Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu

The inactivated flu vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially the ones with asthma. In fact, children who get the flu vaccine are more at risk for hospitalization than their peers who do not get the vaccine, according to new research that will be presented on May 19, at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego

(snip)

In order to determine whether the vaccine was effective in reducing the number of hospitalizations that all children, and especially the ones with asthma, faced over eight consecutive flu seasons, the researchers conducted a cohort study of 263 children who were evaluated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota from six months to 18 years of age, each of whom had had laboratory-confirmed influenza between 1996 to 2006. The investigators determined who had and had not received the flu vaccine, their asthma status and who did and did not require hospitalization. Records were reviewed for each subject with influenza-related illness for flu vaccination preceding the illness and hospitalization during that illness.

They found that children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. In asthmatic children, there was a significantly higher risk of hospitalization in subjects who received the TIV, as compared to those who did not (p= 0.006). But no other measured factors—such as insurance plans or severity of asthma—appeared to affect risk of hospitalization.

"While these findings do raise questions about the efficacy of the vaccine, they do not in fact implicate it as a cause of hospitalizations," said Dr. Joshi. "More studies are needed to assess not only the immunogenicity, but also the efficacy of different influenza vaccines in asthmatic subjects."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519172045.htm

Annual Flu Shot Cuts Need For Doctors' Visits, Hospitalization Among Children:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904072851.htm

Flu Shot Protects Kids, Even During Years With A Bad Vaccine Match
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103084111.htm

e.g. those with asthma etc.

You'd expect them to have the flu worse if they get it - and also to be hospitalized more readily than others with similar symptoms, because doctors and parents will err more on the side of caution with children known to have health problems.

The study suggests that the flu vaccine is not as effective for vulnerable kids as it ideally should be; but not that it's the *cause* of the problems.

Why do some people not get this basic point? Unfortunately, a lot of people read a headline without digging into the actual story behind the headline. And the numbers behind the story? There's no way some people will go through that - they'd rather be ignorant.

For some reason, this study and the subsequent histrionics surrounding it gets posted in the Health forum about every 3 months as some sort of "proof" that vaccines are "teh devil and they killing us."