5 ms·

CDC terminates flu vaccine promotion campaign

87 points by throw0101d 2y ago

axus 2y ago
What a misleading headline (probably). What I'm reading is that a specific social media advertising campaign was ended. The article doesn't say that getting a vaccine is harder or more expensive than before, but given the context it's strongly implied.
- techorange 2y ago
  I didn’t find it misleading, but maybe the context on the word campaign is different for me?
  - ghaff 2y ago
    Campaign to me says some combination of ads and other types of promotion/information depending on the audience. So seems accurate.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
- gmm1990 2y ago
  they could have used ad campaign. Regardless this is extremely concerning. It sounded like the ad campaign was effective and supposed to run to the end of the flu season.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- throw0101d 2y ago
  Edited for more clarity.
techorange 2y ago
Are there sort of nuanced or structural reasons why the right seems more antivax especially recently? Or is it more just that’s the way the politics has sort of played out.
- xnx 2y ago
  If the "libs" are for it, they are against it.
  - bearjaws 2y ago
    Especially if certain "libs" are. It was easy with Bill Gates, Soros, AOC all getting vaccine around the same time.
  - IAmGraydon 2y ago
    This is literally all it is. Funny thing is that the Covid vaccine was developed and rolled out under Trump.
  - bluGill 2y ago
    The "libs" are not for it. Some libs are, but anti-vax has been a mainstay of liberal "soccer-moms" for decades before somehow the right got involved.
    - ghaff 2y ago
      Look to Marin County--the well-known Trump hotbed. /s
- adamtaylor_13 2y ago
  I believe it’s due to the way the COVID vaccine was handled. As an overly-broad rule of thumb, the right values freedom more than safety. The COVID vaccine was an example of very heavy-handed enforcement and I think whether for right or wrong the backlash has affected all vaccines. My personal take, unrelated to politics, is that getting a vaccine for a virus from last year while the current strain has mutated isn’t a particularly stellar strategy, especially when I get the effects of the flu from the vaccine anyway. I just roll the dice most years and I haven’t had the flu in over 10 years so it’s not worth it to me.
surume 2y ago
[flagged]
- nxm 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - DiogenesKynikos 2y ago
    Pharma companies are exempt from liabilities for vaccines because juries often rule for plaintiffs who are simply scientifically wrong. If a lawyer can convince a jury that 2+2=5, then the pharma company has to pay out. That was driving pharma companies out of the vaccine market, so the government stepped in and took over liability itself.
  - reportingsjr 2y ago
    Children are one of the high risk populations for flu. That is why kids are a priority of flu vaccines.
- javagram 2y ago
  Catching the flu virus also gives a high temperature and fever and results in 100s of kids dying each year from the flu[0]. Vaccines have been shown to be much safer than exposing yourself to the virus. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/flu/whats-new/2023-2024-pediatric-deaths-200.html https://www.cdc.gov/flu/whats-new/2023-2024-pediatric-deaths...
gregwebs 2y ago
Is there any data on whether the flu vaccine is working this year? The fundamental problem with the flu vaccine is that they make it ahead of time guessing at what the flu will look like in the next flu season. If the flu mutates or otherwise the vaccine isn’t a good match it doesn’t work well. If we are having a particularly strong flu season it is likely because the flu vaccine isn’t helping much and the advertisements might be setting false expectations.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 2y ago
  https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-06.html https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-06.html https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/2024-2025.html https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/2024-2025.html It looks like the vaccine was right on the money this year. They recommended H1N1 and H3N2 for the vaccines and that's what is circulating.
  - gregwebs 2y ago
    Thanks you for linking to that data. Glad they got it right this year. It would be great if we could also see the results of a placebo controlled trial every year as well to remove all doubt about whether or not it worked during the season.

87 points by throw0101d 2y ago

axus 2y ago

What a misleading headline (probably). What I'm reading is that a specific social media advertising campaign was ended. The article doesn't say that getting a vaccine is harder or more expensive than before, but given the context it's strongly implied.

techorange 2y ago
I didn’t find it misleading, but maybe the context on the word campaign is different for me?
- ghaff 2y ago
  Campaign to me says some combination of ads and other types of promotion/information depending on the audience. So seems accurate.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
gmm1990 2y ago
they could have used ad campaign. Regardless this is extremely concerning. It sounded like the ad campaign was effective and supposed to run to the end of the flu season.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
throw0101d 2y ago
Edited for more clarity.

techorange 2y ago

Are there sort of nuanced or structural reasons why the right seems more antivax especially recently? Or is it more just that’s the way the politics has sort of played out.

xnx 2y ago
If the "libs" are for it, they are against it.
- bearjaws 2y ago
  Especially if certain "libs" are. It was easy with Bill Gates, Soros, AOC all getting vaccine around the same time.
- IAmGraydon 2y ago
  This is literally all it is. Funny thing is that the Covid vaccine was developed and rolled out under Trump.
- bluGill 2y ago
  The "libs" are not for it. Some libs are, but anti-vax has been a mainstay of liberal "soccer-moms" for decades before somehow the right got involved.
  - ghaff 2y ago
    Look to Marin County--the well-known Trump hotbed. /s
adamtaylor_13 2y ago
I believe it’s due to the way the COVID vaccine was handled. As an overly-broad rule of thumb, the right values freedom more than safety. The COVID vaccine was an example of very heavy-handed enforcement and I think whether for right or wrong the backlash has affected all vaccines. My personal take, unrelated to politics, is that getting a vaccine for a virus from last year while the current strain has mutated isn’t a particularly stellar strategy, especially when I get the effects of the flu from the vaccine anyway. I just roll the dice most years and I haven’t had the flu in over 10 years so it’s not worth it to me.

surume 2y ago

[flagged]

nxm 2y ago
[flagged]
- DiogenesKynikos 2y ago
  Pharma companies are exempt from liabilities for vaccines because juries often rule for plaintiffs who are simply scientifically wrong. If a lawyer can convince a jury that 2+2=5, then the pharma company has to pay out. That was driving pharma companies out of the vaccine market, so the government stepped in and took over liability itself.
- reportingsjr 2y ago
  Children are one of the high risk populations for flu. That is why kids are a priority of flu vaccines.
javagram 2y ago
Catching the flu virus also gives a high temperature and fever and results in 100s of kids dying each year from the flu[0]. Vaccines have been shown to be much safer than exposing yourself to the virus. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/flu/whats-new/2023-2024-pediatric-deaths-200.html https://www.cdc.gov/flu/whats-new/2023-2024-pediatric-deaths...

gregwebs 2y ago

Is there any data on whether the flu vaccine is working this year? The fundamental problem with the flu vaccine is that they make it ahead of time guessing at what the flu will look like in the next flu season. If the flu mutates or otherwise the vaccine isn’t a good match it doesn’t work well. If we are having a particularly strong flu season it is likely because the flu vaccine isn’t helping much and the advertisements might be setting false expectations.

2OEH8eoCRo0 2y ago
https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-06.html https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-06.html https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/2024-2025.html https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/2024-2025.html It looks like the vaccine was right on the money this year. They recommended H1N1 and H3N2 for the vaccines and that's what is circulating.
- gregwebs 2y ago
  Thanks you for linking to that data. Glad they got it right this year. It would be great if we could also see the results of a placebo controlled trial every year as well to remove all doubt about whether or not it worked during the season.