Six weeks ago public health officials were wringing their hands and warning Americans about the terrible influenza epidemic sweeping the nation. The governor of New York declared a public health emergency on January 12th. Evening television news reports showed emergency rooms overflowing with patients. In some cases there was video of people in tents in the parking lot next to the emergency department because there were so many sick people suffering from influenza.
Experts begged older people and just about everyone else to get a flu shot. This was supposed to be the solution to the scary epidemic that was making so many people super sick. We were told that the influenza vaccine was a fabulous match. The people who had to predict which viruses to include in the shot had gambled correctly. The match was 92%, about as good as could ever be expected. In theory, the flu shot should have been extremely effective in protecting people this year. So, how well did the influenza vaccine work in reality?
About six weeks ago we asked visitors to our website the following questions:
How Bad Is the Flu? How Good Is the Shot?
What we learned from the 146 people who commented on this article was that this year’s flu shot was surprisingly disappointing. Yes, some people did seem to be protected from catching influenza. But an unexpectedly large number complained that they came down with the flu even though they had obtained a flu shot early. Here are just a few examples:
“Had the flu shot in October, and three days ago, got hit with the upper respiratory flu. Ran a temp for three days, as high as 102. Bad cough, very stuffed up head, chills and body aches. Day 4 and no temp yet (still early in the day), but exhausted and back in bed. Have not had anything like this in years!”
BK
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“I got the flu shot, as I do every year. And although I have not been to the doctor, it is reasonable to expect that I have the flu. I went from feeling fine to feeling like a bus had mowed me down in about 8 hours. I started medicating myself when my fever hit 102.
“I have had fever for 3 days so far. We shall see what today holds. Dry, painful cough, general achiness and wooziness, exhausted. I am an otherwise healthy 45-year-old woman. My husband and 4-year-old son have also had it (along with the flu shot).”
Andrea
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“I am 74 and get the vaccine every year, and so far haven’t ever gotten the flu until this year. I received the shot in September with no problems… I had the flu starting after Christmas holidays. I had fever, aches & coughing… my Dr. prescribed Tamiflu. It seem to help. I wonder how bad my flu would have been if I had not had the shot or the Tamiflu. I still have a cough. I do think I will continue to received the shot every year.”
ML
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“I am 68, my husband is 84. We both got flu shots, as we always have. He got sick first and symptoms lasted a little over a week. I followed him by a few days and am now in day 15 with only small improvement. Our symptoms include sore throat, headache, head congestion, productive cough, loss of voice but no appreciable fever or GI upset for either of us.”
Lucy
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“I have received the flu shot for as long as I can remember and never got the flu. This year I had my flu vaccine shot early October and came down with the flu Jan 8, 2013. Very little nasal congestion but the cough is terrible, to the point where my midriff hurts. I read that only 60-62% of people receiving the flu vaccine avoid the flu.”
Kathy
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Kathy read right. The early word from the CDC was that even though the shot was active against circulating flu viruses (remember it was a 92% match), only about 62% of the population was actually protected from catching the flu. For many, that was good enough…a sort of glass half full assessment. But it turns out that this preliminary estimate was entirely too optimistic.
What Really Happened With This Year’s Vaccine?
The initial analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in and it looks like the flu vaccine was only about 27% effective for older people. We would point out that it is precisely older people who are most vulnerable to complications from influenza. That’s why they are always encouraged to get their flu shots. But wait, it gets worse. The really bad H3N2 influenza A virus that caused the worst sickness this year was barely prevented by the flu shot. According to the CDC, this year’s vaccination was only about 9% effective in protecting senior citizens from this nasty flu bug.
That’s right…9%! Imagine if your car only started 9% of the time or if your toaster only toasted your bread 9% of the time. You would be rightfully indignant. Despite such an abysmal record, the CDC continues to maintain that older people should get a flu shot.
What is never mentioned is the potential harm associated with flu vaccines. This is almost a third rail issue…too hot to handle. And yet we have just received some alarming news about a flu vaccine that was widely administered during the 2009-2010 flu season. More than 30 million doses of the Pandemrix swine flu vaccine were injected. Only now are we learning from Britain’s Health Protection Agency that there has been an increase in narcolepsy (a severe sleep disturbance) linked to the shot.
Children in Europe who were vaccinated against the flu with Pamdemrix H1N1 are apparently at a 14-fold greater risk of this life-long problem. Narcolepsy can trigger extreme attacks of daytime sleepiness. In some cases people fall asleep while eating or crossing the street. They may also experience night terrors and sleep paralysis. In this condition a person might begin to wake up but cannot move a muscle while experiencing terrifying hallucinations. At last count, over 800 cases of narcolepsy have been linked to the Pandemrix shot in Europe. That still means the overall risk of narcolepsy from the flu shot is pretty low, but a 14-fold increase should not be ignored. As far as we can tell, this vaccination was not used in the U.S.
People’s Pharmacy Bottom Line:
• This year’s flu shot was at best disappointing and at worst an abject failure. Public health officials cannot keep insisting that everyone should get a flu shot if the outcome is so dismal.
A few weeks ago we offered the following conclusions. Now that the data are trickling in, we think they are even more relevant.
• We need better influenza vaccinations. Researchers around the world must come up with a better flu shot that works for a wider variety of strains, lasts longer and is far more effective. This should be a doable project, though it will take major resources to accomplish the task.
• Public health officials should be more honest about effectiveness. And we also need better data about adverse reactions. In the effort to encourage everyone to get a flu shot, public health experts have not wanted to dampen enthusiasm. Dr. Tom Jefferson has pointed out that we have been slow to seek information about side effects of the flu shot.
• There is rarely any mention about antiviral drugs during a flu outbreak. There are, however, several medications that actually do seem to work against influenza, either to prevent it or speed healing. There is some controversy about the effectiveness of drugs such as Tamiflu, but to date there is no evidence of widespread resistance to the medication. To be effective Tamiflu needs to be taken with 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
You can read more stories about how people fared during the year’s flu season by visiting this link. And we would love to hear your story. Share your own experience this flu season below.
