Can Seasonal Flu Shots Kill or Paralyze?
Severe Allergic Reactions to Seasonal Flu Vaccines, Rare but Deadly
Nov 7, 2009
Seasonal flu shots, and particularly the vaccine's side effects, are often debated. Sometimes, a problem's cure is worse than the problem itself. America's historical use of DDT stands as a testament to how some so-called "cures" make matters worse. Many would lump seasonal flu shots into this category. While it is true that influenza vaccinations can be harmful, is it fair to categorize them as failed or snake-oil cures?
Seasonal Flu Shots, Desiree Jennings, and the Flu Vaccine's Successes and Failures
According to Mary Kearl's article for AOL Health, "Desiree Jennings: A Flu Shot Gone Wrong," Desiree Jennings' story is heart-breaking. Jennings, an otherwise healthy 25 year-old, now suffers from "acute, viral post immunization encephalopathy and mercury toxicity with secondary respiratory and neurological deficits." Her condition, "alters brain function or structure and can include memory loss and personality changes."
The culprit? Jennings and her doctors believe a seasonal flu shot caused her condition. According to Kearl's article, Jennings received the shot at a grocery store in August 2009.
Jennings' condition is truly unfortunate. It highlights the need for proper research and care by both doctors and shot recipients alike. The fact is that a seasonal flu shot can be harmful. Knowing the potential dangers before receiving the vaccine can help reduce occurrences of severe side effects.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Seasonal Flu Vaccine Facts and Myths
One of the best sources for accurate health information, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dedicates a great deal of time to educating the public on both seasonal flu and swine flu shots. Here are some misconceptions CDC aims to correct:
- Does the flu shot give people the flu? Simply put, no. As CDC explains, the viruses contained within a seasonal flu shot are dead. Flu vaccines are thoroughly tested before administered to the public.
- Why do some people get sick after receiving a seasonal flu shot? Most people, as one might expect, feel soreness at the spot of injection. This is a good sign, "caused by a person’s immune system making protective antibodies to the killed viruses in the vaccine." Rare side effects, however, can include fever, fatigue, and muscle ache.
- Why do some people who get the flu shot still seem to get the flu? There are many viruses that cause influenza-like symptoms (e.g., rhinovirus). Also, according to the CDC, it takes two weeks for the flu vaccination to take effect. The flu can be caught within this period. Further, a seasonal vaccination will generally not protect recipients from influenza viruses of unique strains, such as swine flu and avian flu.
Still, some catch the flu despite being inoculated. CDC explains that this result is only likely to occur among the elderly or others having weakened immune systems. "However, even among these people, a flu vaccine can still help prevent influenza complications," says CDC.
How Does the CDC Account for Verified Seasonal Flu Shot Deaths?
Despite CDC's reassurances, the seasonal flu vaccine is not for everybody. What about people, like Desiree Jennings, who suffer debilitating infirmities, presumably from the vaccine itself? What about those who die from that which is supposed to keep them healthy?
Severe, vaccine related illnesses are rare. Most, if not all, can be avoided with thorough patient intake evaluations and competent medical care. According to the CDC:
"These reactions are more likely to occur among persons with a severe allergy to eggs, because the viruses used in the influenza vaccine are grown in hens' eggs. People who have had a severe reaction to eggs or to a flu shot in the past should not get a flu shot before seeing a physician."
Common sense should mandate that both doctors and flu shot recipients determine if the latter are allergic to eggs prior to administering the shot. Unfortunately, common sense is not always applied, leading to potentially deadly results.
Perhaps less controllable, "about one person per 100,000 people per year will develop Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an illness characterized by fever, nerve damage, and muscle weakness." CDC credits this statistic to the disastrous 1976 swine flu vaccine. Per CDC, a more recent study suggests "that one person out of 1 million vaccinated persons may be at risk of GBS associated with the vaccine."
Decisions to Receive or Forgo Seasonal Flu Shots Should be Made After Consulting a Physician
In 2005, Steven Woloshin, Lisa M. Schwartz, and H. Gilbert Welch wrote a Washington Post article entitled, "A Shot of Fear." In it, the authors describe the exaggerated accounts of flu-related deaths, as well as the over-embellished benefits of flu vaccines. One might think that since 2005, advances in medicine might have led to advances in seasonal flu vaccines. But the fact remains that if the vaccine's engineers do not anticipate and prepare for the correct flu strains, the vaccine may be largely ineffective.
Conversely, CDC can conclusively state that "[s]easonal influenza vaccine provides the best protection available from seasonal flu—even when the vaccine does not exactly match circulating seasonal flu strains, and even when the person getting the vaccine has a weakened immune system."
Thus, the limited risks associated with flu vaccination may not be worth it for young, healthy adults. Children, the elderly, or the infirm, however, may be better off getting the flu shot. Decisions to receive the flu shot or to decline it should be made after consulting a doctor.
See Can Swine Flu Shots Kill or Paralyze? for information concerning the swine flu vaccine.
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