My thoughts were laid out last week in a previous post but I did want to post this story from Reader’s Digest that I ran across after the posting :
Seniors who think their flu shot makes them invincible this winter may want to think again. A recent Group Health study of 3,500 people found that those who got the vaccine had the same risk of getting pneumonia as those who weren’t vaccinated. Researchers suspect that either the flu vaccine doesn’t work as well as it should in seniors or that their pneumonia is not from the flu.
Not surprisingly though …….
Lead study author Michael L. Jackson, PhD, still recommends an annual flu shot.
My point is not that you shouldn’t get the flu shot. What I do think is that it should be an educated and informed decision. However, I think the problem with the Vaccine debate is that it’s very difficult to make an educated decision because so much of the news isn’t news it’s simply marketing. Too often (kind of like with politics) once you actually look at the facts, numbers and real tests you find that there isn’t much there to support the hype.
An let there be know doubt that Big Pharma is paying A LOT for that hype.
Related Links
- Drug Industry Boosts Lobbying – Wall Street Journal
- Pharma Spends Almost Twice As Much On Advertising As On R&D - Science Daily News, 1/7/08
- Drug Companies Mine Patient Data To Boost Sales – NPR
- Drug Industry Triples Spending As Regulations Softens – Bloomberg News, 8/17/07
- Dr. Jarvik, Lipitor and The Rowing Ads – New York Times 2/7/08
