I go to a local drugstore to get some chocloate and I see this:

Flu shot gift cards for sale.

The world is corrupt.

But the drug companies are making a buttload of money on them.

Seriously, do you have any empirical evidence on the effectiveness of obtained flu shots and the mortality and morbidity of the flu? I'm also curious about how many lives saved make it worthwhile to you?

To answer your questions (which really had nothing to do with my comment), I know scores of people who have gotten flu shots and got the flu anyway. Some even got violently ill from the flu shot itself (including my mother). The vaccines have a limited scope. They don't work on all flu viruses. They do not guarantee you will not get the flu. They only work on whatever strain was used to make the vaccine. The H1N1 vaccine was not even available until the outbreak was almost over. And your comment about "how many lives" is way beyond the scope of my comment. I never said "don't get a flu shot". I never said "Only a few lives are saved so they're not worth it". Instead of pissing on my foot, ask Donny Rumsfeld how much money he made (while on the government payroll)on the millions of doses of Tamiflu bush ordered that they knew were not effective on the H1N1 virus. At best, Tamiflu was known to slightly ease the symptoms (as were other over the counter medications). Their ads said it was "the best available treatment" because there was "no available vaccine" for H1N1. A bit like saying "there's no cure for the common cold, but here, try this $30 bowl of chicken soup."

an epidemiologist to make such a statement. I'm impressed. Can you share some of the details from your research that lead you to that opinion?

and I believe they do help me (being in a high risk group - asthma).

I think they are in fact better for the population and better economically in that days of work are saved, visits to the doctor are perhaps fewer and the drugs needed to treat the flu are not purchased.

That's my opinion and the one year I did not get a flu shot, I suffered terribly.

I have RA and take immune suppressants therefore, high risk also. It's the way they market drugs that pisses me off. I never was and am never going to be Conan. Hell, Arnie isn't even Arnie anymore. Just another old flabby guy. :p

Can't watch a movie without dealing with flatulance, weak bladders, limp peckers, tingling legs - maybe that's what Tweety has and it's really not Obama giving him cheap thrills. :rofl:

Pay no attention to cranky mm today. She's in pain and just pissed off.

and I understand the pissed off part.

I am too!

:puke:

Saw one of my Dr's yesterday. She's originally from Hungary, studied both there and in the US. We briefly touched on the how Health Care for profit is immoral.

Yesterday someone on DU posted the salaries of all the Ins. co. CEO's. Think I'll mail that to her.

What's your opinion of Jenny McCarthy, OP?

I'm no anti vaxxer, it's just that I find the whole concept of chraging for vaccines (and health care in general) to be really repugnant.