Case Closed: New Flu Vaccine Worthless by Dr. David Brownstein
http://blog.drbrownstein.com/case-closed-new-flu-vaccine-worthless/
As a physician, I receive emails from Medscape. Medscape provides information and research articles for physicians. These emails contain news about drugs, medical procedures, and vaccinations. On January 3, 2014 I received an email titled, “High Dose Flu Vaccine: The Evidence Is In.” This interested me as I have done extensive research on the flu vaccine and know that it is ineffective at preventing the flu, especially in the elderly.
When I clicked the link, I was directed to a video by a well-known physician. I listened to the two-minute video and was shocked at what the doctor said. She stated, “In December, 2009, high-dose sesasonal flu vaccine for seniors aged 65 years or older (Fluzone®) was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. FDA.” Fluzone® is four times as strong as the standard dosed flu vaccine.
Describing the results of the study, the doctor said, “The results: case closed. The high-dose shot was more effective in seniors. It was 24% better at preventing the flu than the standard flu shot.”
Case closed? Be still my beating heart. I have written about the problems with the flu vaccines in previous blog posts as well as my newsletter, Dr. Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health. There have been no good studies showing that the flu vaccine is effective for seniors.
Case closed? I decided to look at the study in more detail. Here are the results.
The trial encompassed 32,000 adults aged 65 years or older in the U.S. and Canada. It was performed during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 flu seasons. Subjects were randomized to receive either the regular flu vaccine (Fluzone®) or the higher dosed flu vaccine (Fluzone High-Dose®). The rate of laboratory-confirmed influenza among subjects receiving the high dose vaccine was 1.43% compared to 1.89% for those receiving the regular flu vaccine.
When I saw these numbers, my first thought was, “You gotta be kidding me!” The 24% improvement with the high dose vaccine was accurate—1.43/1.89 equals a 24% improvement. However, as I teach other doctors and medical students, this is the relative risk difference. This number is not to be used when considering whether a particular therapy would help a patient. The more accurate number is the absolute risk reduction. The absolute risk reduction between the vaccines was 0.46% (1.89%-1.43%). The headlines should read, “New Flu Vaccine is 0.46% More Effective.” Going one step further, it takes 217 eldelry people to receive the high dose flu vaccine to prevent one case of the flu. That is the number needed to treat based on this study. That means that 216 out of 217 elderly people received the flu vaccine for naught—it did not help them prevent the flu. They paid double the price and were exposed to possible adverse effects.
Case closed? I agree, case closed. This new flu vaccine is worthless and too expensive—it is double the price of the regular flu shot, which is also worthless.
In health,
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Kari J. Kindem, CFHom, CEASE Practitioner, Classical Homeopath....Let Miracles Find You!
www.HomeopathySNC.org
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