Hey Mama, and welcome back! Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the flu vaccine — specifically, how well it actually works. No hype, no fear-mongering — just the data speaking for itself.

We’re going to look at what "effectiveness" really means according to our health agencies, some eyebrow-raising findings from studies over the decades, and the role of industry-funded research. From the early days of flu shots in the 1940s to more recent reviews questioning their impact, there’s a lot to unpack.

I’m not here to convince you of anything — just to encourage you to ask good questions. Take what you learn, dig deeper, and stay curious.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about safety and side effects… that’s a conversation for another episode. Stay tuned!

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Sources:

https://www.who.int/initiatives/global-influenza-surveillance-and-response-system

Low in elderly - Goodwin K, Viboud C, Simonsen L. Antibody response to influenza vaccination in the elderly: a quantitative review. Vaccine. 2006;24(8):1159-1169. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2005.08.105

Low from 6-35 months - Luo SY, Zhu JL, Lyu MZ, et al. Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2019;53(6):576-580. doi:10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-9624.2019.06.007

Eric A. Biondi, MD, MS; C. Andrew Aligne, MD, MPH “Flu Vaccine for All: A Critical Look at the Evidence.” Medscape December 21, 2015

Brownlee S, Lenzer J. Does the vaccine matter? The Atlantic. November 2009. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1

Jefferson T, Rivetti A, Di Pietrantonj C, Demicheli V, Ferroni E. “Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;8:CD004879. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004879.pub4/abstract

Jefferson T, Di Pietrantonj C, Rivetti A, Bawazeer GA, Al-Ansary LA, Ferroni E. “Vaccines to prevent influenza in healthy adults”. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;3:CD001269.