Interesting - Flu Vaccines

[Marnica]

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/oct1512sidebar.html

I found this an interesting read.

To me here is the bottom line:

 The CCIVI group's efforts to document as rigorously as possible the value and effectiveness of current vaccines produced a startling conclusion that influenza vaccines are not only cumbersome to produce, but even in seasons when there is a strong match between the vaccine and circulating strains, "the benefit in terms of lives saved, which essentially meant the elderly, was minimal at best," Sommer said.

 The group seemed poised to produce a technical report that detailed inadequacies of current flu vaccines and how they're produced. "But then the research moved in an unexpected direction, one much closer to my field," he said, pointing to the team's investigation that revealed how flu vaccine recommendations lacked a strong scientific basis, leading to misperceptions that carried through in messages to the public.

[Mosaic]

This is interesting! Another quote that jumped out at me:

He said another unexpected finding was that misperceptions about vaccine effectiveness are barriers to investments in novel-antigen vaccine research and development.

So their feeling was that historically, flu vaccines' reputation exceeds their true effectiveness, which in turn has hindered research and innovation which could really improve them.

[emmy526]

 

Quote:

Sorting Out the 2012-2013 Influenza Vaccine Recommendations

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/771861?src=mp

 

Quote:

Yearly Flu Rant.

http://boards.medscape.com/forums?[e-mail]6Fac4Fmbt@.2a351154!comment=1