Do you need a flu shot?
It’s that time of year again. The kids are back to school, the leaves are turning brown, and every pharmacy on every corner has their “Get your flu shot here!” signs posted. But what do you really know about the flu shot? Is it really safe and effective? How is it tested? What is it even made of? Can you make an informed decision if you have never been told of the potential risks associated with this vaccine? In a world with information at our fingertips, how do we know what is true and who to believe?
One of the best ways to dive into educating yourself on vaccination would be the package inserts written by the manufacturer. These inserts contain information about the ingredients, the clinical trials conducted for safety and efficacy, and any adverse events associated with the injection. Let’s take a look at the official package insert of FLUARIX QUADRIVALENT which is this year 2017-2018 four strain injection and see what we can find.
But first of all, who is even recommended to receive a flu vaccine?
The CDC website clearly states that “everyone 6 months and older should get an injectable flu vaccine…” However, after reviewing the package insert it is clear that no testing has proven safety in pregnant women or children under 3 years old.
The CDC website clearly states that “everyone 6 months and older should get an injectable flu vaccine…” However, after reviewing the package insert it is clear that no testing has proven safety in pregnant women or children under 3 years old.
After reading through the clinical trials of how this vaccine was tested for safety, I was baffled by the numerous flaws in the design. Every trial reported on this vaccine used another vaccine in the control group. How is it possible to claim safety to a product when there is no true control group that didn’t receive any treatment? In the case of vaccination, a saline solution should be used in this group instead of another vaccine with similar ingredients, and possibly similar side effects.
Another surprising factor was the short amount of time the participants were followed in the safety trials.
Each safety trial only monitored the health and wellbeing of the participants for 4 or 7 days! Other trials for efficacy monitored the participants for up to 28 days but the adverse reactions in these groups were not even reported. This means if someone had a serious reaction after 8 or more days post vaccination, this data wouldn’t be available to the public. It is also interesting to note that the vaccine has never been tested for carcinogenic (cancer-causing) or mutagenic (DNA altering) effects.
Each safety trial only monitored the health and wellbeing of the participants for 4 or 7 days! Other trials for efficacy monitored the participants for up to 28 days but the adverse reactions in these groups were not even reported. This means if someone had a serious reaction after 8 or more days post vaccination, this data wouldn’t be available to the public. It is also interesting to note that the vaccine has never been tested for carcinogenic (cancer-causing) or mutagenic (DNA altering) effects.
But does it work? An efficacy trial of a previous influenza vaccine FLUARIX showed that the vaccine was about 73% effective in protecting its host’s ages 18-49 from influenza type illnesses, but only about 13% in the 50-65-year-old age group. The current trials for this year’s influenza vaccine formulation do not provide efficacy data, only an antibody response is measured. Unfortunately, an antibody response does not always equal protection from the infection.
Although the clinical trials only report minor complications such as pain at the injection site and fatigue, many of the post-marketing reactions reported are serious complications. Fifty-five different types of reactions were reported after the vaccine was released to the public. Many of the reactions were nervous system and immune system disorders such as anaphylactic shock, pharyngitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis, convulsions, encephalomyelitis, facial palsy, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Could the potentially dangerous ingredients be causing all of the health issues mentioned above?
This years formula contains formaldehyde, surfactants, egg proteins, steroids, antibiotics, and Polysorbate 80. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, but did you know Polysorbate 80 can pass the blood-brain barrier and bring along other ingredients with it, including the viruses? Could this possibly be the reason for all of the neurological side effects of this particular vaccine?
Although the public is constantly told “vaccines are safe, vaccines are effective, vaccines save lives” we must look past what the industry wants us to believe and instead at what the science really says. Vaccines should always be an informed decision and never forced. Many alternatives to vaccines exist and we can keep our immune systems healthy with simple basics of good nutrition, plenty of sleep and water, and of course a specialized supplement program from your Practitioner.
By Leslie Khoshnegah
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