On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 14:57:32 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Monday, October 27, 2014 2:43:09 PM UTC-4, raykeller wrote:

Govt. Researchers: Flu Shots Not Effective in Elderly, After All

Sharyl Attkisson | October 26, 2014

An important and definitive "mainstream" government study done nearly a
decade ago got little attention because the science came down on the wrong
side. It found that after decades and billions of dollars spent promoting
flu shots for the elderly, the mass vaccination program did not result in
saving lives. In fact, the death rate among the elderly increased
substantially.



But when they finished, no matter how they crunched the numbers, the data
kept telling the same story: flu shots were of no benefit to the elderly.
Quite the opposite. The death rate had increased markedly since widespread
flu vaccination among older Americans. The scientists finally had to
acknowledge that decades of public health thought had been mistaken.

As I read it flu shots did not change the mortality rate. But the study did not address whether flu shots reduced the number of people that got the flu.

I do not get a flu shot because I think it will save my life. I get a flu shot so I do not get sick as a dog with the flu. Since I started getting flu shots, I have not gotten the flu.

Dan
If the only metric used to judge vaccines was whether they reduced
substantially or eliminated deaths then almost no vaccine would be
judged to be doing a good job. Measels, mumps, rubella, shingles,
polio, and HPV infections do not usually cause death. These infections
do cause a host of other debilitating health problems which in turn
cause a lot of human misery, and they cost a lot to treat. We
vaccinate against these infections because they are so hard on our
health and the economy. On the other hand, if the metric by which we
judged whether Ray Keller was an asshole because he spouts mostly
nonsense, won't listen to reason, and is a right wing loon, then it
would be accurate.