune system.

But when you are walking around sick and infectious for a few days, you stand the chance of infecting some people who have weakened immune systems... like your elderly grandmother, or your mother, or your old neighbor. So you're really protecting them by getting the shot.

They push flu shots for the whole population to reduce the spread of the flu. Unfortunately, it usually spreads anyway because (1) they don't always predict what virus will become the flu and (2) tough guys like you aren't selfless enough to suck it up for the less well off.

I'm sure it is because you all believe strongly in natural selection. I just hope that everyone you love always has a strong immune system come flu season... and that you survive the swine flu without your shot.