[travior]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090923/seasonal_flu_090923/20090923?hub=TopStories

$1:

"It appears to be that for people who got seasonal influenza vaccine last year, they were at greater risk of getting H1N1 disease this year," Dr. Donald Low, an infectious diseases expert at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, told CTV News.

The study is based on research in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Health organizations around the world are watching the results carefully, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

[Benn]

Thinking back to last year when the public health nurse was trying to make me feel guilty about not getting the flu shot, "You know it's totally safe and good for you in the long run."

Just one thing to say to Nurse pushy now

[segno]

The most important word in the opening post is the word "Unpublished".

One of the most important tools that science has is the idea of peer-review... Scientists submit their work to certain journals, who then get other scientists to review things to ensure no major errors were committed. At this point, the article has not been published, so it may contain significant flaws that fellow scientists are in the process of uncovering.

It should also be pointed out that scientists looking at the data from other countries have not found the same "Canadian effect".

[Public_Domain]

[gigs]

segno segno:

The most important word in the opening post is the word "Unpublished".

One of the most important tools that science has is the idea of peer-review... Scientists submit their work to certain journals, who then get other scientists to review things to ensure no major errors were committed. At this point, the article has not been published, so it may contain significant flaws that fellow scientists are in the process of uncovering.

It should also be pointed out that scientists looking at the data from other countries have not found the same "Canadian effect".

Precisely, it's as reliable as the "planet is warming".

[segno]

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

If this effect is true, it doesn't effect me. I'm not even 100% sure I'm going to get the shot.

It's just the normal flu, right?

There's no such thing as a 'normal' flu. Each flu strain is different, not only genetically, but in the transmission rates and the severity.

There may be such a thing as a 'normal' flu season, where the number of cases and deaths is about 'average' for other years.

When they first started studying the H1N1 virus, epidemiologists thought it was an extremely 'bad' form of the flu... easy to transmit/catch, and causing very severe illness and death in a large part of the population. Since that time, I believe they've lowered their expectations about how bad the flu will be. Still, there will be some people dying from it (many of whom could have been saved if they had been vaccinated.)

$1:

I'm healthy. I can fight that.

In most flu seasons, the people most at risk are the elderly, children and those who are already sick. However, even in those years there are at least a few people who are otherwise healthy who do end up hospitalized, or even dead.

However, not all flu strains are the same. In some years, it ends up being the healthy people that are most at risk. In fact, that may be the case this year. (For example, in Austraila, the death rate amongst certain adult demographs was 50% higher than in other years, while it was significantly less for seniors.)

Even if you think you can 'fight it', keep in mind that it is not only your health that is the issue. It is possible for you to pass on the virus to others (even before the flu symptoms actually show up). If you have the opportunity but don't get the shot, you could be contributing to the death of others.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Hey the flu shot works man. Every year when I got the shot, I got the flu. Now, I don't bother and I don't get the flu. Easy choice for me.

[raydan]

Never had a flu shot.
Got the flu once in my life, maybe 10 years ago.
Won't get this flu shot.

[Yogi]

For me, getting the flu shot now would be akin to closing the gate after the dog got out! Never had a flu shot and didn't intend to get one for this 'version' either.

[Proculation]

travior travior:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090923/seasonal_flu_090923/20090923?hub=TopStories

$1:

"It appears to be that for people who got seasonal influenza vaccine last year, they were at greater risk of getting H1N1 disease this year," Dr. Donald Low, an infectious diseases expert at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, told CTV News.

The study is based on research in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Health organizations around the world are watching the results carefully, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Just thinking: maybe people who had the last year's flu shot thought they were immunized so they took less precautions ?

[Proculation]

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

If this effect is true, it doesn't effect me. I'm not even 100% sure I'm going to get the shot.

It's just the normal flu, right?

I'm healthy. I can fight that.

It's not just the "normal" flu. This one spreads much more easily and unlike "normal" seasonal flu, it strikes young and healthy persons (like you). There's also the "don't spread it to others" element.

[segno]

$1:

Hey the flu shot works man. Every year when I got the shot, I got the flu. Now, I don't bother and I don't get the flu. Easy choice for me.

$1:

Never had a flu shot. Got the flu once in my life, maybe 10 years ago. Won't get this flu shot.

$1:

For me, getting the flu shot now would be akin to closing the gate after the dog got out! Never had a flu shot and didn't intend to get one for this 'version' either.

You know, I'm always amazed at the lack of basic logic and reasoning skills displayed in so many posts.

Folks, guess what? All of these are anecdotes. They are absolutely worthless in detremining your risk of being affected by the flu. The fact that you haven't gotten sick over the past few years may be due to nothing but sheer dumb luck.

If you think such 'stories' are any sort of proof of health risks, consider this: Jeanne Calment was the oldest (verified) living person. She smoked until she was 117 years old. If you think anecdotes are some sort of 'proof' of invulnerability, then you must also think cigarettes are harmless because someone smoked well into their 100s.

Why exactly would someone want to actually risk, you know, dying from influenza and related complecations? You get home insurance, even though most people don't have their home burn down or broken into every year. So why not

Furthermore, why would you want to risk contributing to the deaths of other people, if/when someone passes the flu on to someone who is more at risk of dying?

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Because as I said, whenever I DID get the flu shot, it worked, I got the flu. Please explain to me why the hell I would want to make myself sick on purpose.

And risk?? Getting in your car and driving is THE single most dangerous thing we do and we do it every damn day. I stand about 1000% greater risk of dying in a car accident in the next week then I do of dying from the flu at any time.

Let's take a look at your logic for a moment here. If I don't get the flu shot, I could give someone the flu even before the symptoms appear in me. However, based on MY past history, when I got the shot, I got the flu. So there is a good chance I could just as easily infect someone AFTER I get the shot and before the symptoms appear in me. Hmmm what to do, what to do.

[raydan]

As for me, I'm not arguing that nobody should a flu shot because of me.
I'm just saying I'm not getting a flu shot.

Too much hype, not enough hard facts for my taste.

[Proculation]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

Because as I said, whenever I DID get the flu shot, it worked, I got the flu. Please explain to me why the hell I would want to make myself sick on purpose.

And risk?? Getting in your car and driving is THE single most dangerous thing we do and we do it every damn day. I stand about 1000% greater risk of dying in a car accident in the next week then I do of dying from the flu at any time.

Let's take a look at your logic for a moment here. If I don't get the flu shot, I could give someone the flu even before the symptoms appear in me. However, based on MY past history, when I got the shot, I got the flu. So there is a good chance I could just as easily infect someone AFTER I get the shot and before the symptoms appear in me. Hmmm what to do, what to do.

Maybe you are mixing the flu and a bad cold ? Only about 3-5% of the population gets the flu every year. Getting the flu EACH year for several years is almost impossible.

As for the H1N1 vaccine, tests show that it reduces by 95% the chances of getting it. I'll get the shot for sure.