With the arrival of cold weather, the flu is resuming and spreading more and more sick people. In order to protect themselves, many people are moving towards influenza vaccines. However, and paradoxically, a new study found that half of the parents surveyed believe that the flu vaccine causes the flu.
Orlando Health, a private non-profit network of community hospitals and specialty hospitals based in Orlando, asked parents about the effectiveness of the flu vaccine and had some very intriguing results. More than half of the parents surveyed believe that the influenza vaccine was the cause of the flu, and one-third of parents do not think the vaccine is effective.
Doctors explain that the vaccine does not make you sick
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 172 children died of the flu in 2017, but about 80% of the children who died did not receive their flu shots. Despite this alarming statistic, there is still a significant debate among parents about the benefits of the flu vaccine.
According to Jean Moorjani, a certified pediatrician at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, the flu vaccine does not cause the flu at all. She said in a press release that the parts of the virus used are completely dead, making it impossible to get sick from influenza from the flu vaccine.
Dr. Moorjani also said that after receiving the vaccine, it takes about two weeks for your body to make antibodies to fight the flu. Therefore, if you come into contact with the virus during this time, you may fall ill. She also noted that the vaccine is safe and does not cause autism or any other disease.
At the same time, other doctors talked about the results of the survey and collectively agreed that the fears of the parents were unfounded. They were also very surprised by the results.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in the United States, was equally stunned by the results, and said, like many others for more than 20 years, that the influenza vaccine does not get the flu and it's a myth.
Dr. Schaffner noted that only 1 to 2% will have a 24-hour fever after being vaccinated, but this is also not the flu. It is the body that reacts to the vaccine and starts to protect itself.
According to Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, there is no reason for parents to worry that their children will be vaccinated against influenza. On the contrary, they have to worry if their children are not vaccinated, because they put their lives in danger.
The effectiveness of the vaccine
In France, according to the weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH) of October 10, 2017, out of more than 20,000 deaths observed, influenza surveillance teams, coordinated by Public Health France, mention that more than two thirds of these deaths have been attributed to the flu.
According to a study published in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2016, the effectiveness of the vaccine against influenza was 43% in the United States and 38% in Europe. When the vaccine is optimal, the efficacy can reach 60 to 70%, all ages.
What are the factors that influence the effectiveness of the vaccine?
The effectiveness of the influenza vaccine, or its ability to prevent influenza-like illness, may vary from season to season. The effectiveness of the vaccine may also vary depending on the person vaccinated. At least two factors play an important role in the likelihood that the vaccine will protect a person from the disease:
1) The characteristics of the person to be vaccinated, such as his age and state of health.
2) The similarity or "appropriateness" between the strain of influenza virus spread in the community and the vaccine designed to protect against it.
In years when influenza vaccine does not match circulating strains of the virus, there may be little or no benefit from vaccination. But when there is a good fit between influenza vaccines and circulating viruses, it is possible to measure the substantial benefits of vaccines in terms of influenza prevention and complications.
