It’s that time of year when the flu vaccination will be touted by your local care provider, doctor, or even the local chemist or supermarket! Will you have another flu jab this year? Did it help last year? Have you had any effects from the vaccination? Have you had the flu despite being vaccinated? Did your health provider inform you of the risks and possible side effects? You should have been given an information leaflet with your flu shot which gives you possible side effects. Did you get one?
Seniors more at risk?
It is probably the seniors that are contacted most frequently to come and have their flu jab. But how effective is the flu vaccine at protecting you against the flu. Are seniors protected enough to warrent them having this vaccine year in year out? Figures suggest that for those over 50 years, the vaccine is not as effective and the older you are the less effective it becomes.
Flu vaccine just 9% effectual
Well there is evidence that in fact the flu vaccine has been as little as 9% effective and what’s more some people actually suffer serious consequences after having the flu shot. Unfortunately, some people are succumbing to a rare condition known as ‘Guillain-Barré Syndrome following their influenza vaccination. If you do contract the flu after having the flu jab and many do, you’re likely to be more ill than if you had not had the jab at all!
The Cochrane Database Review
The Cochrane Database Review, the gold standard for the assessment of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of commonly used medical interventions, has concluded that flu vaccines do not appear to have any measurable benefit either for children, adults, or seniors.
In the ‘AUTHORS CONCLUSIONS’ of one review it states … “Studies funded from public sources were significantly less likely to report conclusions favorable to the vaccines. The review showed that reliable evidence on influenza vaccines is thin but there is evidence of widespread manipulation of conclusions and spurious notoriety of the studies. The content and conclusions of this review should be interpreted in light of this finding.”
And the FDA?
Even the former Chief Vaccine Officer at the FDA states: “There is no evidence that any influenza vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza.”
Young nurse dies after flu shot
Other life threatening problems can also occur after this IMHO, unnecessary vaccination. Health worker Katherine McQuestion, just married and pictured here, died of sepsis after receiving a mandatary flu jab.
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome?
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a rare condition that occurs when the sufferer’s nerve cells are damaged by their own immune system. Sometimes it can be triggered by a reaction to the flu vaccine activating the immune system and damaging the nerves. Flu vaccinations have been consistently associated with GBS especially when the disorder occurs a few weeks after administration of the vaccine.
No Cure for GBS
The problem with this syndrome is that there is no cure. Although some people do recover, it is a devastating disease which can paralyze the patient some of whom die. There are various classifications of the syndrome such as:
- AIDP (Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneurophathy)
- AMAN (Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy)
- AMSAN (Acute Motor Sensory Axonal Neuropathy)
- APN (Acute Panautonomic Neuropathy)
- BBE (Bickerstaff’s Brainstem Encephalitis)
- CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneurophathy)
- MFS (Miller Fisher Syndrome)
- PCB (Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial Variant)
The symptoms of GBS include:
- Rapid heart rate.
- Severe lower back pain.
- Problems with bladder or bowel function.
- Pins and needles in fingers, wrists, toes and ankles.
- Tingling and muscle weakness starting in the feet and spreading to legs, upper body and arms.
- Pain often worse at night.
- Problems walking, talking, moving eyes or face, chewing and/or swallowing.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Paralysis.
The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Although the risk appears to be low, it is serious enough to have a ‘Vaccine Injury Compensation Program’ (VICP) in force in the US. This was set up in the 1980s and is supposedly designed to help people injured by vaccine side effects. But the main reason for this program is to protect the vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits which may discourage the development of new vaccines. Total immunity was given to them by congress in 1986 and the law was upheld by the US supreme court in 2011. This gives Big Pharma carte blanche to produce vaccines of dubious efficacy with likely serious after effects. They cannot be sued when patients die or have a serious reaction from their vaccination.
Public Largely Unaware of the Vaccine Court: Most Cases Never Litigated.
The most recent report was issued on June 3, 2016 which covered the period from 16th Feb 2016 to 15th May 2016 and had 206 cases adjudicated. 116 of them were listed in the report , specifying the vaccine, the injury or death, and the amount of time the case was pending before settlement. 85 of the 116 cases settled were for injuries and deaths due to the flu vaccine, making the flu vaccine the most dangerous vaccine in the U.S., harming and killing more people than all the other vaccines put together.
Check out this blog posted by a nurse about the regular reactions he sees from vaccinations and the lies taught to students. Here is a snippet: “When I was done I came back and sat down with the student, and asked what he learned that night so far. The first response was: “What I was told about vaccines wasn’t true”.
You can’t sue!
Most US citizens are not aware that they cannot sue pharmaceutical companies for damages due to vaccinations. If you have a serious reaction after a vaccine in the US, an attorney has to be hired by the victim. Unfortunately, it can take years for a settlement to be reached and not all complaints are upheld. The longest settlement time so far is 11 years! Because of this, it is probable that many of the victims of vaccine damage, are not represented in the 3 monthly figures. It is so difficult to fight the government to win a settlement, many victims won’t even try. It’s bad enough suffering the after effects, without having to fight a court case at the same time.
A typical vaccine damage attorney’s website
For those who have unfortunately been affected by the flu vaccine, I randomly chose an attorney’s website from which you can gain information if you wish to take the matter further.
Where is the evidence?
The possibility of getting GBS is put at 1-2 in a million by governmental sources but is this just a figure plucked out of the air? Where is the evidence? How do we know how many GBS cases are as a result of the flu vaccine? People may have contracted GBS and 
not made the connection to the flu vaccination they may have had? How many doctors will connect the two events? Nobody knows the time frame between having the flu shot and contracting GBS or any other side effect. If someone gets GBS 2 months, 6 months, one year or more after a flu shot, will anyone wonder if it’s connected?
What the CDC says
What we do know is that the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) states that “an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop GBS each year” and “about two-thirds of people who develop GBS symptoms do so several days or weeks after they have been sick with diarrhoea or a respiratory illness“. How many of these people also had the flu jab before they got sick and then contracted GBS?
According to the CDC the definition of Guillain-Barré Syndrome is:
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder in which a person’s own immune system damages their nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. GBS can cause symptoms that last for a few weeks. Most people recover fully from GBS, but some people have permanent nerve damage. In very rare cases, people have died of GBS, usually from difficulty breathing.
I notice that ‘diarrhea and respiratory illness’ as mentioned previously, was inferred as a symptom of the onset of GBS. As you can see, those people who have died of GBS (according to CDC) usually do so from breathing difficulties, which I consider to be a respiratory illness or perhaps this is just a coincidence?
What about the research?
I think the evidence for the flu vaccine causing GBS needs to be researched more thoroughly. In fact, the evidence supporting the efficacy of the flu shot is thin on the ground. Is it worth the risk of suffering after effects of the jab against the risk of dying from the flu? How many people per year actually die of the flu?
Research is not something the pharmaceutical companies will want to do, in case the results are not favourable for them and reduce their profits. Also the research needs to be done by impartial researchers that have no dealings with pharmaceuticals and are not associated in any way with governmental departments. This could be a difficult ask!
A nurse’s experience with GBS
Robin Kelman “When I started nursing, I worked a Neuro floor in a 600 bed hospital and every Fall/Winter we would have several GBS patients in. Several of the initial onsets were post Flu vaccinations. One lady had suffered multiple occurrences of various levels of paralysis since 1980. More than enough reason for me to never take a Flu vac!”
The misery of a mother and daughter
Kimberly McMahon My 8 year old daughter got GBS after a flu shot. Never again will I subject my family to the flu shot! Not after seeing my daughter completely paralyzed!
It’s up to you, not your medic
Until accurate figures can be relied upon, you as the consumer, need to look carefully at the amount of evidence there already is. You cannot deny that some people have had their 
lives ruined by this vaccine. You must make up your own mind. If you are a fit and healthy individual, the risk of you dying from the flu is probably very small. The risk of dying from GBS is also probably very small. Feeling like crap for a week or two or getting a serious auto immune disease are the options. The latter could change the quality of your life forever, I know what I’d go for. We don’t really know exactly how many people contract GBS because of the flu vaccine. Neither does your doctor but he will be inclined to persuade you to have the jab, no matter what! Take control, it’s your life and your decision.
Next week I will list NON mercury flu vaccines for US
In part 2 of this article, we will look at the REAL number of deaths from the flu, not those hyped up by the media and the medical fraternity to frighten people to get a flu shot. Also I will be listing those flu vaccines that DO NOT have Thimerasol in them so you can make sure that you don’t get toxic mercury with your flu shot, if you choose to have one. If you live in the UK, mercury has been banned in flu vaccines for many years (since 2005 I think).
I’ve just had a phone call!
By the way, I’ve just this minute had a phone call from my doctor’s surgery. (I’ve not been to the doctor for at least 5 years). They left a message saying I was due for my flu shot!! 
Why are we all getting pestered? Is it really because the pharmaceuticals and the medical fraternity are worried about us or is it a case of ‘follow the money’. At the end of the message it said “This phone call has been sponsored by Sanofi Pasteur Inc.” Sanofi are the manufacturers of Fluzone Quadrivalent which is one of the vaccines being suppled for the UK market.
Spread the word!
Eek, this is quite scary. I’ve always been told to take flu shots since I was young to make sure my body is immune. But this kind of information scares me. I couldn’t even look at the image of the baby. It’s very scary. I always hate reading articles like these because it makes me overthink about everything. I know that it’s good to be well educated but at times it’s better to know less so that you don’t worry much. You know what I’m talking about?
Hi there Parmi. Unfortunately, life can be scary at times but get your head out of that sand and start doing something which is difficult, ie. looking after your own health. If you sit back and let it happen, chances are the happenings will be unhealthy for you. Remember, big pharma do not care a jot about Parmi’s welfare, but I do!
I know where you’re coming from about knowing less but knowledge is power. If you research what ails you and then go to the doctor armed with that knowledge, you can speak to him on equal terms. If you don’t like the drug treatment he suggests, you can propose an alternative natural treatment that will give you zero side effect. You then have complete control of what goes into your body and what is done to your body. Have a look at this article and see how you feel once you know the history of allopathic medicine.
I am now recovering from the worst flu I have ever had in my life. I’ve been sick for more than 2 weeks and at my worst I literally couldn’t stand up or do anything. I have never had the flu vaccination and this is the first time I have had a serious case of flu.
The way I see it is that each year new strands of the flu come out – making the flu vaccine that you take pretty ineffectual against it. Everyone that I know that takes the flu vaccination gets very ill every year. I refer to let my body fight flu and any other illness as far as possible without taking any vaccinations or antibiotics.
I’m sorry Lynne you’ve had such a bad couple of weeks but at least now you will be immune to whatever flu you had. There lies the problem, you have no clue what you’ve had, unless your flu strain is tested in a laboratory. That’s where the scare tactics come in. Statistics will say that thousands of people will die from the flu each year. When you really look into it and I have, they lump together every type of respiratory illness that has killed people and call all of them the flu.
Like you, many people I know, but particularly the elderly, seem to get the flu after they’ve had the shot. If they don’t get the flu, they still have nasty side effects from the vaccine. Check out this article about why the flu vaccine doesn’t work.
We really must stop trusting the medical profession to the extent that we will allow them to do anything to our bodies and put anything inside us. Vaccines are not safety tested like other drugs are. Researching for yourself is the only way to protect you and your family against medical duping. Get educated and then you can go to your doctor with more knowledge about your condition and/or vaccines and have an intelligent discussion on the treatment YOU want.
Oh yes it’s that time of year again. I’ve been getting the requests to get my flu vaccine.
I reluctantly did have one many years ago after being persuaded to do so. Lo & behold I got the flu a couple of times that season – to me felt worse than other times I’d had the flu. Hence I haven’t had another flu jab.
The caveat they use is that it doesn’t guarantee you won’t get the flu as there are so many strains and new ones come about all the time. The thing is without a vaccine there’s no guarantee either that you will get the flu. So I’m of the same opinion ‘What is the point of having a Flu Vaccine?”
I take it from your interesting post that you don’t have the Flu Vaccine either?
Hello Bridget, it seems we’re all getting nagged about having our yearly flu shot. So many have had an adverse reaction to this vaccination and it appears they suffer more if they have had the shot than if they haven’t, like you.
You’re right, I would never have a flu shot. Nor would hubbie who used to make vaccines in his profession. He knows what goes into them! Many ingredients are toxic and dangerous, even in small quantities. Despite this, it is very difficult to persuade our family members and friends to avoid this jab.
Have a look at this article. It explains why this vaccine doesn’t work.
Years ago, I got a flu shot just before a flu season in which being sick wasn’t an option. I got the flu anyway, and it was an especially nasty flu. The shot was a waste of time and money. The side effects are additional arguments against not only the flu shot, but the other vaccines that do more harm than good.
How right you are Cpascal. I trust you will be leaving the flu shot out of your itinerary this year!
My Kids and I keep getting invited to get the flu jab and keep getting asked whenever we go to the pharmacists.
I’ve never had one and I have always been fine, My mother gets them and she’s ill for a week with it so whats the point if it makes you ill regardless?
I think if you maintain a healthy diet and get the required sleep, even if you do get it you will be strong enough to fight it off just as quickly.
Your review has just reinforced my decision. Thankyou for sharing such an important subject.
Thanks for your important input Darren. I’m so please you have made the decision to leave the flu jab alone. I just hope you’re not going to be mandated to take it which seems to be in the pipeline for California. Usually other states tend to follow suit. We have a choice here in the UK… at the present time.
You’re quite right, a healthy diet and lifestyle is the best way to keep your immune system in top form. The older generation, who have the most side effects and the least benefit from these vaccines, are the ones that insist on having the shot. I’ve tried to peruade one of my elderly relatives to reject it, but she insists on having the jab. What can you do!!
Hello Magnesiumandhealth,
While reading you’re article about the side effects of the flu shot, I can’t help but compliment you on the great job of thorough information on your respected topic (I.e., the side effects of the flu vac). I’m not an expert in the field but I can sure tell you are and that made me trust your information a lot. The page and article was filled with loads of content and had many angles on the side effects of the flu vac. Good job!
The one thing I might fix up if it were my article would be the examples of flu vac victims and the people
Who unfortunately died due to it (God forbid). I felt very uncomfortable reading such a small paragraph about such a sensitive topic. Maybe combining the two together would make more sense because it can talk thoroughly about cold file cases and would give the reading a more deep look at the victims.
All in all, I have more then good to say about your article and it was a good read.
Hi there Sage and thanks for your comments. I too felt rather uncomfortable about talking about the lives of these unfortunate victims. The amount of suffering these poor familities are going through cannot be imagined. I suppose that’s why I didn’t dwell too long but left it up to the reader to go further into it if they wished.
I am pleased you found the post informative and hopefully you will be able to make your mind up as to what you will do for you and your family about the flu vaccine. Vaccinations as a whole is a subject that is wrought with misery for the unfortunate few. Those of us who are lucky enough not to have suffered vaccine damage tend to forget the anguish the few go through for the ‘common good’.
Don’t forget to read Part 2 next week!
Thanks for the food for thought Ches. I myself have questioned why the flu shot is necessary if the darn thing has to be refreshed every year. Doesn’t make sense in my book, but despite that I did ensure that my family and I had our shots this year due to a highly contagious and aggressive variant that had been going around. So far, everyone has been okay, but who knows what next year will bring? As you say, it is best to make up one’s own mind about this matter, and to take the necessary steps to protect one’s health. Thanks again for this information!
Thanks for your valid comments Joshua and I am pleased that your family is fit and well and avoiding the flu. Ches
Well, this is what happens when the government gets paid off by corrupt and greedy Big Pharma. As you so beautifully put it in one of your pics. They just create a suppression/side effect cycle to keep everyone on their drugs and buying them. At least in recent years, people are beginning to wake up and seek alternatives that actually work PERMANENTLY.
Amen to that Ariel. Slowly I think the trust of the people in the pharmaceutical industry will hit an all time low and the trend will rise to research our own health and use what nature gave us to cure our ills. Ches
Hey,
Wow. Such a detailed and useful post.
Never knew that the effectiveness of a vaccine can be this low. Like 9%? Seriously?!!
You have provided a great deal of information in this post that was definitely new to me and I think will be new to many others.
I really hope you get as many visitors as possible, because people really do need to read this.
Thank you so much!
Cheers
Pushkaraj
Thanks for your kind comments Pushkaraj, I’m glad you found it the article informative. Ches
I tell you something. The two people I live with have both had the flu vaccine, yet they both had the flu last winter. I have not had the flu vaccine, yet I did not get the flu even though I was around my two housemates a lot. But I do actually take high doses of vitamin C. Ever since I have been taking high doses of vitamin C, I almost never get ill. People all around me get ill but it just passes straight through me. It’s remarkable, really.
Well there you are Marcus, thumbs up for vitamin C which personally I think is a better way of warding off the flu than getting vaccinated with the risk of serious side effects. It is so common that people who have had the flu shot, still get the flu. Some of them get it much worse as well. Thanks for your input. Ches
I used to take the flu jab but since I contracted the flu once even though I had taken the vaccine, I decided to stop taking it from thence forth. However, it has worked for my kids so far but I’m inclined to reconsider this based on the probability of contracting GBS.
That said, as I understand it, there are various strains of the flu virus that shows up each year. What effect would this have on the efficacy of the vaccine?
Yes George, this is the problem. There are so many strains of the virus that each year they have to try and estimate which one is going to be rife for the coming season. Of course, they often get it wrong and the vaccine produced doesn’t cover the virus that strikes! As well as that, because a vaccine is being produced ahead of time, there is no way of testing whether it will cause side effects. In other words, those who have the vaccine are just guinea pigs! Ches
I have wondered these things about the flu vaccine for years. I have only taken the flu vaccine when I was pregnant but never any other time. It gave my mother bad side affects.
I do not specifically know her symptoms other than headaches and muscle pain but still. I have not put much thought into getting my children flu vaccines because they have not had the flu.
The only time I had the flu was once, like you. It was when I was a teen and I am 30 now. I always wondered if the flu vaccine was pushed. Thanks for the reviews and clearing that up for me.
Hi there Jana, It’s not unusual that the older generation suffer mostly from adverse effects. Some end up having fibromyalgia type symptoms which sounds like what you mother has. You need to temper your decision on whether to have the flu shot with the knowledge of the vast amounts of money Big Pharma make from their vaccination program. I would advise your mother not to have another flu jab as this could further exacerbate her symptoms. Thanks for your comments. Ches
Excellent and thorough information on flu vaccinations. I have only every had one flu vaccine in my life that I recall as well, it was free at work (they didn’t want any of us to miss because of the flu, I suppose!) Anyway, there is so much misinformation out there and this article helps to provide more accurate information. We need to take matters into our own hands as far as our health is concerned, rather than just “doing what we are told.” Thanks for the info!
Thanks for your comments and input Jill. You’re so right about taking our own health into our own hands and not leaving it to the medics. The medical profession are not really to blame, they are under the control of Big Pharma who are corrupt and only concerned about profit, at the expense of the population’s health. Ches