3 ms·

While I don't take the attitude that vaccines are to be avoided -- and myself, my wife, and children are vaccinated against all the standard stuff aside from th

While I don't take the attitude that vaccines are to be avoided -- and myself, my wife, and children are vaccinated against all the standard stuff aside from the yearly flu shot -- my grandfather was in a coma for 18 months from Guillain–Barré syndrome which was a reaction to a vaccination. It's scary stuff, but incredibly rare.

aestra 13y ago
>my grandfather was in a coma for 18 months from Guillain–Barré syndrome which was a reaction to a vaccination I'll follow up your useless anecdote with another useless anecdote. I had a close family friend die of the flu. In his 50s. The chance of developing Guillain–Barré syndrome is under one additional case per million vaccinations. [1] and catching the flu the regular way can contribute to developing Guillain-Barré syndrome and getting infected by influenza itself increases both the risk of death (up to 1 in 10,000) and increases the risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome to a much higher level than the highest level of suspected vaccine involvement (approx. 10 times higher by recent estimates). The WHO reports "Every winter, tens of millions of people get the flu. Most are only ill and out of work for a week, yet the elderly are at a higher risk of death from the illness. We know the worldwide death toll exceeds a few hundred thousand people a year, but even in developed countries the numbers are uncertain, because medical authorities don't usually verify who actually died of influenza and who died of a flu-like illness." [2] As I said before, all medical interventions go through a "Risk–benefit analysis" and no medical intervention is without risk. But do the benefits of getting the flu shot far outweigh the risks? That's for you to decide, but anecdote does not make data. Your family is far more likely to contract Guillain–Barré syndrome from the flu than the flu vaccine. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain%E2%80%93Barr%C3%A9_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain%E2%80%93Barr%C3%A9_syn... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza
- tosseraccount 13y ago
  5 people getting maimed from poliovirus vacine (maybe) is just an anecdote?
  - ars 13y ago
    > 5 people getting maimed from poliovirus vacine (maybe) is just an anecdote? No, it's fiction. It has nothing to do with poliovirus OR a vaccine. Except perhaps in your imagination.

aestra 13y ago

>my grandfather was in a coma for 18 months from Guillain–Barré syndrome which was a reaction to a vaccination I'll follow up your useless anecdote with another useless anecdote. I had a close family friend die of the flu. In his 50s. The chance of developing Guillain–Barré syndrome is under one additional case per million vaccinations. [1] and catching the flu the regular way can contribute to developing Guillain-Barré syndrome and getting infected by influenza itself increases both the risk of death (up to 1 in 10,000) and increases the risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome to a much higher level than the highest level of suspected vaccine involvement (approx. 10 times higher by recent estimates). The WHO reports "Every winter, tens of millions of people get the flu. Most are only ill and out of work for a week, yet the elderly are at a higher risk of death from the illness. We know the worldwide death toll exceeds a few hundred thousand people a year, but even in developed countries the numbers are uncertain, because medical authorities don't usually verify who actually died of influenza and who died of a flu-like illness." [2] As I said before, all medical interventions go through a "Risk–benefit analysis" and no medical intervention is without risk. But do the benefits of getting the flu shot far outweigh the risks? That's for you to decide, but anecdote does not make data. Your family is far more likely to contract Guillain–Barré syndrome from the flu than the flu vaccine. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain%E2%80%93Barr%C3%A9_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain%E2%80%93Barr%C3%A9_syn... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza

tosseraccount 13y ago
5 people getting maimed from poliovirus vacine (maybe) is just an anecdote?
- ars 13y ago
  > 5 people getting maimed from poliovirus vacine (maybe) is just an anecdote? No, it's fiction. It has nothing to do with poliovirus OR a vaccine. Except perhaps in your imagination.