I have researched this subject extensively including several conversations with a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria and there is very little clinical evidence that flu shots work.

One large Meta analysis (the study of many studies on a subject) found virtually no evidence to support flu shots as a public policy reduced flu transmission rates. What the researchers found was the vast majority of studies drug companies used to demonstrate the effectiveness of vaccines were so flawed that drawing conclusions from them was impossible or problamatic. The studies often had no control groups, had a health bias (used really healthy lifestyle people) and methodlogies were not well explained etc.

Compounding this is the fact that almost no medical follow-up exists for people who get the vaccines. How do we know how many got sick anyway? If they didn't get sick how do we know why, you can't assume the vaccine was responsible. Many people get other illnesses that we assume are the flu, but aren't get a flu shot and don't get sick, but in truth were never exposed to the flu so hence the vaccines apparent success. Our immune systems are complex and dynamic, there are many factors that either protect us from illness or make us vulnerable. The companies that make millions from these vaccines are very good at convincing us they work, and the governments just want something to show the public they are doing something - plus they don't want to pay for the studies so they use pharmaceutical companies research.

Unless we have actual proof that these vaccines work, the expenditure of public money is not founded. The risks of serious complications from the flu for healthy people are extremely low, likley around the same as the risk of having an adverse reaction to the vaccine itself and these risks are real and accepted by the medical community. This is not a simple question and people should ask why we are spending all this money without appropriate evidence of efficacy. When I told my doctor about this she admitted that really only the elderly show any measureable benefit and then it isn't a huge benefit, just statiscally significant. Just worth considering.

Holy cow! If you don't want it, don't get it. You have a choice. The government and companies that make it don't force you to get it. In Canada, the shot is FREE if you have a health care number. So many diseases have been wiped out due to vaccinations. My god, think of all the people saved during the war years thanks to penicillin. Was that a conspiracy to? Must have been because the inventor got rich off of that one. Vaccinations don't prevent the flu, you can still get it after a flu shot. All it dose is allow the body to create antibodies in advance to help fight it if you get that particular bug. Also, a flu or cold is different every year. Everytime you get sick it is because of a different bug, your body already has the antibodies from previous infections. The problem is all the people taking antibiotics, this is why mutated viruses are popping up, a vaccination is natural, antibiotics force the bug to evolve. Also, don't Lysol and sterilize your home, the body needs some dirt and grime in order to build the immune system and be able to fight things.

I will never see 79 years old agian. We have bn going to Yuma for the last 3 winters. the last 2
trips we had our flue shots, & i had the flue in the spring the last 2 years. I will not be getting any more shots. Thinking back i do not think i have ever had the flue before. Had a couple of colds thats about it.

NEVER EVER EVER AND HAVE NEVER HAD THE FLU AND IM 43

My mother had a flu shot - from which she contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome and became paralyzed from the neck down ... that ws in 1993 but I believe the risk(s) still exist and have not allowed my family to go anywhere near a flu shot. If you're healthy, there's no need to have a flu shot - the risks outweigh any benefits, in my experienced opinion.

A couple of things are factual about influenza, 2000 to 6000 canadians die each year from it and many people contract it from persons who are not yet showing symptoms, the flu shot doesn't provide immunity for 2 weeks so if you are exposed to it before that then you can still get the flu. Yes there are rare complications from the flu shot (gullien barre syndrome)but the same condition has be linked to the common cold. I have seen a healthy 12 year old be flattened for a week with H1N1 and I can say it was frightening to watch her body try and fight a new virus. I have also worked with some of the toddlers hospitalized with influenza and I think parents should try and follow the advice of their health care provider on this topic just as they would for any other issue.

I get the flu shot every year. I'm very pleased with it, since I just don't get sick. Why take a chance and find out the hard way, that it would have been a better choice to have gotten it. Just a little sore where I get the needle, but other than that, no other complications to date.

I got the flu last year and it hit me like a run away truck. Went to the hospital and did not feel good for at least 6 momths. I did not get the flu shot and was told by the a health agency that had I had the shot I would not have contacted the flu. This year and for the rest of my life I will get it.The sore arm is worth it.

I get a flu shot every year and am very thankful I do.
One year I missed getting my shot, and I when the flu hit my area of the country, I ended up so sick I was off work for days.
In this economy where many companies do not pay for sick days and/or you can lose your job for taking too much time off, I would rather get a simple shot than take my chances at getting that sick again.

Aghk, don't take the flu vaccine! It's a government conspiracy to kill us all. The pharmaceutical industry wants to poison us so that we will die early and quit buying their products! The ingredients will make you fat / ugly / mentally infirm / Republican (pick whichever is scariest). I should probably also say that I'm a mother and that these are designed to harm children or something else stupid but I think that's already taken care of by the other posters. Point being, if you really are dim enough to believe most of the anti-western-medicine hysteria you deserve and will probably receive the same medical results as Steve Jobs. PS for those too stupid to notice, the first half is satire

Hello Canadians...No NO NO do not take the FLU SHOT. The reports are not showing you all the BIG Pic. I am one of many who have taken the flu shot and the flu vaccine iturned on my system and I ended up in Hospital for a few weeks I could not walk and I lost so much of my life to that flu shot.That I will never ever get back.So I was told I had MS and for 9 years I lived with that .The time was up for my next visit to the MS Dr. and that is when I was told It had been the flu shot The very same words that I used on my admission to Hospital....Please think twice.Diana

Seems like a lot of doctors here who haven't gone to med school. We are getting assumptions, comments without any proof. And worse of all we are getting emotional
answers instead of intellectua ones.

Wash your hands. Stay home if you are sick.

Alternatively people can WASH THEIR HANDS and STAY HOME if they are sick. And these preventative measures are FREE.

We all live a healthy life because we have been vaccinated since we were infants.The reason we do not have measles or TB is due to this fact. Yet today, a select few people think it is a scam or ploy eventhough they have no medical knowledge or have studied medicine have deemed vaccines unecessary. These few "special" people need a history lesson as our society would not be leading the live we have today without vaccines, we would be constantly battling infections and viruses.Wake up and get over your cospiracy theories as they make you look very naive.

To Tom who made the very valid point that virtually ALL postings supporting the flu shot come from people who stand to gain, I say - well done. It appears that the pharmaceutical industry is doing a very good job of convincing the masses to buy their product, which may or may not be effective. How do we get reliable information from parties who don't stand to gain? I asked both my doctors whether I should be vaccinated, and both said there's little evidence that it's effective. The only time I've had the flu in my 60+ years was a week after a flu shot. Coincidence? I think not.

Part of the problem is lack of trust for our health dept. The H1N1 flue vaccine was a deal worked out with Chretien's gov't in exchange for other benefits. Many of these vaccines are worse than what they prevent. Everybody should start to do research into the vaccines they are taking, especial the one for that STD they want 10 year olds to take

I respect everyones right to make their own choices. Just yesterday I deactivated my airbags on my car, after all i might get a friction burn when the bag deploy.

Has no one considered the 50 million people that died from the Spanish flu?

Anyways, Darwinism is the driving force, or do we debate this also?, make your choice, roll the dice and we will see who is on the otherside Eh?

Remember while your head is in the sand to get a few choice clams for lunch!

You've touched on one ingredient, why not mention them all? I'd really like to see what exactly they're injecting into my body.

I am diabetic type 1 and WILL NOT have the flu shot and didn`t take it for a few years now and didn`t get sick....the years I took it seems the years I got sick... as best I can remember. There is no scientific evidence that the flu vaccine prevents the flu and there is some that actually shows it to be of no help at all and even linked to some problems....no thanks.

I have emphysema (quit smoking years ago but got it anyway) so I do have a compromised immune system. I got the flu shot once, it didn't make a bit of difference. My doctor always tells me to get one and I tell him I will when they remove the mercruy and can guarantee that they are immunizing me against this year's strain of the flu. I'm happy that flu shots work for some people, but it didn't work for me and I don't know what they injected me with. I'm not a lab experiment either. And I agree that pharmaceutical companied have a stake in this.

I am not a lab rat. Neither are my children. I'll take my chances with a natural flu virus over a lab created virus. There's a reason we have an immune system and if you allow your body to fight virus' on its own your immune system will be stronger for it, protecting you for you whole life. Not just one season, like a vaccine. I want my children to be strong and able to remain healthy on their own. We are far too dependant on interventions these days - our bodies were designed to function in this world and with whatever is thrown at us. You will weaken your body over time if you fill yourselves up with vaccines and other 'treatments'. I don't take OTC drugs either or give them to my children. We are never sick for more than 1-2 days and bounce back right away and it happens maybe 2 times per year. Most people around me are sick for a week or more and are much sicker too. And they're the ones getting flu shots and every other vaccine and drug that comes their way. So, from my experience the interventions are not all they're cracked up to be. Plus if it comes out 10 years from now that this vaccine or this drug caused everyone who took it to be at risk for long term complications, I don't have to give it a second thought. Beware what you put into your body - just like anything else, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!!!

I will NEVER Have a flu shot of any kind and neither will my kids. More people die or get sick from the regular flues than from any H1N1 or similar strain of flu. The H1N1 and similar strains of it are over hyped by the pharmaceutical companies, WHO and governments in order to make money. They are NOT needed. I don't take any shots and I am rarely sick, while I hear of people who take the shot and they are always getting sick. If God wanted us to have shots he would have created us with a hole in our arm in which to stick a needle in it. The Flu shots of any kind are dangerous and can be fatal. You don't have to be a doctor to figure this stuff out people. Do the research you will see I tell the truth. WAKE UP!!

If anyone in your household has a lung disease such as asthma, you should get one, it is so dangerous for someone with lung problems to catch the flu. if you can prevent and keep the person in your house safe from it then you should. I have asthma, i have gotten flu shot and so has everyone in my household

I have epilepsy and had the H1N1 flu shot in 2009 and had a seizure 30 minutes later. Won't hav it again.

I had the flu shot 2 weeks ago, I had no ill side effects from it, i have been getting the flu shot for approximately 15 years and I don't believe in that time I have ever had the flu.

I work in health care and I will NOT be getting the flu shot. I had the flu twice in twenty years. The both years I had the flu shot is when I got the flu shot. People make me feel stupid and unresponsible because I refuse to get the H1N1 shot. I cant take the risk of being infected by taking the shot. I feel like i have a better chance of surviving H1N1 if I come in human contact rather than having it injected into my body.

I say bring it on!! The shots I mean. I work in a hospital, have 2 small kids and I want to protect myself and everyone around me. I have had the flu shot every year for the last 11 as it's recommended for people who work in health care and I have not yet had the flu. I used to get it once a year, like clockwork, not anymore, just a cold here and there. I love science, I think it's a God given gift to prolong our lives and it's working, we're an overpopulated world! Good or bad? It is what it is.

I am a 62 year old female, who got diagnosed a year ago w/type 2 diabetes, I have always been vaccinated w/the flu shot even before contacting diabetes, I also suffer from HBP for almost 20 years now. I will get the flu shot, it is after all a dead virus that they inject into you, so what possible harm can it cost to your health? I am reluctant to get H1N1 shot as there is not enough info about it being distributed. For all of my health problems, I am a very strong individual, who hasn't been sick (touch wood ) ha, ha! since March of 08, then when it hit me, it literally levelled me, & I had to rest in bed for almost a whole week!!

Good Morning, I would like to use this forum to share my views on this controversial subject on Swine Flu Vaccinations. First of all, I am not impressed with the media and all the health care facilities and departments in Canada. I feel the medical institutions, with the media’s aid, is purposely forcing a one sided view on this very dynamic topic. I have not had the opportunity to see valid reports on this subject from institutions that are not funded by the pharmaceutical companies or by our government! Just take a look on the web, it is swamped with pro vaccination sites that are directly or indirectly associated and funded by the government and by the pharmaceutical industry.

It is my feeling the reason many Canadians are become more and more apprehensive of this big push on the Swine Flu Vaccination, is because more and more people are becoming conscious of how corrupt and influential the drug industry has become. The drug industry has a huge influence on most, if not all medical institutions, including the education of Canadian Doctors. And that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to corruption and influence by the drug industry, which I believe is more loyal to the share holders and making profits, than helping the people that are in need of medical help. In a nut shell, more and more Canadians are becoming conscious of the dilemma and the seriousness of our spiralling decline in health as a nation and the corruption that is associated with the costs.

It is my feeling this impending health catastrophe we are facing has been caused by a lack of independed health and preventive health research institution. Institutions that are paid with limitless neutral $$$, no strings attached funds, advising “Tax Paying Canadians”, with integrity and ethics, the pros and cons of any and all drugs, medical procedures, including alternative medicine options.

My want as a Canadian, is to have access to unhindered, unbiased knowledge that states facts, which includes all pros and cons, both sides of the story. In essences I would like to have access to clean wholesome knowledge with no drama and no ego influence.

Regards!

Tom

PEOPLE PEOPLE....do not impose your beliefs on one another. What works for one may not for the other. But to put my two cents in, I have to say that the last time I had the flu was in 1984. Since that horrible experience, I have had a flu shot Every year thereafter, and I have never had the flu again. AND I have a chronic illness and am immunocompromised. I get beaten down with other things, but NEVER with the flu. Thank you.

I just have to say I think most people who have responded here need to take some immunology classes before stating their 'theories' on how the flu shot works and all of its adverse affects. I am not doubting that for some people who get the shot (very rare cases) there are complications. There is also no guarantee that it will prevent the flu (as mentioned, there are many many strains of the flu and you can easily become infected by one not included in the vaccine for the year). As great as natural supplements are to improve your overall health and functioning of your immune system, they will NOT give you immunity to the flu. Your immune system can only do so much on its own (well, an enormous amount, but an amount that is not enough to always protect against infectious flu virus). The core principle of the flu vaccine is to expose your immune system to a portion of the flu virus so that it may recognize it and respond appropriately if it sees it again. The portion of the virus contained in the vaccine is NOT INFECTIOUS. If you think the vaccine has given you the flu, you are completely wrong. You either were infected before receiving the vaccine, or infected after by a completely different strain. Or alternatively, the vaccine was not entirely effective. BUT, there is no way that the vaccine can cause the flu! It is not possible!

As for the flu being a 'natural part of life', that we should just deal with? My gosh, if we took that attitude to everything, all of our life expectancies would still be around 30 and we would be plagued by every kind of disease! Cancer is a natural part of life too, most of us will end up with cancer - does that mean if we had some sort of preventative measure that was rather effective we should not bother? I don't think so.

I agree that more definitive studies should be done regarding the mercury content and what effects it has - however I'm sure it's less harmful than the fish we eat.

I would like to echo what one person said - if you get the flu and you are healthy, you will likely be fine, BUT you are not remembering all of the people you will expose UNKNOWINGLY before your symptoms presented, and how many people they will infect, etc etc leading to severe complications for the immuno-suppressed and elderly.

This is a case of people assuming that because an advance has been made by science, it must be secretly harmful and unnatural! We need to start understanding that science is working for the good of humanity (for the most part) and look at it as a natural part of the way we live.

I will not take the regular flu or H1N1 vaccine. It appears that people who have had the regular flu vaccine last year...in which I did....doubles their risk of contracting swine flu. I am not impressed by those stats....nor with the information regarding this new swine flu vaccine. In my opinion, health organizations are not being upfront with the public & informing people of what is really going on with this strain. How did this strain really develop????? Too many unanswered ????

I have been receiving the flu vaccination for about a decade now, I am the main care-giver for my mostly independent 91 year old mother. I have been mostly free of flu symptoms during that time with one exception. Since many flu viruses take up to 14 days to present symptoms after exposure, I feel that many horror stories of illness after a flu vaccination are likely to be the result of a previous exposure, rather than the shot itself, although I expect that there are some allergic responses that may look like flu symptoms.

The only serious flu event I have had since taking the shot was in the late 90's. I had just sequentially attended four other people in the household during their extremely nasty flu symptoms when I received a call from the UBC Hospice where my aunt was residing, they expected only a few days remaining for her. I was feeling mostly fine, but had a slight physical unease, so I explained the home situation, and that I felt that as much as I wanted to visit my aunt, that I perhaps really shouldn't come, as the flu is often contagious up to a week before presenting symptoms. The head nurse listened, and told me to please stay away. My presence in the extended care wards just then would have had serious consequences for their patients. My aunt passed away three days later, as I was feverish in bed, and my family had their turn taking care of me. That year, the flu shot probably "missed" the strain that we experienced.

I will not be taking the flu shot nor the H1N1 shot ... there has been too much
negative feed back against these shots . My doctor says that being Aboriginal
I should have the shots. Years ago both my husband and I had the shots and
it didnt help us with the flu , but I had more problems with asthma. I use natural
products , like oil of oregano , its a natural antibiotic , I use balsum to disinfect
and have a disfuser to clear the rooms and take vitamines . Eat well and drink plenty of water ... maybe you may still get ill , but you will be able to fight it off.

I never had the flu shot before until my son was born premature. The doctors recommended our whole family get it. About a week after receiving the shot I got the worst case of the flu I have ever experienced. The rest of my family followed with the same illness. Next year rolled around and we all got the flu shot again. Once again we all got deathly sick. That was 5 years ago and we no longer get the shot and all is well. My family rarely gets the flu and if one of us does it is usually short lived with mild symptoms. My theory is that the flu shot overloads your immune system leaving yourself vulnerable to strains that are not included in the shot as well as other illnesses that may be floating around. All I know is that I have never been so sick in my life than the 2 years I got the flu shot, so we will not be getting it.

i believe it is a numbers game .. like with polio, if you vacinate 10% of the population, it fails to get around and eventually becomes extinct... i am no specialist, but i am sure, if the people who have no qualms about it, get the flu shots, im sure less of it will get around to bother the people who dont want the shot. There never is any guarentee, but we can still try to do our best to prevent illness and deaths.

I have never gotten the flu shot before, but my mom has entered a state
of apocalyptic panic with the (swine) flu scare. Starting this year, our whole
family is getting the flu shot. I dont mind that, its just the way the whole
"second wave" thing is freaking her out makes it hard to do anything without her whipping out the bottle of purrel and scrubbing our hands while she counts to 30 becomes a nuisance, and my hands are getting raw. Damn you, Swine Flu!

I had gotten the flu shot for years because of asthma. One year I got the shot, waited 15mins and I was feeling fine. I stayed longer than I was suppose to because I was talking with another recipient of the flu shot. About 20 mins after the shot I started feeling funny. It became hard to swallow, I had an anaphylaxis reaction and at one point stopped breathing. The flu shot almost killed me and health canada never found out why. I was just informed never to have the shot again. (not allergic to eggs). I suffered from various eye problems for months afterwards.

Three years in a row I was very sick every winter with the flu and pneumonia. I now have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Since I was so sick those years, my doctor strongly recommended I get the flu shot, since I now have a weakened immune system. I have gotten the flu shot four years now, and have not been really ill since.

Since having the flu shot has helped me, I will be getting the flu shot again to keep my changes lower of getting the flu again.

I have to smile when I read a lot of the comments posted. People refuse to have the flu shot because of the "unknowns" but take extra Vitamin D, greens supplements, etc. Do you really know what is in these medications? Think about that!
i have had the flu shot every year since it became widely available; I have never had any kind of adverse reaction; and I have never had the flu. So I'm convinced.....

There is no chance I will ever receive another vaccination wether it be the flu shot or hepatitas a/b.After receiving the flu shot I was partially paralized and left to slowly die well the heath care community tried to figure out what was wrong with me.After several trips to the docters and my wife even telling the doctor she thought I might have Gallian Barre I was finally giagnosed three months later by a neuroligist only after demanding to see one.My case was very rare in the way it presented its self due to the fact my heart and lungs were so strong.Its your choice just make an educated one.

I will, of course, be getting the flu shot. For those who say that they have recieved the flu shot and still got the flu; there are many strains of flu, you are protected against what is projected to be the worst that year, but you are still able to pick up the weaker influenza bugs. I can't believe how many people feel they are healthy and don't need the shot. If you get the flu you may be fine, but how many elderly and immunosuppressed people are you exposing who could die?

I will not be getting the flu shot, at least until the mercury is removed. The medical establishment seems to biased in favour of all immunizations, they are either brainwashed by the pharmacetical companies or have financial interests??

I work in a hospital and will not be allowed to work if there is an outbreak in my area, if I have not had the flu shot. I am not however having said shot. There are just too many unknowns. I feel the same as the other responders, if you are healthy, your own immune system will not only handle an exposure to the flu but will be improved by it. Look what has happened with the over use of antibiotics.

Always, when I and my son have gotten flu shots we have got the flu or cold because our immune system was supressed .
Since 2005 we decided not to get flu shots, I have never got sick. we decided to have healthy diet more vegetables and less meat and not dairy.. In winter we take more Vitamin D supplements that boost the immune system.
Now, My memorry has been improved. I don't have more any allergical reations, and I have more energy.

In your article I have not given the reader sources of your information that reader could by himslf check if the sources are biast..

All the others never got flu shot or flu - fluke or they don't go out in public. I get the shot every year and have never got the flu either. Guess we're all right.

I have been getting the flu shot every year for the past 8 years, since I was diagnosed with Asthma. The flu shot has not prevented me from getting sick, nor from getting an influenza. This year will be the first year I will forgo the flu shot.
Cutting out dairy (dairy can be deadly for asthmatics because it creates mucus in the lungs) and taking a daily greens supplement to boost my immune system, have kept me much healthier than any flu shot.

I strongly oppose the flu shot for any age. And, no, I will most definitely not be getting one. There is too much evidence supporting it's adverse affects and dangers. Getting the flu once in a while is part of being human, it happens, always did and always will. Why isn't the focus shifted toward natural prevention such as a healthy diet and active lifestyle with lots of vitamins, namely, Vitamin D. I do all of the above and have not had the flu in 10 years or so. Another natural approach to not just flu prevention but prevention of all ailments and diseases is to have a normal body PH balance. With today's North American diet we are far too acidic, which is a breeding ground for so many ailments. Disease can not prosper in an alkaline body environment. I highly recommend that you search the body's alkaline/acid balance online.

I have never had the flu shot, I have not had the flu in 32 years. If you are healthy, you are less likely to get sick. If you get sick, your healthy body will build natural antibodies for further sickness by that particular strain. I don't put chemicals in my body, God created us with natural immune systems and if we look after ourselves, there should be no major issue. So you get the flu one year.....oh well. Stay in bed.