How does the state of sanitation in 2006 differ from 1917?

What sorts of countries currently experience the most influenza deaths per cap?

I remember hearing in the late 80s/early 90s that AIDS was going to mutate and become airborne, and also that it was going to become pandemic here. But the reality is, that people in the United States who don't engage in high risk behaviors are not at high risk.

Color me skeptical.

When it starts affecting average, healthy, non-elderly or non-infantile people in first world countries then I will be scared of eleventy billion people in the world dying including me. Until then, it will still sound like hysteria over nothing to me. If I were elderly or had an infant child I might be scared and rioting for vaccinations.

Apparently H5N1 doesn't understand sarcasm. I have noticed people who get the vaccines tend to just be sicker people in general which may explain their need to get one. As an example I have one guy in my office who is getting the vaccine. He is out sick today. I am going to guess he is out sick 10 days this year, that's about normal for him. I have never taken off a sick day since we started this company.

Never taken those shots...I haven't had the flu since I was in middle school. *knock on wood*

*err knock on whatever surface this office depot desk is made out of*

Every flu shot you get forces your body to have a little jump in antibody production. That antibody production normally occurs naturally in the body, but now you're forcing your body to produce it at times when it may not even need it. After repeating that the following year(s), your body is now used to having that extra boost to help fight off the flu, and produces less antibody on it's own.

Add to that the fact that each time you take a flu shot, some of the influenza strains you're carrying adapt and build an immunity to the vaccine. That's why new shots must be developed every year. The vaccine you took last year won't have an effect this year, because the influenza has adapted to it. So you're constantly creating a new cocktail, while creating more resistant strains of influenza at the same time. Each new vaccine you take makes you a little less naturally resistant, which is why some people still get sick after getting the shot.

Like I said, there are lots of people who do need them. But it should be restricted to those who's immune system cannot produce it's own antibodies for other reasons.

If you've got school age kids, I'd recommend getting the flu shot. Those kids bring home some nasty bugs. Otherwise, the flu shot really isn't necessary for anyone but the elderly and soforth.

The CDC.

http://thinktwice.com/cdc_2001.pdf

I get it every once in awhile, but I still don't do the vaccine thing. I figure my immune system needs to get a work out every once in awhile anyway.

[QUOTE=BIG_DADDYwhy don't you and Iowanian go on down to the clinic and have them stick that shit your body. .[/QUOTE]

I don't have to....mine was brought home.

You're right, we have gone around about this stuff before. I have read the documentation you provided at that time, I also showed some of your arguements to a family member with extensive medical training who thought most of it was BS.

EX.
1. "the flu shot will make you sick"
A. "It can't, its not a live vaccine"

I've taken into consideration the arguements I've seen here, and have discussed many of the questions raised with our pediatrician, the family member in the medical field, and ultimately have chosen to have my child vaccinated, including some of the "new" ones for things like Hep.

Like Brock, I think if you have children, work in the public, are elderly, young(child) or have compromised immune system issues, you should get the shot.....While "I" would ultimately probably be fine if I were to pick up Influenza(not diarhea....the actual respiratory flu) at work or somewhere, and give it to an infant, I'd feel like an asshole.

I'll get the shot.....don't get it if you don't want it.

Peh. They're just part of the conspiracy! Google is all-seeing and all-knowing.

I don't doubt there is some validity to what you're saying in this post, however I think its a bit misleading.

The powers that be, make their best guess as to which strains of flu will be prevalent, many months in advance for the coming year. They make teh vaccine to fight that strain of flu...lets say Strain A......then, El Nino and a guy named Larry brings Influenza B from his Visit to a Phillipine brothel and even the people vaccinated for A, can become ill.

I think alot of the misconception with the flu shot, is that you "won't get the pukes or the shats", which are not the major symptoms of the actual Influenza that causes concern.

What happened to the bird epidemic that was going to the hit the US and wipe out the entire population like the meteors did to the dinosaurs?

Something to ponder over:

In 2003 per the CDC there were 1,792 influenza deaths.
In 2004 per the CDC there were 1,265 influenza deaths.

2004 was the year of the shortage and not everyone that wanted the vaccine was able to get it. If there was a shortage and fewer people vaccinated, why was there a 30% reduction in fatalities?

Yeah....its that simple, isn't it.

I'm no doctor or epidemiologist, but the way I understand it, the bird flu, is mostly still in birds, and the humans that are getting sick from it have direct contact with the birds(workers or live among them). The concern was, to my understanding that the bug would mutate and become an easily transmittable monster that humans had no immunity to at this time.

In my area flu paranoyia season runs from late October until March.

heh--that's the funny thing, BD--never had a flu shot here

I shit you not.....I just got my flu shot, reading this thread...typing this post.