Commentary on the Flu and

Flu Vaccines

Seasonal flu

Many people are overwhelmed by all the information they have heard about influenza and the various vaccines.  We offer here our personal perspective, based upon years of scientific training, our review of the valid scientific research, and our many years of specific pediatric experience as it pertains to influenza and vaccines.

Make no mistake--influenza is a serious illness. According to US vital statistics, it is the eighth leading cause of death overall, but it tops the list when it comes to death due to infectious illnesses.  While the elderly are the most severely affected group when it comes to seasonal influenza, young children are the second highest group affected.  And while many that die from the flu have underlying chronic medical conditions, there are many COMPLETELY healthy individuals that die from influenza each year.  There are a little over 300 million people in the United States.  Approximately 36,000 US citizens die from influenza each year.  That means the average citizen has a one in 8500 chance of dying from the flu each year!

Many critics of flu vaccines try to cite how many people are seriously harmed as a result of the vaccine.  However, the most common serious side effect attributed to the flu vaccine is Guillian-Barre Syndrome, a rare condition in which a temporary paralysis of the body occurs.  There is about a one in a million chance of an individual acquiring this condition following influenza vaccine, but please note it is a rare complication of infection from influenza as well.  It is possible an individual could suffer an allergic reaction from a component of the influenza vaccine that could result in death, but we are talking one in tens to hundreds of millions. 

The flu shot is made of killed virus--it CANNOT make an individual catch the flu.  While there are some people that claim the flu shot made them sick, it just does not stand to reason.  The flu shot does not have live virus that can trigger an actual infection.  What happens is that any given time, a certain percentage of people will become sick within the next week due to the germs they have encountered in normal day-to-day activities.  Some of these people who will be getting sick next week just happened to have a flu shot this week.  That does not mean the flu shot is the culprit for their illness--it was the virus they contracted from someone else.  Yes, an individual may have gotten sick within a few days of their flu shot, but they were going to get sick anyway--it was not because of the shot.

The Flumist is a vaccine that is made from a very, very mild strain of live flu virus.  At least in children, it is more effective at preventing flu than the traditional flu shot.  Since it is a live virus, some individuals MAY have mild flu-like symptoms, including fever, runny nose and body aches.  This vaccine is NOT indicated for individuals who have underlying chronic illnesses such as asthma.

In the final analysis, we have to look at the potential for serious risk related to vaccination--something on the order of one in a million or less (and we are talking side effects--not death)--versus the risk of DEATH due to influenza infection, which is approximately one in 8500 individuals!  That means someone is well over 100 times more likely to die from the flu than to have a serious side effect from the vaccine!  Choosing not to vaccinate a child is just like choosing not to use a car seat or seatbelt on a trip.

H1N1 (Swine) flu

Late in the Spring of 2009, cases of H1N1 (Swine) flu appeared in Mexico.  (Pigs get swine flu, birds get avian flu, and humans get human flu.)  While the pigs were sick with their flu, they also got an infection at the same time with human flu.  The DNA of human flu recombined with the DNA of swine flu, and produced the H1N1 flu, which then crossed over from the pigs to humans, and started to spread like wildfire, causing many more deaths in Mexico than the regular seasonal flu.  This type of widespread infection is called a pandemic, and easily spreads throughout the world.  Once it reached the United States, H1N1 seemed to most severely affect children and pregnant women.  Although people with underlying chronic medical conditions are at greatest risk, even perfectly healthy people can die from influenza.  In the past when there have been pandemics, the first appearance of flu is not nearly as bad as the waves of illness that appear in the next few months or years following the emergence of the new strain of flu.  The most frightening thing about H1N1 is not so much the amount of illness it caused the first year, but what it may do in the not-too-distant future.

Children are the ones who spread flu throughout our families and communities.  The most important thing we can do as a society to protect EVERYONE is to immunize our children against influenza. 

Critics claim this is a "new" vaccine, and we don't understand its risks.  The truth is, each year the flu virus mutates, usually in small ways, and the vaccine for the following year is slightly modified to take into account the mutations.  The H1N1 was a major change in the flu virus, and the vaccine had to be modified accordingly; however, the technique for making the vaccine is the same as any other year.

The H1N1 strain is one of three included in the 2010-2011 influenza vaccines.  NO flu vaccines are made without the H1N1 strain.

The Bottom Line

In the final analysis, we have to look at the potential risk of serious side effects due to the flu vaccine, which is one in a million or less, versus the risk of DEATH from influenza, which will likely be at least one in 8500 US citizens, with highest risk to children and pregnant women!  As an analogy, which airline would you buy a ticket on?  The one that has a one in 8500 chance of a crash, or the one that has a one in a million or more chance of crashing? 

As your child's practitioners, we want you to understand that THE most important thing we are concerned with is your child's health and safety.  Vaccinations are NOT a money-making venture for us.  In fact, we have tens of thousands of dollars tied up in vaccine inventory at all times and recently spent thousands of dollars on equipment to maintain those vaccines at the constant proper temperature.  We DO NOT receive kickbacks or incentives from vaccine manufacturers.  We DO give vaccines because they are effective at preventing life-threatening diseases.  We have PERSONALLY SEEN in our careers how vaccines have all but eradicated diseases that have killed some of our patients in the past.  We vaccinate ourselves, and we vaccinate our very own children--who are every bit as precious to us as your own child is to you.  We vaccinate because we want the very best for our own children--and we vaccinate because we want the very best for YOUR child as well.   

Please don't give in to the uninformed, misguided paranoia floating through the media--but, place your trust in our expert advice, based upon proven scientific evidence, and a lifetime committed to safety and carefully considered advice.  Protect your own child just as we protect our own--IMMUNIZE!

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Last modified: Monday February 16, 2015