Influenza Vaccine (Flu Shot)

History sheds some light re the great concern about influenza. The first mass injection of influenza vaccine was into US military personnel in 1945. Following the 1957-58 pandemic, the US Surgeon General recommended annual flu shots for persons with chronic debilitating disease, seniors, and pregnant women. This recommendation was based upon suboptimal studies of young, healthy military recruits, not high-risk groups. In 1964 the ACIP (the committee which recommends US vaccines) noted the absence of appropriate data, but reaffirmed the recommendation nonetheless. In fact, the original three flu shot campaign populations have been excluded from placebo-controlled randomized US clinical trials since they were first targeted fifty years ago. Why? Because the ACIP supports the unscientific assumption it would be unethical to allow placebo-receiving trial participants to forego a flu shot – and why bother anyway, since most people hadn’t thought to question their recommendations. (Refer to the ‘Introduction’ of the Lancet study, Appendix B of the Oct 2012 CIDRAP analysis. For much more from this analysis, read ‘Flu shot science trashed’ listed below.)

Recent science casts a dubious look at flu shot enthusiasm, especially that for flu shots during childhood and pregnancy. Although it’s said that children need to be vaccinated for their own protection and to prevent them acting as vectors of influenza, studies haven’t proven such results: a 2006 Cochrane Review of studies conducted over a period of 40 years found that, in children under age two, the vaccine was no more effective than a placebo; a 2008 study in {{Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine}} found that “Use of the influenza vaccine was not associated with preventing hospitalizations or reducing physician visits for the flu in children age 5 and younger”; 2009 research presented at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society found “children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. In asthmatic children, there was a significantly higher risk of hospitalization in subjects who received the TIV [trivalent inactivated vaccine], as compared to those who did not.”; and the 2011 {{Lancet}} study referred to above concluded: “the impact that influenza vaccination in children has on influenza outcomes at the population level remains uncertain.”

Even so, considering the wholehearted official endorsement of flu shots, one could be forgiven for assuming that influenza is a major disease in Canada. FluWatch is a public health program which gathers and reports on the relative incidence of influenza cases throughout the year. Its data come from “sentinel laboratories” located throughout Canada which receive and test samples from patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) submitted by their “sentinel practitioners”.

VCC Flu-like-Watch

As shown by the table below, influenza comprises only a small percentage of all influenza-like illness. For the last 13 influenza seasons, from the end of August of one year to the end of August the following year, Fluwatch archives show:

References:

2016/2017 season – see Table 2 at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/surveillance/respiratory-virus-detections-canada/2016-2017/respiratory-virus-detections-isolations-week-34-ending-august-26-2017.html

2015/2016 season – See Table 2 at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/surveillance/respiratory-virus-detections-canada/2015-2016/respiratory-virus-detections-isolations-week-34-ending-august-27-2016.html

2014/2015 season – See Table 2 at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/surveillance/respiratory-virus-detections-canada/2014-2015/respiratory-virus-detections-isolations-week-34-ending-august-29-2015.html

2013/2014 season – See Table 2 at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/surveillance/respiratory-virus-detections-canada/2013-2014/respiratory-virus-detections-isolations-week-34-ending-august-23-2014.html

2012/2013 season – See Table 2 at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/bid-bmi/dsd-dsm/rvdi-divr/2012-2013/34/ld/ld-te_t2-eng.php

2011/2012 season See Table 2 at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/bid-bmi/dsd-dsm/rvdi-divr/2011-2012/34/rvdi_divr34-eng.php

References for all the other seasons listed in our Flu-like-Watch table are available from info@vaccinechoicecanada.com.

Our Flu-like-Watch table shows that the 2009/2010 flu season produced an unusually high percentage of tests positive for influenza – 19.1% as opposed to an average of 9.6% influenza for the nine pre-pandemic seasons listed. One reason for the increased percentage during the pandemic season could have been the unusual number of young people who were severely affected. If the young had experienced less severe influenza as has been the case in other flu seasons, many would likely not have consulted a doctor and consequently been tested.

And why the relatively high 16.7% influenza during the 2012/2013 season? Several possible reasons come to mind. Recent studies have found that those who’ve previously been vaccinated with seasonal influenza vaccines are subsequently more vulnerable to the influenza A H1N1 pandemic strain. According to Table 2 referenced above, that strain constituted 24% of the 16.7% influenza detections made in the 2012/2013 season (4% H1N1; 12.7% all other influenza strains).

Also, the live virus vaccine, FluMist®, was approved for use in Canada in 2010 and first recommended for use in healthy children and adults, 2-59 years old in Nov 2011. Influenza-like symptoms occurred in a large proportion of the 2-17 year old pre-approval trial participants who received the vaccine. Government funding decisions re FluMist® would not have been made immediately after the recommendation but, by autumn 2012 enough may have funded that its use contributed to the higher influenza detections for 2012-2013.

The Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) for the 2005/2006 influenza season states: “Over the 10 seasons from 1996-1997 to 2005-2006, the percentage of positive influenza tests has been below 10% (range 5.8% to 8.7%) when influenza seasons were typically characterized by mixed influenza A and B activity or a predominance of influenza B activity.”

The CCDR for the 2006-2007 season (available from info@vaccinechoicecanada.com) discusses positive test results for ILI due to non-influenza viruses: “The percent positive for RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] detections for the entire 2006-2007 season (11.5%) was similar to previous seasons (7.1% in 2005-2006 and 9.0% in 2004-2005)…The percent positive for parainfluenza and adenovirus detections for the entire 2006-2007 season (3.4% and 1.9% respectively) were similar to previous seasons (4.0% in 2005-2006 and 2.7% in 2004-2005 for parainfluenza viruses and 2.4% in 2005-2006 and 2.6% in 2004-2005 for adenoviruses”). But what of the 75% of ILI samples in which no influenza virus, RSV, parainfluenza or adenovirus was detected? Was the testing of all those inaccurate or were the samples taken from individuals who’d been incorrectly diagnosed as having ILI? Under the heading, ‘Limitations’, the CCDR for 2006-2007 gives many reasons why Fluwatch test results should be interpreted with caution. However, 75% of results is a lot to be cautious about; it’s likely that most of this unclaimed amount is due to the fact that ILI can be caused by any of over 200 viruses, only four of which the FluWatch labs have attempted to detect!

Further Reading

• See our new Healthcare Worker and Student Vaccines section
• Characteristics of Influenza vaccines available for use in Canada, 2018–2019 (includes which flu vaccines contain thimerosal)

Related VCC Articles

• Getting the Story Straight: An examination of testimony from the September 23 Toronto Board of Health meeting (10/1/2019)
• Taking On A Giant (12/1/2018)
• Ottawa Citizen Offers Narrow and Distorted Perspective (11/20/2017)
• Letter: Toronto Star Influenza Vaccine Claims Not Supported by Evidence (11/14/2017)
• Marina’s Story (1/26/2017)
• Marketing Propaganda Disguised As Journalism (1/7/2017)
• V-Bulletin October/November 2016 (11/15/2016)
• V-Bulletin October 2015 (11/1/2015)
• The Devastating Effects of Flu Vaccine Injury (9/23/2014)
• Vaccine victims compensated (3/7/2014)
• Healthcare Workers, Students & Hospital Workers Facing Mandatory Vaccine Policies (10/8/2013)
• Media misconstrue study (1/30/2013)
• BC backs off (12/3/2012)
• FluMist live virus influenza vaccine – best to hold your nose? (11/19/2012)
• Hyping influenza deaths (11/11/2012)
• Flu shot science trashed (10/28/2012)
• Forced Flu Vaccination of Healthcare Workers Threatens Health and Liberty (9/14/2012)
• Flu Shot Unchanged, Program Expanded (10/19/2011)
• FLUAD influenza vaccine for seniors (9/8/2011)
• Swine Flu Mania (1/19/2010)
• “How they larded H1N1 facts with fear” – from Toronto Star, November 20 (11/25/2009)
• H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Vaccine (9/4/2009)
• Swine Flu Vaccine – A Public Health Experiment (8/18/2009)
• ‘Pandemic’ Vaccine Risk (7/13/2009)
• ID Biomedical Provides Update on Vaccine Development Programs (4/7/2009)
• Safety of influenza vaccines in children (4/7/2009)
• Health officials in denial over uselessness of flu shots (12/9/2008)
• Influenza & Nursing Home Deaths (9/29/2008)
• Ear Infections Not Reduced by Flu Vaccine (9/29/2008)
• Flu Vaccine Reactions (9/29/2008)
• Resisting the Flu Vaccine Hype for Children (9/29/2008)
• Flu Vaccine – Think Again (9/29/2008)
• Midwives Not Enthusiastic About Flu Shots (9/29/2008)
• Babies & Flu Vaccines – Lack of Effectiveness (9/29/2008)
• Fever as a Treatment for Influenza (9/29/2008)
• Doctors Debate if Flu Vaccine is Worthwhile (9/29/2008)
• Flu Shots – Do They Really Work? (9/29/2008)
• Commentary on Influenza & the Vaccine (9/29/2008)
• Influenza: The Disease & the Vaccine (9/29/2008)
• Case-control Study Shows Flaw in Flu Shot Efficacy Assumption (9/29/2008)
• Flu Vaccines Creating a Myth (9/29/2008)
• Effectiveness of Flu Shots Wildly Overestimated (9/29/2008)
• Flu Vaccines “Not Worth the Bother” (9/29/2008)
• Mandatory Flu Shot Not Justified for Health Care Workers (9/13/2005)

Related External Links

• B.C. nurses no longer required to get flu vaccine or wear mask – Union says new agreement will end ‘punitive nature’ of previous policy
• FDA Admits That Government Is Recommending Untested, Unlicensed Vaccines for Pregnant Women – Children’s Health Defense
• The CDC Claims the Flu Shot Reduces Mortality in the Elderly. But Where’s the Evidence? – By Jeremy R. Hammond, Guest Contributor, Children’s Health Defense
• Costly, Ineffective Flu Shots Fail Again – It’s time to challenge the government and industry hype around flu vaccines. By Bill Tieleman
• Should I Get the Flu Shot? CDC Data Raise Concerns by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
• “Natural Immunity” is Better Than Flu Vaccines – Top UCLA Researchers Claim… Flu Vaccine – a Dangerous, Expensive Mistake? by KP Stoller, MD –  Link to study here.
• Study: Prior-year vaccination cut flu vaccine effects in 2014-15
• The slippery stats on flu vaccines – Are flu shots 60 percent effective? Or are they 3 percent effective in a good year and 1 percent in a bad year? By Alan Cassels, November 2015
• Don’t Believe Everything You Read About Flu Deaths by Lawrence Solomon
• A New Season of Pain, Profit and Politics (a report about the deception that’s promulgated about influenza vaccines)
• Flu deaths reality check – CBC’s in depth report about hugely misleading estimates of 2,000 to 8,000 annual influenza deaths “a statistical guess that comes out of a mathematical formula that makes a range of assumptions about death and flu.”
• Vaccines Sold by Marketing Fear of Disease: BMJ Report by Heidi Stevenson
• Canadian call for health worker flu shots stirs debate
• Pointed debate on mandatory flu shots
• Mandatory Flu Shots for Healthcare Workers: Summary of the literature – Dr. Meryl Nass
• Guest column: Influenza vaccination should never be made compulsory by Daniel O’Roark, DO, FACC, is a cardiologist at Wellmont-CVA Heart Institute, Kingsport
• Will a flu shot keep you healthy? By Alan Cassels, October 2012
• Experts condemn plans to lift ban on research into deadly H5N1 birdflu virus – Exclusive: Leading experts tell The Independent of fears that lethal virus could escape from a research laboratory to cause a deadly flu pandemic
• Swine flu vaccine linked to increased risk of rare nerve disorder – The 2009 human “swine flu” vaccine given to millions of Canadians was associated with twice the normal risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome – a rare but potentially paralyzing nerve disorder, Quebec researchers are reporting.
• A Whole Industry is Waiting for a Pandemic – Interview with Tom Jefferson MD, Der Speigel
• Influenza Vaccination: Policy versus Evidence – Evidence from systematic reviews shows that inactivated vaccines have little or no effect on the effects measured (pdf)
• BMJ rapid responses to Dr. Jefferson’s article, Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence
• Flu Vaccines “Not Worth the Bother” says Researcher Dr. Tom Jefferson. As reported by Dr Jefferson in the ‘British Medical Journal’, what people think is influenza is most often really an entirely different infection which causes similar symptoms.
• Two studies find flu treatments fall short – CTV News
• 2 Studies Question the Effectiveness of Flu Vaccines by Elizabeth Rosenthal – New York Times, 2005

Prevention and Natural Treatment of Influenza

• Vitamin D Prevention of Flu and Respiratory Illness
• Also see: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
• Fever as a Treatment for Influenza
• Boost Your Immune System – Essential Strategies to Prepare You for Flu Season by Dr. Zoltan Rona
• Homeopathic Remedies for the Flu – An Overview

Concerns about Flu Vaccine During Pregnancy & Childhood

• Following Your Inner Compass: Rejecting Flu Vaccine in Pregnancy by Kelly Brogan MD
• Study: Flu vaccine doesn’t prevent missed school days
• The Deadly Truth About Flu Vaccines and Pregnancy by Gary Null, PhD
• Vaccination: Your Body. Your Baby. Their Flu. by Kelly Brogan MD
• Media misconstrue study
• Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy: A Critical Assessment (PDF)
• Babies & Flu Vaccines – Lack of Effectiveness, by Dr. F. Edward Yazbak
• Midwives Not Enthusiastic About flu Shots
• Flu Vaccine – Think Again, Dr. R. Neustaedter
• Resisting the Flu Vaccine Hype for Children
• Open Letter to Pediatricians on Flu Vaccines and Children
• Ear Infections Not Reduced by Flu Vaccine

Common misconceptions about influenza

• Flu Cases Didn’t Drop With Ontario’s Free Shots
• Emergency Department visits increase during universal immunization campaign

  A retrospective study of 5 Ontario hospitals published in the July, 2002 issue of Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine found that “there was no significant correlation between influenza rates and Emergency Department volumes.” Data from 5 hospitals showed that, “during influenza season, acute respiratory diagnoses accounted for only 4.4% of ED visits and influenza for only 0.34% of visits.” During the influenza season after the universal immunization campaign, ED visits increased at all sites. The study concluded that, “a universal influenza immunization campaign is unlikely to affect ED volume.” Since 2000, Ontario has spent over $100 million on its “universal” flu vaccine program.

• Dr. K. Gaublomme, MD – Commentary on Influenza & the Vaccine
• Flu Shots – Do They Really Work?
• Doctors Debate if Flu Vaccine is Worthwhile – from the Canadian Medical Journal

More Articles on Flu & Flu Vaccines

• NVIC Flu Facts
• http://www.whale.to/vaccines/flu.html
• Health Canada Flu Watch Information – Updates from Canada and around the World
  – English site
  – French site