An estimated 30 million people in the UK – almost half the entire population – are being offered a flu vaccine to reduce their chances of infection this winter.
The jab is free and, while far from perfect, can more than halve the risk of falling ill in some people.
It can also save lives: The death toll from flu was over 18,000 people – of all ages – in the last two years alone.
And the vaccine may have benefits beyond flu, with some research suggesting it can cut the risk of dementia by a fifth, as well as reducing heart attacks and stroke in people with cardiovascular disease.
Yet fewer people than ever are having the jab.
Flu is unpleasant. I’d rather not get it. However, the risk is low. The death rate is 1%. So why should I take a vaccine that will inevitably carry a risk and may not work when I am fit, healthy and have a functioning immune system? I have already declined anyway, so the conversation is somewhat moot.
Getting the flu vaccine right is a difficult task, since the types of flu viruses in circulation are constantly changing.
Which is why it is largely a waste of time and effort.
In February each year, the World Health Organisation predicts which strains present the greatest threat over the following winter…
Mystic Meg was about as scientific as this.
Does anyone trust these products, or the people pushing them, i don’t and won’t ever again.
As for the WHO, would you buy a used car from such as they.
“CAN more than halve the RISK of falling ill in SOME people”
Quantify “CAN”. Quantify “RISK”. Quantify “SOME”.
Then quantify the risk of taking the vaccine. So that we can make an informed decision. Until then … nah.
Those 18,000 that (it is claimed) died. How many would have died anyway, of something else? Maybe taken a little longer.
Flu generally takes out those who are already weakened by some other underlying condition – so, likely a high proportion of those. Without clear information, it’s all just guestimates, so the sensible thing is to decline.
I’ve been having the regular flu jab since I was diagnosed as diabetic in 2013. I never had any side effects. It is impossible to know how effective it is as I rarely get flu type bugs anyway. Diabetics aren’t necessarily immune compromised, as long as it is well under control and you keep yourself fit it isn’t really a problem. As has been mentioned above, flu is usually only fatal for people who have other underlying health issues or who are very old.
Yet fewer people than ever are having the jab.
Who’d’ve think it? Locking people in their homes and trying to force them to take experimental treatments said possibly to mitigate a bad case of flu but really just to make big pharma lotsa monies has made people not trust the medical establishment.
Before lots of people signed up willingly. Now the mask has slipped and once the true face has been seen, there’s no unseeing it
I doubt that. People still think lockdowns were a good idea!
Chernyy
Especially when you see bullshit like the ban on smoking in pub gardens and proposed restrictions on alcohol sales. The true agenda is revealed. Everyone involved with the vaccine programs
Ought to be on trial for crimes against humanity…
Nobody died of flu during the covid years.
Verrry interesting.
Maybe if we could all be inoculated with a very weak covid strain we might be immune to both covid and flu?
See small pox, cow pox, milk maids and Queen.
The problem with cold and flu bugs is that they are changing all the time. Any vaccination can only be effective against any of last winter’s strains that are still around, any new strains aren’t covered. So basically far less effective but better than nothing. Getting plenty of vitamins combined with a lifetime’s worth of exposure to these bugs seems to work well for me as I rarely get smitten.
I’ve been paying into the NHS for over fifty years so I’ll take any free, relatively painless healthcare test or treatment they’re offering. I really can’t see why not.
So they’re not free then, are they?
“I’ve been paying into the NHS for over fifty years so I’ll take any free, relatively painless healthcare test or treatment they’re offering. I really can’t see why not.”
I’ve paid for this largely untested entirely new drug so I’m going to take it come what may, goddammit!
I really hope that you’re being sarcastic, but I have a sinking feeling that you’re not…….its very hard to tell these days.
@Doonhammer – I’m not sure you are correct – flu mortality as recorded is here https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/influenzadeathsintheukbetween2012to2022 – which seems suspiciously low, unless it’s an artifact of, as our host records above, other determinants of mortality as illustrated by this article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1676118/
For NZ flu mortality slumped during Covid due to our border closing and respiratory viruses not circulating in the general population from overseas sources for an entire year+.
Having had flu and Covid I’d be hard put to state which is worse – a week of horrid acute symptoms and then 2-3 weeks of debilitation for both. Happy to take a vaccine to avoid that!
Nowadays I would be hesitant in getting a tetanus shot. I’d probably just sit it out.
Tetanus I’m not concerned about. It’s a proven vaccine and we can always check what possible negative reactions might occur. Covid and flu are another matter. Covid was rushed into production without proper long term trials having been completed. They called us conspiracy theorists for pointing out that there would be risks, yet as anyone with an ounce of sense knows any medical intervention has risks and the person taking it needs to be fully informed before agreeing to that risk. This basic process was ignored and anyone who objected was vilified. That alone was enough to refuse.
As for flu – this is just a waste of time. It’s been around long enough to pass the long term trial/risk analysis test, but as it’s always behind the curve, the risks – small though the are – aren’t worth the bother.
I do, however, take your point. Trust in the medical profession has been eroded to a point where it is difficult to take any reassurance at face value.
How long till they start mixing them together so you can’t get a tetanus jab without getting a covid jab. It’s what these scum do.
I’ve paid into the NHS for decades and now I’m getting to where I need it I can’t use it because they are helping people who haven’t paid a bean and those that are getting treatment for mental illnesses. They do have alternative ‘treatment’ though. It’s called assisted dying.
Possible. We aren’t there yet, though. But, yeah, the trajectory is in place.
Very few people have been net contributors to government spending. So claiming you’ve “paid into” pensions, NHS etc is likely bollocks. Plus, there was never a pot that was building up to draw on later at a time of need. Like everything the government takes, it was all pissed away as soon as it was taken by menaces.
If at the time of the NHS coming into being, national insurance was just that – an insurance policy that was funded by contributions – it would have been a sound idea. Instead, government, being government, just pisses away any money that comes its way, so we ended up with a Ponzi scheme.