Comments on: Flu Outbreak: Fighting the Virus With Social Media

By: John

John — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:30:31 +0000

My brothers, sister and myself used to get flu shots. Every time we did we got the flu. We all stopped getting them 5 years ago and all 4 of us have never been sick since. I don’t know the numbers but compare to those who get the shot and those that don’t, I thinkyou’ll find those that don’t get the shot are not sick. It’s another medical revenue.

By: MadameX

MadameX — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:03:27 +0000

Flu shots cause the flu or don’t cover flu going around. CDC has no real numbers of deaths from the flu, look it up. Lancet, (dear nurse you know the medical peer reviewed journal) published an article that stated that 1.5% of 100 people ever even catch the flu. This bs from the CDC is government scare tactics. Flu shots are big money for the pharmaceutical industry. I haven’t had the flu since 1988, and that was the last time I got a flu shot. Your anecdotal evidence, dear Nurse is just that and not scientific proof. There will always be people who are sickly that die every year from flu or some other disease on top of their bad health. It’s culling the herd. It is species survival, and the weak sick people are weakening the gene pool. It’s also known as natural selection.

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:49:18 +0000

Why are people so worried about the miniscule amount of preservatives used in the flu vaccine? Are these the same people who are smoking cigarettes, using make-up with preservatives or lead, and exposing themselves to numerous harmful chemicals on a daily basis?

The flu shot reduces your chances of getting the flu or spreading it to a family member who might not survive if they get the flu. The flu shot may be only 60-80% effective, but if you had a 60% chance of winning the lottery, wouldn’t you bet on it?
BTW, I work in a hospital and I have never seen this many cases of influenza in my career so I don’t believe the CDC or media is exaggerating.

By: joan

joan — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 02:42:40 +0000

did they get flu shots? i bet not. i would also like to see the pole of flu illnesses with the shot.

By: Brooke

Brooke — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 02:39:52 +0000

My husband is a nurse and was required to get the flu shot. In the 10 years that we have been married he has gotten sick 2 or 3 times and never as bad as when I get sick. His immune system is pretty good, I would say. He got the shot this year, like he does every year….and came down with the flu not a month later. When he called into work to say he couldn’t make it, he was informed that he was #5 that had called in with the flu. I also have heard that the shot this year is not covering the strand going around.

By: jerry lewsi

jerry lewsi — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:44:08 +0000

You know what I can’t understand… how is it that scientists haven’t figured out how to prevent or cure the flu virus? I mean you people are able to figure out how to send roving machines to a planet 50 million miles away and are able to control those machines to move and dig and analyze rock and soil samples, yet you can’t figure out a way to stop a flu or cold virus. You people are worthless. You and everyone who supports you should be fired and replaced with people and scientists who are competent!

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:43:52 +0000

Don’t believe the hype. They do this every year to try and scare us into getting a flu shot. I’m betting they are over reporting the actual number of flu cases. Most people do not have the flu they have a cold or some other virus. No flu shot for me ever!

By: Elaine

Elaine — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:13:40 +0000

I just have a question, I live in NJ and we are having a huge flu outbreak…is it too late to get the vaccine? I am thinking that since it takes two weeks to build immunities from the shot that in that time frame it may actually lower our immune system making the virus easier to catch…what are your thoughts?

By: Doreen Maclellan

Doreen Maclellan — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:26:57 +0000

@: Charlie:

I too would like to review the CDC data, in addition to the details behind the study.

Hypothetically speaking: If an agency tracks, interviews and conducts labs on a controlled group of 100, who have the flu and did not take the flu shots, the data could be presented as 100% sick due to no flu shot. The same could be said for a controlled group of 100 who became sick after taking a flu shot; presenting 100% sick due to flu shot.

Personally, I am (extremely) anti-flu shot. When I have taken them in the past, I have gotten the flu. Two of my three children got sick shortly after taking the nasal injection (fever, cough, fatigue, raspy voice) and one of the three came down with stomach flu last week. Best prevention is hand washing, covering coughs and the elimination of face touching.

As originally posted, it would be interesting to conduct a real time non- laboratory social media poll linking the Flu (Stomach & Influenza) and the effeteness of flu (Influenza) shots. While the data would NOT be scientific in nature, it certainly would be insightful….and interesting.

By: Doreen Maclellan

Doreen Maclellan — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 02:46:04 +0000

@ Mike in Florida:

“…the flu shot might not be effective because their immune systems were not able to effectively respond to the antigen in the vaccine to make them immune, such as people over 65 or those with cancer”.

Would this statement also include children and adults with autoimmune diseases/disorders? If so, could the flu shot given to people with compromised immune systems actually make them sick?