Is Flu Vaccine Advice Flawed?


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By Brett Spiegel

Public health officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have amped up their push for people to get vaccinated against the flu, saying that virtually everyone should get an annual flu shot.

But in a new article published in the British Medical Journal, Peter Doshi, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in comparative effectiveness research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, questions whether flu vaccinations really offer the benefits the CDC claims.

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Recent outbreaks of SARS-like coronaviruses and other flu-like diseases may have upped the ante on conditions that could become epidemic or even pandemic, but Dr. Doshi argues that flu shots may actually be less safe and less advantageous than we think. “Consider vaccines versus other methods of prevention such as hand washing,” he said. “CDC claims vaccines are the best protection against flu. Where are the studies that show superiority of vaccination against other methods of preventing flu?”

Doshi expressed special skepticism of two recent studies cited by the CDC to support its pro-vaccination efforts. The first was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and stresses influenza vaccine’s role in risk reduction for pneumonia, hospitalization, and death in seniors. The other, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the overall death rate from flu has decreased by 48 percent as a result of vaccination.

Doshi says these studies used test subjects who tended to lead healthier lives that would include getting vaccinated, a concept he refers to in his article as the “healthy-user effect.” If study participants are generally healthy individuals to begin with, then scientific findings are neither realistic nor representative of the overall population.

“Randomized trials or, failing that, prospective cohort studies would be better than what is currently being used to justify policy,” Doshi asserted. “All the influenza strains put together comprise just a portion — perhaps 1 in 6 — of all flu because most flu is not influenza.”

Additionally, Doshi says that flu vaccinations should join the list of poorly tested products being marketed to the American public. “Here the salesmen are public health officials, worried little about which brand of vaccine you get so long as they can convince you to take influenza seriously,” he said. “But it is essential to base those messages on solid science, and here is where CDC is failing when it comes to influenza.”

Nonetheless, the CDC stands firm that vaccination is the still the method for flu prevention.

“Influenza vaccination is the first and best preventive tool we have against influenza,” said Darlene M. Foote, CDC public affairs specialist. “Flu vaccine can not only reduce your risk of getting sick with flu, it also can reduce your risk of being hospitalized from flu and may reduce your risk of dying from influenza.”

Either way, it appears that both the CDC and Doshi agree that flu is a potentially life-threatening plague the requires appropriate attention and intervention. Here are some simple steps you can take to stay healthy during flu season:

– Keep your distance from those who are already sick. If you are sick, stay home from work or school to prevent others from falling ill.
– When sneezing or coughing, cover your nose and mouth to prevent germs from spreading. Also avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth as germs can be transmitted from infected objects you touch.
– Wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
– Clean your home or work space, especially if others around you are ill.
– Manage your stress and make sure to load up on sleep and physical activity in addition to drinking plenty of fluids and eating nutrient-dense foods.

“Flu Vaccine Advice May Be Flawed, Expert Says” originally appeared on Everyday Health.

Also on HuffPost:

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  • Assuming The Vaccine Is All You Need

    While the flu shot is generally considered your best line of defense, it’s not emguaranteed/em protection. “The current influenza vaccine is good, but not perfect,” says Tosh. Think of the flu shot like a seatbelt, he says. Vaccinating doesn’t mean you emcan’t/em get the flu, but the outcome will likely be better if you do.

    “It is possible people who have been vaccinated and get influenza will have less severe disease,” says Tosh, so there’s no excuse to skip the shot. But you should also take other measures to make sure you a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/15/cold-flu-prevention-natural-immune-boosters_n_2474430.html”stay healthy this season/a, like getting adequate sleep, maintaining a regular exercise routine, avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth and drinking lots of water.

  • Covering Your Sneeze With Your Hands

    Sure, it’s better than spraying those germs directly into the air above your neighbor’s cubicle. But when you sneeze into your hands, chances are you then grab a doorknob or a shared phone or touch a keyboard or shake a coworker’s hand — and pass along whatever bug you’re hosting.

    About a decade ago, public health experts started teaching a a new-and-improved version of cough and sneeze etiquette in schools, says Tosh, namely to cover up with a tissue (and dispose of it promptly), instead of using your hands. When a tissue is out of reach, a href=”http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm”go for the crook of your elbow, instead/a. Even a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG4hX8TEkAA”Elmo knows/a!

  • Washing Your Hands In A Hurry

    You already know that hand washing is one of your a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/15/cold-flu-prevention-natural-immune-boosters_n_2474430.html#slide=1984564?best natural defenses against the flu/a and germs in general. But too many people still aren’t scrubbing up to snuff.

    a href=”http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/”Healthy hand washing/a includes lathering up on all sides, between the fingers and under your nails for at least 20 seconds, or about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice, according to the CDC’s recommendations.

  • Swearing By Antibacterial Soap

    Despite the fact that patients keep requesting antibiotics for their symptoms, a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/11/common-flu-myths-busted_n_2451441.html#slide=1968603?colds and flu are spread by emviruses/em/a. And while it’s crucial to keep hands clean, expecting an antibacterial soap to protect you is a big mistake. Not only will those suds not prevent you from catching the flu, they may leave “a larger proportion of a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/health/30well.html”resistant bacteria/a behind,” according to the New York TImes.

    Alcohol-based hand sanitizers still make the grade, since they, like regular soap, kill off bacteria more randomly.

  • Pretending You Aren’t Sick

    Ignoring that nagging cough or fevery feeling and still going to work or school is a great way to make yourself — and the people around you — sicker. You wouldn’t want to work in close proximity with someone who has the flu, so don’t impose that on your co-workers or classmates.

    (Not to mention that you’re probably a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/cold-flu-season-sick-work_n_2124292.html”not doing your best work if you’re really feeling lousy/a.)

    So when are you allowed back? “If it sounds like they have influenza, people should stay at home until they’re no longer having fevers for at least 24 hours,” says Tosh.

  • Relying On Vitamin C

    While there’s been little research proving that the famed cold-buster can actually prevent you from getting sick, the idea that vitamin C will keep you healthy still lingers.

    A 2007 review found that the average person a href=”http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070718002136.htm”isn’t benefitted all that much by a daily vitamin C supplement/a (although it did protect those under extreme physical stress, like marathon runners).

    However, it’s still an a href=”http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/01/14/do-vitamins-c-and-d-prevent-flu/”important nutrient for overall health/a. Getting your daily dose from a a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/vitamin-c-foods_n_1457397.html”variety of fruits and veggies/a is still a good idea, even if it won’t necessarily keep the sniffles away.

    If you’re still not convinced to give up your C supplement, at the very least, taking it shouldn’t hurt you. “It’s certainly okay if you want to take some vitamins,” says Tosh, “but it should not be done instead of taking extra fluids and rest.”

  • Guzzling Orange Juice

    You’re probably reaching for that OJ for its famed vitamin C, which, you now know, may not be the solution you’re hoping for. And while you emdo/em want to increase fluid intake to both ward off and recover faster from the flu, juice comes with a lot of empty calories. In fact, too much extra sugar can actually a href=”http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/10-immune-system-busters-boosters”inhibit the immune system/a, WebMD reported.

  • Panicking

    Headlines like a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/flu-outbreak-in-2013-earliest-worst-decade-18-children-dead_n_2440695.html””Worst Flu Outbreak In A Decade”/a instill real fear in us. But most otherwise-healthy people will recover just fine from the flu with plenty of rest, fluids and good nutrition, says Tosh. Panic and anxiety won’t do anything to keep you healthy; getting vaccinated, drinking extra fluids and listening to your body will. “Rather than panicking, people should focus on what they can do,” he says.

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