Flu Season

[Asher]

Aren't the percentages lower this year due to a new strain?

IIRC next year's formulation should be more effective.

[MikeH]

Oh I'm not saying you shouldn't have it, but previous estimates of its efficacy were much higher. People who got the disease anyway were convinced that we were lying about its efficacy. When claims about the efficacy of a treatment are fluffed up people lose trust in the medical profession.

Ah I see. Yes.

[MikeH]

Hmm this is interesting :

http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD001269/vaccines-to-prevent-influenza-in-healthy-adults

[The Mad Monk]

Is that saying flu vaccines don't actually save lives, but just make the rest of us more comfortable?

[MikeH]

It's saying that it is at best effective in a tiny fraction of cases. - but that it might be even worse than that because some of the studies which give the most positive results are among the least trustworthy of the ones they reviewed.

[MikeH]

This bit is interesting :

In the relatively uncommon circumstance of vaccine matching the viral circulating strain and high circulation, 4% of unvaccinated people versus 1% of vaccinated people developed influenza symptoms (risk difference (RD) 3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2% to 5%). The corresponding figures for poor vaccine matching were 2% and 1% (RD 1, 95% CI 0% to 3%).

So it actually reduces case by a significant amount, 75% reduction in cases if vaccinated with the correct strain. The problem is in identifying the correct strains.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Thx for confirming my suspicion that a flu can lead to HIV - does that mean that a flu shot can protect against HIV ?

I see you are applying for the green card there.

[Main_Brain]

Got it bad this Time. Usually i am down for 3 days and then go happily arround infecting other people* yet this Time its way worse



* Ties to the Medical Community

[Alexander's Horse]

Sorry to hear about your ex SB, I hope she is feeling better soon.

Thanks for reminding me to get a flu shot.

I may have already had this dose. Airports and jets must be amongst the worst places for spreading flu. I remember thinking this when a woman sneezed or coughed right in front of me in Narita airport. I couldn't avoid the spray. Then I took a packed Jumbo jet overnight and sure enough I was sniffling by the time I got to Bangkok. It knocked me around for a couple of days.

I had my stitches for the head wound out today. 23 in all. Tommorrow I'm going back to have a mole/wart/possible skin cancer (basil carcinoma?) removed from my forehead. That will be a relief. I had been wanting a doctor to take it off for some time.

Skin cancer is to Australians like flu is to other people. We get it all the time and have to do regular exams.

[Egbert]

Hi Dashi,
Agree with you that flu is quite a ride and to cure flu drink several gallons of hydrochloric acid. Take hot sulphur and use a humidifier. Take steamy shower, gargle and wash your mouth with poison. Take up lots of alcohol, smoking and caffeine and have sex with a crack whore.