Fever broke?

[icarus]

I think the fever's broken, not sure. Either that or I'm having a brief respite, which -- hey -- I'll take it. My throat hurts like you wouldn't believe but even that's an improvement.

I have a theory.

I think these flus are the fault of flu shots.

I never used to get sick, or else which I did, it wasn't very serious. I got a very bad virus back in 1987, then the next one (other than a sniffly week or two) was in the late 90s, once flu shots started to gain popularity. Once my office (from 2000 onward) started pushing flu shots on the entire staff (and you were strongly advised to get one, it was provided for free, in-house -- seems someone examined the stats on on the costs of missed work days) I caught a severe virus every year.

So here's my working theory: flu shots are great for those who get them, terrible for those who don't. By combining the worst flu viruses into one vaccine, people are being exposed to a greater variety of brutal viruses. Most of which they would never face without the shot. Those who have the shot become carriers because viruses aren't the same as polio, measles, etc. Viruses mutate. The whole flu shot theory is founded upon everyone getting the shot.

Now here's where I get cynical. There are only a couple companies allowed to produce flu shots in the U.S. This is a very profitable business, increasingly so with corporations on board with the flu shot theory, sponsoring flu shots for their employees. There may be good intentions involved, but I bet someone at these businesses knows there's a risk of increasing flu epidemics if not everyone gets the shot.

God, I'm so sick of the U.S.

Comments

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The vaccine has a (supposedly) inert virus that triggers your body to produce antibodies because your body doesn't know it isn't live. Those antibodies then protect you when you encounter the live version because -- as far your body is concerned -- you've already had it. It was assumed that no one could create "a" flu vaccine because the flu mutates so rapidly and comes in 31(+) flavors. There are new strains every year. The flu vaccine is a compilation of several of the most likely (and nastiest) candidates for the coming flu season each year. (Someone above said that it's just one flu virus, which is incorrect.)

When you first get the flu vaccine, since your body thinks it has the flu, you will get flu-like symptoms.

I have no confidence in the flu vaccine. We have only a couple companies producing massive quantities of the vaccine under tight time constraints. The likelihood that some of those flu shots are either ineffective, contain live viruses, or other quality control problems, is very high at present.

[droolfangrrl.livejournal.com]

Now that I can see possibly happening.

[akaspeedo.livejournal.com]

I agree with you 100%. But I'm not in favor of vaccines in general, and don't even get me started on the one supposedly to keep young women from getting some kinds of cervical cancer.