How effective is the 'flu vaccine?

DublinWriter

I was thinking about getting the 'flu jab, but two issues worry me:

Given that the 'flu virus is a mutating virus, just how effective can any current seasonal 'flu jab be?

Do 'flu jabs in Ireland still use the preservative Thiomersal?

Vorsprung

DublinWriter wrote: »

I was thinking about getting the 'flu jab, but two issues worry me:

Given that the 'flu virus is a mutating virus, just how effective can any current seasonal 'flu jab be?

Do 'flu jabs in Ireland still use the preservative Thiomersal?

1) It's better to think that the vaccine reduces your risk of getting flu symptoms rather than preventing it, this year's vaccine only covers you for the 3 strains most likely to affect us in Ireland and the coverage is good (said to be 70-90%).

2) The 2013/14 vaccine doesn't contain Thiomersal (link)

gctest50

Few iffy batches of vaccine a few years ago ?

http://www.thl.fi/en_US/web/en/pressrelease?id=33516


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24172715


.

locum-motion

(My emphasis)

gctest50 wrote: »

Few iffy batches of vaccine a few years ago ?

http://www.thl.fi/en_US/web/en/pressrelease?id=33516


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24172715

And this is relevant to this year how exactly?

gctest50

locum-motion wrote: »

..............And this is relevant to this year how exactly?

Might be a few iffy batches this year ? - it's the small but hopefully worthwhile chance you take just like almost anything else.

It's a bit more than a dose of the sniffles - the flu has killed a good few over the last few years

L1011

gctest50 wrote: »

Might be a few iffy batches this year ? - it's the small but hopefully worthwhile chance you take just like almost anything else.

It's a bit more than a dose of the sniffles - the flu has killed a good few over the last few years

Pandemerix was entirely unrelated to the normal seasonal flu vaccine. Additionally that wasn't a case of a "few iffy batches" either.

gctest50

MYOB wrote: »

Pandemerix was entirely unrelated to the normal seasonal flu vaccine.

Never said it was - that would be as daft as bringing your Renault in when Toyota had dodgy brakes

MYOB wrote: »

Additionally that wasn't a case of a "few iffy batches" either.

Maybe wasn't - post links ?

L1011

gctest50 wrote: »

Maybe wasn't - post links ?

Nothing at all has suggested it was a batch-specific issue with Pandemrix that is being linked to narcolepsy - its generally impossible something refuting something that was never even claimed in the first place.