Here We Go Again: Flu and Flu Shots

<Sigh> Patient-linked article on Facebook about the tragic case of a 26-year-old woman in Wisconsin who died of sepsis from pneumonia as a complication of the flu, despite having received a flu shot. Somehow this now becomes a reason not to get flu shots. Say what? Maybe she ate tomatoes. Did you know that everyone born before 1890 who ate tomatoes is now DEAD? Tomatoes are deadly! Don’t eat tomatoes. Actually, the first thought that popped into my head was to wonder if she was pregnant. It’s known that pregnancy greatly increases the risk of serious complications from the flu. The real take-home lesson from this tragedy is NOT the lethality of flu shots, but the perils of failing to promptly recognize and treat sepsis. Just because this year’s flu virus managed to outsmart the vaccine manufacturers, who had to decide nine months agoa which strains to include in this year’s shot, does not mean that flu shots are worthless. Quite the contrary. Funny how you don’t see the thousands of reports of “perfectly healthy” people who died of the flu but didn’t get the vaccine. I guess those stories are too “dog bites man” to make the news. Doesn’t change the fact that not getting the flu shot is far more dangerous than getting it, despite the prevalence of the post hoc ergo propter hoc logical fallacy. Here’s where I should insert all the correct information about the flu and flu shots. Fortunately, this lady...
Source: Musings of a Dinosaur - Category: Primary Care Authors: Tags: Medical Source Type: blogs